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> I wonder if that remains possible today. Parents still have the ability to raise their children according to their own values, despite the most earnest and e

> I wonder if that remains possible today. Parents still have the ability to raise their children according to their own values, despite the most earnest and eager intentions of the dopamine-dealing crowd. That bug hasn't yet been engineered out of society.

RattlesnakeJake 10mo ago
Yet when we do this by, say, homeschooling, the HN commentariat piles up hundreds of comments accusing us of child neglect and a lack of concern for society.
- jemmyw 10mo ago
  Do they? I've mentioned homeschooling on hn before without issue. There's always knobs who can't have a nuanced view of course, but generally the discussions I've seen have tended positive.
  - SauntSolaire 10mo ago
    This[1] thread has a good collection of them. Has plenty of comments in favor of course, but the negative ones are present in high quantities. There's a reason even anodyne headlines like that can get 800+ comments on HN. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999842 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999842
    - jemmyw 10mo ago
      I missed that one. But it seems like a lively debate for the most part rather than a single opinion pile on. But yeah I get your point that it's like there's an unreasonable number of people who have a strong opinion on it despite having no actual experience or evidence or reason to comment. Homeschool is a small minority and the majority are biased to what they know. We homeschool 3 kids, didn't intend to to it before it happened, and I would have held some very incorrect opinions about it too, for what little thought I ever actually gave it.
    - RattlesnakeJake 10mo ago
      Yeah, that's the one that came to mind. I was surprised at how much negativity surrounded the topic, despite what feels like a general dissatisfaction with the public schools at this time.
vitaelabitur 10mo ago
You are right, parents can still steer their children. But in some cases like mine, parents might not have the time or inclination to do so, for whatever reasons. I was able to discover Pickwick Papers, Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies, Spirited Away, Almost Famous, etc. on my own. If I were young today, I don't think I would discover the right things.

RattlesnakeJake 10mo ago

Yet when we do this by, say, homeschooling, the HN commentariat piles up hundreds of comments accusing us of child neglect and a lack of concern for society.

jemmyw 10mo ago
Do they? I've mentioned homeschooling on hn before without issue. There's always knobs who can't have a nuanced view of course, but generally the discussions I've seen have tended positive.
- SauntSolaire 10mo ago
  This[1] thread has a good collection of them. Has plenty of comments in favor of course, but the negative ones are present in high quantities. There's a reason even anodyne headlines like that can get 800+ comments on HN. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999842 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45999842
  - jemmyw 10mo ago
    I missed that one. But it seems like a lively debate for the most part rather than a single opinion pile on. But yeah I get your point that it's like there's an unreasonable number of people who have a strong opinion on it despite having no actual experience or evidence or reason to comment. Homeschool is a small minority and the majority are biased to what they know. We homeschool 3 kids, didn't intend to to it before it happened, and I would have held some very incorrect opinions about it too, for what little thought I ever actually gave it.
  - RattlesnakeJake 10mo ago
    Yeah, that's the one that came to mind. I was surprised at how much negativity surrounded the topic, despite what feels like a general dissatisfaction with the public schools at this time.

vitaelabitur 10mo ago

You are right, parents can still steer their children. But in some cases like mine, parents might not have the time or inclination to do so, for whatever reasons. I was able to discover Pickwick Papers, Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies, Spirited Away, Almost Famous, etc. on my own. If I were young today, I don't think I would discover the right things.