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> "Children pick on each other. Adults do not" I am very suspicious of this. For the most part, children are not free to associate with whoever they want. T
by Crito 12y ago
> "Children pick on each other. Adults do not"
I am very suspicious of this. For the most part, children are not free to associate with whoever they want. Those decisions are generally made for them by adults. It can therefore be very difficult for a child to remove themself from the company of somebody who picks on them.
Adults on the other hand tend to have a great deal of freedom when it comes to determining who they associate with. They will naturally disassociate with people that they don't get along with, minimizing social interaction with people who pick on them.
In the few situations where adults are not as free or able to avoid other adults that they do not like (prisons, lower-paying/status work environments, anything retail, lower income neighborhoods, crowded concerts, etc), adults picking on adults seems to be much more common.
- guard-of-terra 12y agoThat was actually the point of the essay by Paul Graham, you can perhaps find it on his site.
- circlefavshape 12y agoIt's funny that you used the word "few" here. "lower-paying/status work environments, anything retail, lower income neighborhoods" probably covers a very substantial minority of the population
- Crito 12y agoIt is a matter of degree. Even your standard adult retail worker will have more power to influence their social environment than their children. While it may not be practical for them to change their job, they do technically have the option. A child cannot even hypothetically change their school; they can only convince adults to change it for them.