96 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
96 lines
5.0 KiB
Plaintext
- Against Age Discrimination -
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by Brian Crabtree
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Evil is not genetically inherited. Given that there is significant
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fitness disadvantage to the adaptation of hostility, if hostility were a
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genetic trait then it would have been selected out early in the course of human
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evolution. Those with a natural propensity for violence rather than
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cooperation stand little chance for survival on their own.
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Because hostility is not inherited, it must be an aquired
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characteristic. The way we interact with each other is based entirely on our
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past experiences in dealing with others.
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As America's violence problem escalates to crisis level, politicians
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are continuously spouting nonsense about "cracking down on crime" after the
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fact. The tragedy of this is that these efforts are misdirected, and often the
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crimes the government ends up "cracking down on" are nonviolent, unhostile
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crimes.
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To attribute escalating violence to a change in human nature, or to
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mankind spontaneously becoming more hostile, is a sign of ignorance. To
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believe this is to buy into the political propaganda being fed to us my our
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governments and by the mass media.
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The problem, then, must surely be something deeper and more complex
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than that. The problem lies with the structure of society itself. There is no
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question that children are the future of the world. I will go one step further
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and state that the future of the world is dependent upon the treatment of out
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youth.
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Children who are abused frequently grow up to be child abusers. Youths
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who are constantly dealt with with an iron fist grow up to be power hungry,
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violent criminals. Youths who are treated without respect for their
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individuality, as if they are less than human and have no capacity to make
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decisions, grow up to psychologically abuse their children in the same way.
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Hostility - hostility and the desire to have power over others - these
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are the evils of society which are ripping apart any sense of brotherhood and
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cooperation we could ever hope to achieve.
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Teenagers are often said to be going through a "stage" of rebellion and
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resentment. The cause of this is not a change in the teenager's behavior, but
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a change in the way he or she views the world. As children, we have been
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genetically programmed by millions of years of evolution that we will survive
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better if we follow our parents and other adults unconditionally. Once
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children have the capacity to grow and learn on their own, they are no longer
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children and should not be treated as such. They have their own wants, needs,
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goals, and ideas. A society based on the mistreatment of its youth cannot
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survive.
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I suggest that instead of attacking crime, we should redirect our
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energy into attacking the conditions which create crime: poverty,
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discrimination, and feelings of powerlessness over one's own life.
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In the struggle for youth rights, I suggest to the governments of the
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world the following steps to be taken to secure the future of our world:
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1. Repeal all curfew laws for minors.
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Curfews are a disgrace to basic human rights. Adults commit over 90%
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of crime. The excuse of security must end when it creates tyranny.
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2. Remove all barriers which prevent a woman from getting an
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abortion. Along with this, implement sex education classes which
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teach about the proper use of birth control.
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Every child should be a wanted child. Government should not intervene
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with a woman's personal reproductive choice. Unavailability of birth control
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leads to resentment of children, and, therefore, abuse.
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3. Lower the legal age of majority/consent to 14.
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As soon a youth feels ready to make his own decisions, he should not be
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restricted in any way from excersizing his rights.
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4. Reform the public school system.
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Attendence should NOT be compulsory. In the days before school was
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mandatory, education was considered an opportunity. These days, the
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"education" students recieve (which is actually a crash course in submission,
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blind obedience, and living in police state conditions) is a virtual prison
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sentence. Schools should not be enclaves of totalitarianism which stifle
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childrens' creativity and strip students of their identities. School should be
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an opportunity for free inquiry and free expression - a place to learn about
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one's self and others.
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To the people of the world who see the damage which is being done by
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the mistreatment of our youth, I suggest to you: think before you act.
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Respect others rights of expression as well as their right to privacy. Treat
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everyone kindly, regardless of age, race, gender, or sexual preference. Speak
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up when you see blatant violations of human rights.
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If we can accomplish what we set out to do, and I believe that we can,
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then within a few generations, we can dramatically decrease violence
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altogether, and promote a general feeling of brotherhood and friendship.
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