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Kids Today

Only on the FT forum, could I ever have conceived contributing this.

Another learning experience...

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Amazing. In the UK, this would meet the strict legal criteria for sexual assault.

How has this behaviour survived into the 21st century CE, anywhere?

Because we're talking about little kids and there is no sexual intent.

Generally, East Asian cultures have far fewer hangups about physical contact between adults and children, and most haven't let paedo-mania disrupt normal interaction. In many cases, a child's playschool or elementary school teacher is very well-known to the family--they will certainly have each other's private phone numbers and will exchange gifts and greetings regularly. There have been abuse scandals that rocked Korea and Japan, but they didn't result in changes of culture, only law.

I don't teach young children now, but when I did I would pick them up and swing them around like nephews and nieces, and when I got paid I'd treat them to doughnuts or buy small toys out of my own pocket as rewards for good work.

I would never dream of teaching children in the UK, although I did briefly do adult EFL classes in London.
 
I don't teach young children now, but when I did I would pick them up and swing them around like nephews and nieces, and when I got paid I'd treat them to doughnuts or buy small toys out of my own pocket as rewards for good work.
So after my own heart, I could have written that.

Growing up in Glasgow, my uncle was the recently deceased Billy McNeill, of Celtic fame.

Would always have me laughing, the highlight being when I had a swing around from him.

'Right... hold on tight... here we go...'.

Happy, innocent, memories... :)
 
I speak now of Korea and not Japan, which I know far less well, but until these last few years I'd say that despite an advanced economy, technology and infrastructure, Korean society was something akin to what I take to be England in the 50s and 60s in key respects. The country was quite small-c conservative, extended families were the norm and community cohesion was very high due to ethnic and cultural homogeneity. There was nothing like equality, but in tacit adherence to Confucian thought, everybody was assigned a role and all those pulling their weight were respected to a degree. This, of course, resulted in big advantages but notable drawbacks.

On the positive side of the ledger, children were viewed partially as a communal project. Not only were child-rearing duties shared among aunts, uncles and grandparents who lived nearby, but relations between children and their neighbours and family friends were often very close. I don't just mean familial in spirit, I mean they would often carry out interactions which might normally be reserved for parents: washing, feeding, chastisement--although seldom physical.

This is still true in some places, but in spite of growing equality most people in Korea are notably wealthier than a generation ago and--as we all know--money changes everything, for good and for ill.
 
Ddong-chim in Korean.

Yes, it very much exists. Young child puts both hands together, extends both index and middle finger as if forming an imaginary pistol, and then waits for an opportunity to thrust this between the cheeks. It's a bit like a playful 'gotcha!' and not designed to humiliate. More like 'bunny ears' behind a person's head.

I had a child do it to me in my first job.

He didn't do it a second time.

If little Kim attempts to put his ddong anywhere near me he will encounter the traditional UK police riposte of AirWair, where l respond by inserting eight laceholes into his hoop.

maximus otter
 
Teens rather than 'kids', but what the hell is wrong with these people?

An Alaskan teenager allegedly killed her best friend after an online stranger posing as a tycoon offered her money to carry out the murder.

Denali Brehmer, 18, of Anchorage, is accused of plotting the murder of Cynthia Hoffman, 19, this month.

Ms Brehmer allegedly sent Snapchat video of the killing to an Indiana man, Darin Schilmiller, 21, who had offered her $9m (£7m) for the killing.

Prosecutors said the case should serve as a warning to the parents of teens.

Bryan Schroder, the US Attorney for the District of Alaska, told a news conference on Tuesday: "For all of the good the internet can do, it can be a dark place and parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online."


The whole depressing tale:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48696123
 
Teens rather than 'kids', but what the hell is wrong with these people?

An Alaskan teenager allegedly killed her best friend after an online stranger posing as a tycoon offered her money to carry out the murder.

Denali Brehmer, 18, of Anchorage, is accused of plotting the murder of Cynthia Hoffman, 19, this month.

Ms Brehmer allegedly sent Snapchat video of the killing to an Indiana man, Darin Schilmiller, 21, who had offered her $9m (£7m) for the killing.

Prosecutors said the case should serve as a warning to the parents of teens.

Bryan Schroder, the US Attorney for the District of Alaska, told a news conference on Tuesday: "For all of the good the internet can do, it can be a dark place and parents would be wise to monitor the activity of their children online."

The whole depressing tale:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48696123


I don't know why they are telling parents to monitor the activity of their children online as a result of this case, when all those parrticipating were adults.
 
Not all, and they were teenagers.
They should at least have asked for some money up front.
 
My sister stopped at a junction in her home town of Stowmarket (Suffolk) and spotted two youths on the street corner nonchalantly staring at their phones. Reversed baseball caps, Bling, baggy trousers at half-mast, clown shoes - they looked a treat. As my sister stifled a laugh, two stunning 17 year old girls walked past and were obviously giving them the eye (which was studiously ignored) and my sister had to drive on.
I vaguely remember a phrase that runs something like 'man is capable of no greater folly than in the pursuit of sexual pleasure'. But I can't fault the lads for dressing like clowns if it increases their attractiveness to girls - it's the girls who are to 'blame' for current trends.
 
Strewth!

Four children aged 10 to 14 packed fishing rods in a parent’s car, left a farewell note then drove more than 600 miles down the Australian east coast before they were stopped the next day.

Acting Police Inspector Darren Williams said on Monday the children were stopped by police near Grafton in New South Wales on Sunday, then locked the doors and refused to get out. He said a police officer used a baton to break a window of the Nissan Patrol, which had been reported stolen. Police were not sure which child or children drove or why they left Rockhampton in Queensland state on Saturday. The children are a 14-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and a 10-year-old girl.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/tech-auto/automotive/police-stop-four-children-who-drove-car-600-miles-down-australian-coast/15/07/
 
Strewth!

Four children aged 10 to 14 packed fishing rods in a parent’s car, left a farewell note then drove more than 600 miles down the Australian east coast before they were stopped the next day.

Acting Police Inspector Darren Williams said on Monday the children were stopped by police near Grafton in New South Wales on Sunday, then locked the doors and refused to get out. He said a police officer used a baton to break a window of the Nissan Patrol, which had been reported stolen. Police were not sure which child or children drove or why they left Rockhampton in Queensland state on Saturday. The children are a 14-year-old boy, two 13-year-old boys and a 10-year-old girl.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/tech-auto/automotive/police-stop-four-children-who-drove-car-600-miles-down-australian-coast/15/07/
I remember a story from over 25 years ago. It was on the East Coast of Scotland{Highlands}, where a group of 15 and 1 sixteen year old bought an old banger from a scrappy for £60{many questions were asked following the incident} and drove it to the West Coast. They drove along mostly single track roads ending in a place called Kinlochbervie{excuse if wrong spelling!}The village happened to have one local Bobby who was driving behind the vehicle when it failed to indicate at a junction. He flicked on his blue light{which must have been a rare occurence} and pulled the car over. He walked up to the vehicle to find no one in the passenger or driving seat. All five kids were sitting in the back!He had to wait for 45 minutes so another Bobby could travel from the nearest village to assist.The local paper headlines were Boys buy car with sweetie money!"
 
A mixed bag (anybody who'd rather be a teacher than an astronaut needs their head read).

View attachment 18922

Source & Article:
https://arstechnica.com/science/201...uld-much-rather-be-youtubers-than-astronauts/

Whilst this is superficially depressing, being something puerile like Youtuber/vlogger is a lot more realistic than an astronaut. I also think it's heartening in a way that younger Westerners don't want to be astronaut, yes, it's romantic and pushing boundaries but it consumes enormous amounts f resources to no real end other than hubris. It's a product of 20thC delusion, we aren't leaving this rock. Chinese kids will be equally disillusioned in a generation.
 
Surely a Chinese kid would want to be a taikonaut? Yes, I am being THAT pedantic.
 
Pilot programme for juvenile offenders needed.

Boy, 13, steals two planes from a resort and takes them for a spin after learning how to operate the aircraft by observing mechanics

  • Boy in China pushed planes from hangar and crashed one of them into a barrier
  • He then proceeded to operate the second one and drove it in circles in the lot
  • One employee said he recalled seeing the boy observing mechanics working
  • After watching workers for two hours, he hatched a plan to try and fly the planes
  • Family offered compensation of £230 for the crashed plane with damaged floats
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7264299/Boy-13-steals-two-planes-takes-spin-observing-mechanic.html
 
Pilot programme for juvenile offenders needed.

Boy, 13, steals two planes from a resort and takes them for a spin after learning how to operate the aircraft by observing mechanics

  • Boy in China pushed planes from hangar and crashed one of them into a barrier
  • He then proceeded to operate the second one and drove it in circles in the lot
  • One employee said he recalled seeing the boy observing mechanics working
  • After watching workers for two hours, he hatched a plan to try and fly the planes
  • Family offered compensation of £230 for the crashed plane with damaged floats
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7264299/Boy-13-steals-two-planes-takes-spin-observing-mechanic.html

And there is a pilot programme!

The airport has reached an agreement with the family for him to pay 2,000 yuan, as they are too poor to afford the full fine.

The Global Times newspaper says that police found the boy doing his homework when they came to fine him, and they gave him a strict verbal warning.

But the airport has been fairly sympathetic. Its director says they will step up security, but has also offered to train the boy as a pilot.

Staff were incredulous as to how the boy could have mastered the controls of the aircraft without any piloting experience, saying that he had only been watching the plane being repaired a day earlier. The airport's director told Pear Video that the boy must be very clever, as "it is impossible to learn by observation alone".

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-49073042
 
And there is a pilot programme!

The airport has reached an agreement with the family for him to pay 2,000 yuan, as they are too poor to afford the full fine.

The Global Times newspaper says that police found the boy doing his homework when they came to fine him, and they gave him a strict verbal warning.

But the airport has been fairly sympathetic. Its director says they will step up security, but has also offered to train the boy as a pilot.

Staff were incredulous as to how the boy could have mastered the controls of the aircraft without any piloting experience, saying that he had only been watching the plane being repaired a day earlier. The airport's director told Pear Video that the boy must be very clever, as "it is impossible to learn by observation alone".

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-49073042
Now I know how to get trained as a pilot! Fantastic!
 
I don't think I'd be comfortable on his plane, really. But that's almost unbelievable that he learned do pilot it in that way, though I suppose I'd be even more incredulous if he'd taken to the air.
 
15-year-old sends tweets from her fridge after mother confiscates phone

She resorted to drastic measures after action taken ‘so I’d pay more attention to my surroundings’

Dorothy, who declined to share her last name, says her mother disciplined her two weeks ago after she got too distracted while cooking and caused a fire.

She then started twittering using her Nintendo. After her mum discovered & shut that down, she went on to her Wii U & sent tweets from that. After her mum discovered & took her Wii U away, she found she could tweet from her smart fridge. “I’m talking to my fridge what the heck,” she said.

LG did not respond to request for comment, but its website confirms the refrigerator does have social media capabilities, and the tweet source confirms it was sent from the device.
Kudos for ingenuity & determination.
 
Because the others they picked, youtube whore and vlogger whatever is the easiest thing, just laziness is it not?
 
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