Children Detach From Natural World As They Explore The Virtual One

[babylonsister]

Children Detach From Natural World As They Explore The Virtual One
by Peter Fimrite

Yosemite may be nice and all, but Tommy Nguyen of San Francisco would much prefer spending his day in front of a new video game or strolling around the mall with his buddies.1022 03

What, after all, is a 15-year-old supposed to do in what John Muir called “the grandest of all special temples of nature” without cell phone service?

“I’d rather be at the mall because you can enjoy yourself walking around looking at stuff as opposed to the woods,” Nguyen said from the comfort of the Westfield San Francisco Centre mall.

In Yosemite and other parks, he said, furrowing his brow to emphasize the absurdly lopsided comparison, “the only thing you look at is the trees, grass and sky.”

The notion of going on a hike, camping, fishing or backpacking is foreign to a growing number of young people in cities and suburbs around the nation, according to several polls and studies.

State and national parks, it seems, are good places for old folks to go, but the consensus among the younger set is that hiking boots aren’t cool. Besides, images of nature can be downloaded these days.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/10/22/4739/

[Taverner]

1. When I was a kid, it was TV. The more things change, the more they stay the same

[acmavm]

5. My mom through us outside after breakfast and as long as we were home

for lunch and dinner, she didn't care where we went. Of course, we weren't stupid either, and we knew better than to get into trouble. The woman let us watch Saturday morning cartoons and that was pretty much it.

We were not deprived.

[DemBones DemBones]

7. True story: a friend's neighbors asked her how she

got her kids to play outside. They couldn't get their kids away from tv and video games. Hello, who's the parent here?

[acmavm]

8. EXACTLY!

Another way might be not to keep buying the kiddies stuff that isolates them from the outside world.

I don't have that problem with my kid, but occassionaly (if I want the computer at a particular time) I just tell him to go outside and find something to do. And if he comes back in whining that 'he can't find anything to do' I have the perfect cure. Tell 'em to read a book or GO CLEAN SOMETHING.

That'll do it every time.

[acmavm]

2. I don't know how you feel about this article, but I agree 250%.

[redqueen]

3. Unfair to try to blame park fees and crime reporting...

how much effort does it take to take your kids out to the park for a walk? Or out on a fishing trip?

[Hawkowl]

4. Yeah!

They should engage the world. Just like I'm doing right now. Sitting at the computer wasting my day. Crap, that reminds me to go ride my horse.

[EarlG]

6. Hmm...

Not saying that there's nothing to this idea that kids aren't spending enough time outdoors, but a bit of perspective: When I was 15, my parents used to drag me off on hikes, round museums, etc. Sure, now I'm glad they did it, but when I was 15 it was the last thing I wanted to do. I would have much rather been playing video games or hanging out with my friends.

I'm not very surprised to find out that 15-year-olds still don't enjoy hanging out with their parents. But I bet when that kid is older he'll remember his visit to Yosemite with fondness. He'll probably even take his own kids there, and they'll hate it just as much as he did.

[acmavm]

9. It's not just their parents and family hikes. It's everything. There is very

little in-your-face personal interaction and activity. Sand lot baseball? Nope. Touch football? Uh-uh. Frigging checkers with someone sitting across the table from you? Uh, no.

But sitting in front of a machine or having a cell phone in their hands on a sunny 80 degree day is the way so many of them want to live.

[bbgrunt]

10. life is closing down. People don't even go to

the beach much any more in the summertime--pollution, bugs and deer ticks, lack of WIFI. Just like with terrorism, people seem to be happily giving up everything for security and comfort.

[katty]

11. "I'd rather be at the mall"-.says it all...the mind control is complete

[Karenina]

12. See any dots to connect here?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x316027

[Sequoia]

13. Zombie mentality

[DavidDvorkin]

14. When I was a kid, it was books

I read too much. Stop reading and go outside. Same old world-is-going-to-the-dogs and kids-these-days shit.

[provis99]

15. huh. Thats how it was for me too

My dad would say "Quit reading those books and go outside and play tag!". Sometimes I think all this criticism of kids preferring videogames, books, tv, malls, over "playing tag outside" is pushed by a bunch of frustrated jocks who think the ideal of society is that we all turn into meatheads who spend all our time playing football in the mud.

[DavidDvorkin]

16. I think you may be right

I think, too, that a lot of the complaining comes from people who know the kids are entering a world of their own creating that the controlling adults don't have a presence in.