Alderson, P;
Alderson, P;
(2007)
The flat child society.
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Abstract
Whereas those who still believe that the earth is flat are unlikely to go far in geographical careers in politics or the mass media, teaching or research, members of the flat child society still dominate all these areas. Their cardboard cut-outs stereotype childhood stages, from the troublesome baby and the egocentric toddler to the volatile crisis of puberty, now stretching implausibly from around 8 to 25 years. Public opinion generally agrees that the child is an expensive burden, requiring firm adult management. The young yob and thug appear regularly in the news alongside the beautiful tragic child, victim of crime or accident, each ratcheting up adults' anxieties about risky childhoods. Now that rules against sexism, racism and homophobia protect other minorities, children are among the few groups whom journalists and politicians can denigrate with impunity. Politicians know that such abuse appeals to many voters - and that there are no children's votes to lose. The flat child has one-way parasitical relationships, absorbing adults' care, time, teaching and income, but offering little of substance in return. The corollary of the flat child is the idealised adult: always wise, informed, stable, responsible, infallible and competent. The adult must set and enforce nonnegotiable boundaries for the thoughtless greedy child. This is one of countless examples of identifying the flat child with another species, the not-yet human. The boundary advisers seldom acknowledge that all human relationships involve boundaries, implicit or explicit, if we are not to be doormats or tyrants to one another, and relationships involve constant boundary negotiations from subtle to violent ones. Punishments are hardly conducive to love, respect and friendship between adults, whereas they are deemed essential in rearing a flat child. This article briefly reviews questions about flat child beliefs, and then some examples of flat child policies. I will end with questions about how more rounded views of children and adults might support more informed and rational public debate and policymaking.
| Type: | Other |
|---|---|
| Title: | The flat child society |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Additional information: | This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Children (not specific age group), Cross-national, Community, Childhood studies, Public policy analysis |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1493982 |
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