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Bedtime reading could disadvantage other children, academic says

Who employs someone to clean their house 40 hrs a week? Where are they living, a 60,000 sq foot pig sty? People usually have a maid come in once a week or every two weeks for a few hours. Unless they are very wealthy...even if they are hiring illegals.

Not the most well-thought out idea that was proposed there. :doh

Btw, it sounds like you are underpaid.

You really don't know people that employ people full time in their homes or to drive them?
But then you do pay the part time jobbers you have at least the $20 plus social dues and all, I hope.
 
The federal govt will have cameras in your children's bedrooms to make sure you're not reading them any books. In fact they'll hire their own professional readers to send the reading of stories to the children right into their bedrooms via TV. Every child should be read to by a govt reader. :roll: Its only fair, and think of the children.

That sounds fine. Just like any good kindergarten only at home.
 
If you read the actual original article it was Plato's idea in breaking up the family and Aristotle who disagreed the premise. These were ancient philosophers rather than modern left / right politicians in the society that gave us democracy. It would also have been the times where different Greek republics were famed for bringing their kids (nee Soldiers) and citizens up differently.

The article is about two modern philosophers debating the original (2000+ year old idea / argument)

Not a ringing endorsement.*

*See "Greek History."
 
Another idea is that you instead could see it is game their parents can of course be coaches to their children (for exampe reading bedtime stories) but at the same time society see to that the game is fair. For example good public school for every child, free healtcare for children and like in my country Sweden also free universitys. Of course that means higher taxes but at the same time you get a larger degree of social mobility.

Like father, not like son | The Economist
 
The federal govt will have cameras in your children's bedrooms to make sure you're not reading them any books. In fact they'll hire their own professional readers to send the reading of stories to the children right into their bedrooms via TV. Every child should be read to by a govt reader. :roll: Its only fair, and think of the children.

To the bolded! Yep, but Americas still the greatest country that ever was. ;)
 
So because there are some parents that are terrible and don't care about their children, all parents should purposely not help tap into their child's potential. Makes sense.
 
You really don't know people that employ people full time in their homes or to drive them?
But then you do pay the part time jobbers you have at least the $20 plus social dues and all, I hope.

When you demonstrate that you actually understood what I wrote (instead of responding with something I never said or implied), I would try to answer you.
 
And this guy is an "academic"!

There are alot of people that claim that they are 'academics' or have higher degrees. And then we see what they write or conclude. Not exactly 'critical thinking.'

Just see my signature below, regarding bullets....the person claimed to have a degree in English and working on several other higher degrees. :doh And later defended the statement fiercely.

But I find the OP article hard to take seriously....not sure it was written as such!
 
Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

Not surprisingly, that is not at all what the people are saying. In fact they say the opposite. Really easy to find these things out just by reading the actual source.

Actually, it is what the article is saying. It is saying that reading to your child gives them an unfair advantage over the kids who are not read to.
 
Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

The amazing thing is the link to the ABC story is in your post, and yet you have clearly not read it. Why do you insist on letting others do your thinking for you? Hint: here is a quote from the story:



The whole thing is basically two philosophers looking at what they think of as difficult concepts and tradeoffs, you know, philosophically. They do not in any way seem to be advocating policy or anything like that, just looking at the effects of children of family activities.


The "philosopher" who is puking up this crap appears to be working off the assumption that social inequality is a bad thing.
 
Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

Actually, it is what the article is saying. It is saying that reading to your child gives them an unfair advantage over the kids who are not read to.

The article claims that is what the people in the ABC article said. It is not.
 
Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

The "philosopher" who is puking up this crap appears to be working off the assumption that social inequality is a bad thing.

To an extent, yes. However, they are accurate when they say that reading to a child tends to have a dramatic impact on the child's abilities, something they in fact encourage parents to do.
 
I see you avoided all the real problems that has caused no books in poor households. Failed Liberalism.

I have offered a proposal to address the problem. You have not.
 
People living in poverty have access to free books through schools and libraries. The problem isn't that they can't get the books --- it's that some parents don't give a damn about their kids having books at home.

Giving kids free books solves both problems--no books and parents not willing or able to get books.
 
Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

No Cookies | dailytelegraph.com.au

THE ABC has questioned whether parents should read to their children before bedtime, claiming it could give your kids an “unfair advantage” over less fortunate children.
“Is having a loving family an unfair advantage?” asks a story on the ABC’s website.
“Should parents snuggling up for one last story before lights out be even a little concerned about the advantage they might be conferring?”
The story was followed by a broadcast on the ABC’s Radio National that also tackled the apparently divisive issue of bedtime reading.
“Evidence shows that the difference between those who get bedtime stories and those who don’t — the difference in their life chances — is bigger than the difference between those who get elite private schooling and those that don’t,” British academic Adam Swift told ABC presenter Joe Gelonesi.
Gelonesi responded online: “This devilish twist of evidence surely leads to a further conclusion that perhaps — in the interests of levelling the playing field — bedtime stories should also be restricted.”
Contacted by The Daily Telegraph, Gelonesi said the bedtime stories angle was highlighted by the ABC “as a way of getting attention”.
Asked if it might be just as easy to level the playing field by encouraging other parents to read bedtime stories, Gelonesi said: “We didn’t discuss that.”
Swift said parents should be mindful of the advantage provided by bedtime reading.
“I don’t think parents reading their children bedtime stories should constantly have in their minds the way that they are unfairly disadvantaging other people’s children, but I think they should have that thought occasionally,” he said.Professor Frank Oberklaid, from the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute said he was bewildered by the idea.
“It’s one of the more bizarre things I’ve heard,” he said. “We should be bringing all kids up to the next level.”

One has to wonder if Mr. Gelonesi read the classic short story Harrison Bergeron, and completely misunderstood the point of it. Perhaps his parents should have read him this story before bedtime, when he was a child, and explained it to him. How sad that he had to grow up without that advantage.
 
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Re: Stop reading to your child cuz it's not fair to disadvantaged children... WTF??

So let me get this straight.

Good parents who take the time to read to their kids when they go to bed should stop, so the lazy, shiftless parents who don't bother, won't have disadvantaged children?

That's the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time.

Yes it is stupid. That explains why no one has advocated for a ban on story telling
 
Giving kids free books solves both problems--no books and parents not willing or able to get books.

You can get books very cheap at yard sales and used bookstores or get them for free from friends, family, and even some charities. Someone that can't pay a quarter for a kids book at a yards sale has serious money problems.
 
I see no one on either side of the fence supporting this.

USC and many of our other conservative posters will blame the liberals for anything.
 
You can get books very cheap at yard sales and used bookstores or get them for free from friends, family, and even some charities. Someone that can't pay a quarter for a kids book at a yards sale has serious money problems.

A lot of Americans have serious money problems.
 
Headline: Reading to your children gives them an advantage

My Reaction: THAT'S THE POINT! It just happens to be fun, too.
 
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