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Moonlapse

Plebes
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  8. The death of the teenager?

    in Arena

    Posted

    Before this, adolescence as we think of it was not a defined concept, children became adults at ages much younger than we think of as 'adult' today.

     

    Adolescence was still a well-defined (psychological) concept prior to child labor laws. The name for the concept was "Youth", which was distinct from childhood and full adulthood. Again, while the legal rights of adolescents (or 'youth') has varied over centuries, there is clearly recognizable adolescent behavior going back to the ancient world. If we think about it a little, I'm sure people can dig up good Roman references to the risk-taking, sexual exploration, and rebellion of young people who were becoming adults (whether their parents and society liked it or not).

     

    Off the top of my head, I recall one of Cicero's Philippics chastising Antony for his adolescent escapades with Curio. In the Greek comedies, there is also a terrific scene depicting young lovers being interrupted by three old hags; a scene that would be situationally identical to the horror of finding your grandmother's friends flirting with your teen boyfriend via MySpace.

    Yes, this is obvious, but its not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a sociological/psychological classification which arose in the late 19th/early 20th century to describe dependent, institutionalized young adults who are prevented from participating in adult life. Adult life had started in the teens up until this point. Of course there are similarities between young adults of antiquity and adolescents of today, that's common sense. The difference is that young adults of antiquity were engaged in business and family, whereas adolescents of today are prevented from doing so and exist as a physically mature (or maturing) person in the same dependent and submissive situation that they have been in from birth. Adolescents are old children, created by arbitrary social and legislative limitations. Some people never mature out of adolescence.

  11. Summer of Love, 40th Anniversary

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    Gorgeous then, as now! :P Come on chaps, lets see more of us. Primus? Moon? Ursus?

     

    You tell 'em, NN!

     

    -- Nephele

    (Who wonders whether Moonlapse is ever going to let her 'gram him...)

    Hey, I finally got around to reading this thread! (I've had several days off) Do you still have my array of assorted alpha-characters? I'll have to look around for a good kiddie picture....

  12. The death of the teenager?

    in Arena

    Posted

    Here's an interesting synopsis of Hall's 'Adolescence.'

    http://www.wier.ca/~daniel_schugurensky/as...1/1904hall.html

     

    In Adolescence, Hall puts forth a number of theories that work together to conceptualize the existence of adolescence as a stage of life.

    Before this, adolescence as we think of it was not a defined concept, children became adults at ages much younger than we think of as 'adult' today.

    Hall's book was published at a particular historical period when child labour laws were being enacted, compulsory education laws were being enforced, and high school was coming into formal existence. Also, delayed entrance into the job market postponed adulthood and contributed to the development of the adolescent.

  13. The death of the teenager?

    in Arena

    Posted

    Personally, I don't buy the idea that "adolescence is a modern phenomenon."

    I'm not sure if you are referring to the biological or conceptual aspect.

     

    This is from Elwood P. Cubberley's (Stanford's Dean of Education and Houghton Mifflin textbook editor) book 'The History of Education' page 475, published in 1920:

    As the social life of nations has become broader and more complex, a longer period of guidance has become necessary to prepare the future citizens of the State for intelligent participation in it. As a result, child life everywhere has and is still experiencing a new lengthening of the period of dependence and training, and all national interests now indicate that the period devoted to preparing for life's work will need to be further lengthened. All recent thinking and legislation, as well as the interests of organized labor and the public welfare, have in recent decades set strongly against child labor. Economically unprofitable under modern industrial conditions, and morally indefensible, it has at last come to be accepted as a principle, by progressive nations, that it is better for children and for society that they remain under some form of instruction until they are at least sixteen years of age.

    I'll refrain from contradicting every point made in the paragraph. :lol:

  14. The death of the teenager?

    in Arena

    Posted

    Absolutely. Adolescence as we know it has only existed for about a century, out of countless years of human existence. However, childhood and dependency has been artificially prolonged far in our adulthood for social reasons and people should be aware of the consequences of changing things like this. I wouldn't say that kids should be suddenly unhindered, but the limitations set in place over the last 100 years should be gradually reversed. The biggest obstacle is our school system, just take a look at how quickly people became adults before the Civil War and scientific social control. If anyone wants to understand the current situation, read Adolescence by Granville Stanley Hall (an important figure in American education and psychology) first published in 1904.

     

    That comment from Philosopher King is ironic:

     

    Not to be rude, but when I was a teenager I thought and did a lot of stuff that was dangerous, stupid and potentially disasterous. In the end I suspect it was only the continuous messaging from around me as what the boundaries ought to be (even if I ignored them) that kept me from doing even crazier things.

     

    While I accept that freedom of choice and the learning of what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in society is incredibly important, the simple fact is that teenagers don't understand repurcussions very well.

     

    As such, giving them the right to get credit cards, loans or the like is simply allowing them to be victimized by a system whose only mantra is 'what the market will bear' which I translate as them being allowed to take advantage of inexperienced youth.

     

    I myself took on a credit card in university and ended up very much in debt because I didn't understand the ramifications. So, how do you propose to protect the young when you seem to desire setting the world loose on them?

     

    Petitio principii at its best. Apparently this person learned about credit cards but not about common sense. Everyone learns the hard way, the earlier the better. The best way to avoid causing yourself harm is to learn to avoid it as early as possible. Children are better equipped to learn and adjust to these things than a 20-something year old adolescent. Teenagers don't understand repercussions because they have been insulated from responsibility.

  17. The Great Global Warming Swindle

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    "Eating meat worse for planet than driving, animal rights groups say

     

    Ever since "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore has been the darling of environmentalists, but that movie hardly endeared him to the animal rights folks. According to them, the most inconvenient truth of all is that raising animals for meat contributes more to global warming than all the sport utility vehicles combined.

     

    The biggest animal rights groups do not always overlap in their missions, but now they have coalesced around a message that eating meat is worse for the environment than driving. They and smaller groups have started advertising campaigns that try to equate vegetarianism with curbing greenhouse gases..."

     

    http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/29/business/climate.php

     

    This animal protection groups want caws and pigs to became extinct? There is no limit to pointless activism.

    Save the planet, kill a cow!

    Actually, I would be willing to believe that methane levels have more of an effect on temperature than CO2 generated by cars (if everyone stopped driving, it would have little effect on CO2 production). Increases in CO2 at this point have a very weak effect because most of the wavelengths that react with CO2 are already being absorbed, which is why he have a habitable (and relatively stable) climate to begin with. I think the article is crap though, because it really doesn't tell me anything.

  25. New Historical Essay Competition

    in Renuntiatio et Consilium Comitiorum

    Posted

    Continuing in the tradition of past contests, the UNRV Senate is excited to announce a new writing contest for August/September.

     

    This will be a non-fiction historical essay writing contest.

     

    Subject

    Subject is open to personal preference as long as it relevant to any of Rome's provinces, from the Republic through the Dominate.

     

    Date of Entry

    All essays must be received by midnight eastern standard time (GMT -5) on September 16th, 2007. Judging will begin immediately thereafter and prize winners announced by October 1st, 2007.

     

    Length

    Essay length should be roughly 1,000 to 3,500 words but it is entirely up to the discretion of the writer. Length will only be a factor for determining a winner in how that length relates to the quality of the particular document submitted, it will not be an independent criteria for judgment.

     

    Judgment

    Judgement of the competition winners will be based upon general quality of the submission (spelling, grammar, style, etc.), the overall concept of the essay and it's accuracy (footnote documentation or particular source references should be provided where warranted and lack thereof may affect the ultimate "score" of the essay). Additional emphasis will be placed upon article originality and the writer's ability to express their own individual conclusions or observations based upon the research they've done. Judging will be provided by a panel of our site administrators, moderators and the Patricii member group (excluding any of these groups who wishes to submit an entry).

     

    Eligibility

    Participants must be registered members of this UNRV.com forum (you may register at any time) and entries should be limited to 1 per person.

     

    Where to submit

    All entries should be submitted in one of 2 possible ways:

    Email the entry to primuspilus@unrv.com either as an attached MS Word .doc file, an Adobe .pdf file or as a paste directly into the email body...

    Or send the document to Chris Heaton (Primus Pilus) via this forum's instant message system (included as an option within that link).

     

    Publication

    All submissions can and likely will be published permanently on UNRV.com for public consumption. The writer retains original copyright ownership but grants UNRV.com the right to publish by virtue of the submission.

     

    Prizes

    The following are for either Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

    First place: $75 gift certificate

    Second Place: $50 gift certificate

    Third Place: $25 gift certificate

     

    Discuss or ask questions in the Historical Essay Contest Discussion.

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