Ignorance.
Ignorance of that "new fangled thing," the glorified word processor. Many people, I'd go so far as to say most, of the over-thirtyfive bracket, are uncomfortable with computers and anything more technologically advanced than their CD players, their microwaves, their VCRs. They ask their kids to reprogram the universal remote.
So the kid humors Mom or Dad and reprograms that damn clicker and moves on.
Then the kid realizes that s/he has more knowledge in certain areas than the parents. When the kid gets older, the parents need the kid to install MS Office so they can bring work home, and, in theory, spend more time with the kid and bring back Family Values.
Now the kid is clicking around on the computer, entirely understanding that the parents will never understand what this kid knows at ten years old. This, folks, is power. The more time the kid spends on the computer, the more s/he learns about how it works and how to get around the parents, the filters, the "kids only" lock on AOL *sorry, AOL is big in the technologically-impaired crowd.* The parents lost, the minute they asked the kid how to reprogram the clicker. The parents showed the white feather and all hell's broken loose; now they've gotta pay up.
But how?
The internet is not the evil. The computer isn't the evil; we all know that. The evil lies in parents letting the kids know that the kids know more than they do. When the parents don't learn about the internet, so they can, god forbid, talk about it, or use it together, that's where evil lies.
How unreasonable is it to ask parents to be knowlegable? Enough not to be afraid of it?
I didn't think so.
Point Two.
So parents are uncomfortable with the glorified word processor; they feel a certain victory when the "email sent" screen pops up, they panic when the screen minimizes and scream for the nearest kid to "just get my paper back, I didn't touch anything, I swear!"
The last thing these parents want is their kids to be as technologically inept as they are. They're petrified their kids might be behind in society if they don't let their kids play with the computer. Some parents are even convinced that computer games are so much better than video games, they let their toddlers peck at the keyboard for an hour or so. Just so their kids will be familiar with it.
I suppose it all goes back to general ignorance, and ignorance breeding fear; the fear of the unknown. And not making the time to fix that.
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Ignorance. Ignorance of that "new fangled thing," the glorified word processor. Many people, I'd go so far as to say most, of the over-thirtyfive bracket, are uncomfortable with computers and anything more technologically advanced than their CD players, their microwaves, their VCRs. They ask their kids to reprogram the universal remote. So the kid humors Mom or Dad and reprograms that damn clicker and moves on. Then the kid realizes that s/he has more knowledge in certain areas than the parents. When the kid gets older, the parents need the kid to install MS Office so they can bring work home, and, in theory, spend more time with the kid and bring back Family Values. Now the kid is clicking around on the computer, entirely understanding that the parents will never understand what this kid knows at ten years old. This, folks, is power. The more time the kid spends on the computer, the more s/he learns about how it works and how to get around the parents, the filters, the "kids only" lock on AOL *sorry, AOL is big in the technologically-impaired crowd.* The parents lost, the minute they asked the kid how to reprogram the clicker. The parents showed the white feather and all hell's broken loose; now they've gotta pay up. But how? The internet is not the evil. The computer isn't the evil; we all know that. The evil lies in parents letting the kids know that the kids know more than they do. When the parents don't learn about the internet, so they can, god forbid, talk about it, or use it together, that's where evil lies. How unreasonable is it to ask parents to be knowlegable? Enough not to be afraid of it? I didn't think so. Point Two. So parents are uncomfortable with the glorified word processor; they feel a certain victory when the "email sent" screen pops up, they panic when the screen minimizes and scream for the nearest kid to "just get my paper back, I didn't touch anything, I swear!" The last thing these parents want is their kids to be as technologically inept as they are. They're petrified their kids might be behind in society if they don't let their kids play with the computer. Some parents are even convinced that computer games are so much better than video games, they let their toddlers peck at the keyboard for an hour or so. Just so their kids will be familiar with it. I suppose it all goes back to general ignorance, and ignorance breeding fear; the fear of the unknown. And not making the time to fix that.