Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

collegetowns.substack.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 388 posts

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#161

Post by jerlam »

alwa wrote: post #41
bongodongobob wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's fucking ridiculous.

Normally I’d ding a comment like this as low-effort, but… I honestly can’t think of any more appropriate reaction. I know I’m behind the times, but I was surprised recently when, at an elementary school in the US, they showed me painted lines on the floor of the classroom, indicating the zones out of the line of fire for somebody shooting through the small, jail-like window in the door… apparently they train the babi…

School shootings became very publicized twenty years before the pandemic, Columbine in 1999. School shooting drills and lockdowns became more common afterwards as few realistic solutions have been passed and nothing has been done to mollify the fears of parents.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#162

Post by rdtsc »

mmooss wrote: post #125
aklemm wrote: post #5

Well that headline sums it up. After 10 years of dealing with it and wondering "how the f did we get to this point", it's satisfying to hear it called what it is. A small win in our family was in my son's final year of elementary school when he finally decided to try walking home 1.5 miles; that Spring was a delight for him. He was properly decompressed and had logged a minimum amount of physical activity for good sl…

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

That wouldn't work in US until the whole culture changes. An individual family may do this, and then someone will call child protective services because there is a lost, unaccompanied child.

Happened to my coworker: kids were playing outside and a neighbor called the authorities on them. Not clear if they really thought the kids were in danger, or just did it out of spite, but what ensued was a nightmare of CPS calling the workplace and a few follow-up house visits. The sad part is everyone involved can turn around and claim "we were worried about the children" and use that as a shield for whatever overzealousness or maliciousness may hide underneath.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#163

Post by alistairSH »

lvl155 wrote: post #83
vidarh wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I lived in the kind of third world hellhole where this was a realistic scenario, I'd leave the country.

It’s the US. People on here are so sheltered.

The vast majority of the US is not like this. Yes, there are some (generally poor, urban) areas with crime problems. The average middle class town or suburb? Walking to school would be safe, if we simply built sidewalks instead of 6 lane highways.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#164

Post by valbaca »

mmooss wrote: post #125
aklemm wrote: post #5

Well that headline sums it up. After 10 years of dealing with it and wondering "how the f did we get to this point", it's satisfying to hear it called what it is. A small win in our family was in my son's final year of elementary school when he finally decided to try walking home 1.5 miles; that Spring was a delight for him. He was properly decompressed and had logged a minimum amount of physical activity for good sl…

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

> And they succeed and are fine.

They also literally had a camera and crew on standby while also blocking off streets (off screen).

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#165

Post by mmooss »

bink wrote: post #151
mmooss wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

I really dislike it when Japan is brought up as a comparison with the US, especially when it comes to crime or schooling. The cultures, poverty levels, and crime rates are so vastly different that it's never helpful.

Maybe they are so different because you (and others) won't try to learn from different cultures. If not, probably nothing will change.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#166

Post by lvl155 »

Aurornis wrote: post #147
lvl155 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you’re conceding this is location dependent. So in effect you’re saying the article is also location dependent? Pick one. If you knew the statistics on kidnapping or missing children in the US, you would not think of this as a “life-style” choice. By the way, 80% of US population live in urban areas so your experience living in 20% is not representative.

> So in effect you’re saying the article is also location dependent? The article is literally about how location effects are driving the changes. > Pick one. If you knew the statistics on kidnapping in the US, you would not think of this as a “life-style” choice. Child abduction is extremely rare in the United States. You might be confusing sensational headlines with statistics. It's common to report missing children…

There aren’t many places in the US where it is safe AND practical for kids to walk home. If you don’t understand this, then you basically live in a bubble.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#167

Post by me_smith »

brodouevencode wrote: post #115
Aurornis wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's an entire section and even a chart in the article that explains why this is different now In 1969 only about 30% of kids lived too far away from school for walking to be a realistic option. In 2009 (and today) that numbers is around 80%. Walking to and from school is great if you can do it. Most people cannot do it.

Seriously - I'd love to have my kids walk but we are 22 miles away (in a rural area).

I grew up in a suburban area so I am out of touch with the rural experience.

Because the article is comparing the past with the present, I am curious what parents were doing in the 90s in your area? And, what are parents doing nowadays?

I'm assuming, either car or bus. And I can't imagine that would have changed since the 90s unless there used to be a school much closer.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#168

Post by Aurornis »

mmooss wrote: post #125
aklemm wrote: post #5

Well that headline sums it up. After 10 years of dealing with it and wondering "how the f did we get to this point", it's satisfying to hear it called what it is. A small win in our family was in my son's final year of elementary school when he finally decided to try walking home 1.5 miles; that Spring was a delight for him. He was properly decompressed and had logged a minimum amount of physical activity for good sl…

Everyone here should watch the Japanese TV series, Old Enough! . 2-4 year olds are sent out on their own to run errands, etc. Yes, really, 2-4 years old. And they succeed and are fine. https://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/2011/02/old-enough.html

This is a reality TV show. They have a full crew following the kids around.

Like any reality TV, you're only seeing the story they want you to see.

Nobody should be gauging reality based on what you see on reality TV shows.

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#169

Post by JumpCrisscross »

jerlam wrote: post #161
alwa wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Normally I’d ding a comment like this as low-effort, but… I honestly can’t think of any more appropriate reaction. I know I’m behind the times, but I was surprised recently when, at an elementary school in the US, they showed me painted lines on the floor of the classroom, indicating the zones out of the line of fire for somebody shooting through the small, jail-like window in the door… apparently they train the babi…

School shootings became very publicized twenty years before the pandemic, Columbine in 1999. School shooting drills and lockdowns became more common afterwards as few realistic solutions have been passed and nothing has been done to mollify the fears of parents.

School shootings happen at school, not to and from them. (Obviously kids get shot. But mass shootings requires amassing.)

Re: The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment

#170

Post by EA-3167 »

messe wrote: post #153
EA-3167 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's more to growing up and being "well adjusted" than walking around as a child, for example the freedom to explore who you are without the "nail that sticks up is hammered down" treatment. I also enjoy a certain amount of diversity (in every sense, from thought to people) that simply isn't tolerated in Japan.

Forget Japan for a moment. Walking to and from school unattended is perfectly normal in many countries in the EU. The normalisation of car journeys in the US is bizarre .

There is no "US" where something like this is normalized, it's down to region, weather, urbanization and perception of safety. I grew up walking and biking to school because I was lucky enough to live in a nice suburb close to my school. For people who need to take a 20 minute *drive* to school obviously that isn't feasible.

The US is a massive country with a huge number of different climates and layouts, which is partly what makes articles and conversations like this so painful to read. Instead of the skeptical, critical thinking you'd expect from HN you get mess of "Car bad" "I wish we had European public transit" and broad generalization talk.

Post reply on HN