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Let Children Get Bored Again

nytimes.com

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Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#61

Post by ssivark »

csmeder wrote: post #41

There are two separate issues: A. 1,000 ft view: drugs are bad. Both chemical drugs and electronic entertainment that is engineered to be addictive. Light weight drugs in small doses are less bad: 90s vs now. B. 50,000 ft view: the real problem. When rats are put in normal laboratory settings they choose drugs over food and water if given the choice. Most of our research on addiction is based on this. In a study wher…

Forest Kindergartens remind me of a movie I quite liked, which others might find interesting: Captain Fantastic (2016) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3553976/

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#62

Post by solipsism »

joe_the_user wrote: post #44
cortesoft wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it is also interesting how they categorize the activities... apparently reading a book doesn’t count as “avoiding boredom”, but playing a video game does... why? Both are using something to entertain yourself, and it seems pretty arbitrary to distinguish between them. In fact, I am pretty sure there has been times on our history where reading fiction was treated the same way we treat watching YouTube videos tod…

Yeah, it is also interesting how they categorize the activities... apparently reading a book doesn’t count as “avoiding boredom”, but playing a video game does... why? - Why? Because a video game move forward at it's speed, setting, since it keeps things going regardless, it's own agenda. A book only moves forward at the speed of a child's own thinking. There's always an opportunity to stop and think when reading a b…

Because a video game move forward at it's speed, setting, since it keeps things going regardless, it's own agenda.

I feel like maybe you've not done much gaming? This sounds like Tipper Gore telling us about how heavy metal music inspires devil worship.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#63

Post by sixo »

clubm8 wrote: post #48
csmeder wrote: post #41

There are two separate issues: A. 1,000 ft view: drugs are bad. Both chemical drugs and electronic entertainment that is engineered to be addictive. Light weight drugs in small doses are less bad: 90s vs now. B. 50,000 ft view: the real problem. When rats are put in normal laboratory settings they choose drugs over food and water if given the choice. Most of our research on addiction is based on this. In a study wher…

Personally I think the issue is, and I struggled for a long time to articulate this... escape. I have always struggled with a cluster of issues... too much tv, too much internet, for a period in college binge drinking, overeating... the big "aha!" was that I was engaging in these behaviors to escape reality. We live in a unique time where if you don't like the reality you're in, you can step into another. Society has…

This is my exact feeling. The problem is upstream: the world that needs escaping.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#64

Post by birksherty »

tarr11 wrote: post #4

The parade of concerned parents writing these kinds of articles have conveniently forgotten how much TV and video games many of us consumed in 1980s and 1990s. This stuff reads like satire: “Rather than teach them to absorb material that is slower, duller and decidedly two-dimensional, like a lot of worthwhile information is, schools cave in to what they say children expect: fun. ” The kids are going to be alright.

I am a millennial myself. We watched tv, had video games. But also we played lot more in playgrounds for fun, talk, meet up, discuss in real space and had real laughs.

Now I have seen kids in my neighborhood who don't know each other. In the free time they watch tv alone and uses social media most of the time. Only time they go out is for school, occasional shopping and other chores. I have not seen them with friends.

Few days back I saw a teenager using an app called Tiktok. It's like vine. Teenagers do funny weird short videos. They pretend doing funny amusing things but none of those actually are. They act like something unbelievable just happened. All the laughs are fake. They are in a competition to get more likes and shares to get famous. A reality show but at a lower level.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#65

Post by anonu »

I disagree with the premise of the article and its conclusions to let kids get bored. Boredom is plain evil. It is not something that should be sought out. Rather, it is a symptom of unpreparedness or parents not stoking inherent creativity in their kids.

As a kid, I rarely left home without a book. That habit still exists today. If I was "bored" or had some idle time, I had something to keep me entertained. On long car rides I'd engage with my siblings in numerous games - many of which we made up

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#66

Post by runeks »

You can't fully understand what something is without experiencing its absence. Boredom is the absence of interest, and it's important because it teaches you about interest.

In the same way that you can't judge how loud an always-present humming sound from an air conditioner is -- because it disappears into the background -- you can't assess how interested you are in something if interest is always present.

You don't want to do something just because it's somewhat interesting. Watching YouTube is somewhat interesting, but you clearly don't want to do that all the time. You want to do what's most interesting. And if you're unwilling to experience the absence of interest, you'll never know what that is.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#67

Post by matthewwiese »

kordlessagain wrote: post #56
matthewwiese wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very well put, and I agree with your general analysis. The question is: how exactly is this a "bad thing"?

Specifically, the philosophical belief of dependent origination indicates practicing one thing here may lead to "things" happening there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prat%C4%ABtyasamutp%C4%81da The argument goes that "dropping out" may be linked to a causal effect of which of which we are not yet aware. For example: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/08/why-young...

Thank you for the link to the Wikipedia page. Makes for good Sunday reading :)

If am tracking everything right, then an (albeit simple) description of dependent origination is that we can't necessarily predict the unknown-unknowns of our actions. If so, I don't see how dropping out (in the Timothy Leary sense) is any different from other phenomena that cause unforeseen consequences?

Using your example as my example, that Politico piece presupposes that increased sex ala the sexual revolution is itself an altogether "good" thing, and that the effects of Netflix et al is impacting that previously held ideal in a negative manner. At the risk of sounding contemptuous, I quite frankly don't see what the big deal is, and it reads more akin to vacuous hand-wringing.

Do you have another example of what you are trying to describe? Perhaps I missed the forest for the trees in your above link and haven't approached the topic in good faith.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#68

Post by scotty79 »

Pharmakon wrote: post #42
beobab wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you observed the phenomenon of “being bored with the internet”? I’m not sure boredom is completely satiated by novelty. I have experienced “I’m bored” events, where I had plenty of new experiences to try if I wanted.

As an adult? Hell yes, but as a kid? Ehhh... not so much. It takes time to notice patterns in storylines, presentation, production value, and for novelty to wear off. Personally you could execute me with a 24hr loop of any Let’s Play video, but my nephew lives and breathes them.

Kids are getting bored on their phones today all the time.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#69

Post by FPGAhacker »

lytedev wrote: post #53
nitrogen wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Books were an escape vehicle before TV, movies, and games.

Sure, but doesn't it work pretty differently? With books, you're just given words and your brain has to fill in the gaps and actually do some work. With video games and movies, your brain is directly stimulated; shown what to see and hear.

This is true, it takes effort to visualize, but it becomes automatic over time. You don't think about everyday language. You just use it. Same with books.

Take the time to develop this skill when you aren't in need of escapism and you can reap the benefit when you are in dire need.

There are other benefits as well. Developing your visualization skill is one that benefits pretty much everything in life. Visualization greatly aids learning and understanding.

Re: Let Children Get Bored Again

#70

Post by watwut »

leetcrew wrote: post #60
watwut wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure there was such periods and plenty of books are/were trash. And when the kid did nothing but read books, parents got concerned and tried to socialize the kid and force it outside. That being said, book readers don't yell at the rest of familly because they lost level. They don't swear into microphone. They don't hit things in frustration and while they don't like much interruptions either, generally they are able…

> That being said, book readers don't yell at the rest of familly because they lost level. They don't swear into microphone. They don't hit things in frustration and while they don't like much interruptions either, generally they are able to answer basic questions. if you let children play sports in the backyard, they are liable to do all those annoying things. also I take particular issue with the "able to answer ba…

It is much less of a problem on yard. There is less lashing out toward unplaying family members and they are more likely to abandon or solve frustrating situation.

See, and when they are not playing video game they are responding questions without trouble and I don't have to tiptoe around then. They are more willing to breat the game for answer or help. I don't have to treat them as someone special who can be approach only at certain times and with bigger caution then actually working adult.

I think this is honestly what they call gamer entitlement - the idea that other people are there solely as your service and you have no duty to communicate politely.

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