Pain Theories II [a short essay/rant]

Somebody please think of the children...

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”

~ Mark Twain

 

 

 

…and so the bad kids are decorated with gold stars for not stabbing anyone today while the good kids are assumed to be pampered by their parents and thus not in need of reward; the only lesson to be derived from this is that being good is pointless, and to make all your problems clear to the world, lest ye be judged for lacking in them.

 

…and so you must smoke, drink, snort, self-injure or all of the above, as visible self-destruction will communicate your pain to the world and prevent them from making assumptions about your life.

 

…and so now everyone you know is smoking, drinking, f*****g around with drugs and decorating their wrists with cuts, hence if you desire to stand out you must somehow seek a more extreme way to tell the world where it can stick its judgement.

 

…and so what are you going to do?

Reviews

[Bubo]

Crumbs, thats a deep write and a great debate.........of course the bad kids are constantly rewarded when good.....but the good kids are expected to be good........of course they must wonder at some point whats the use.........so what do we do? Stop rewarding good behaviour from the bad? Or reward the already good.........that is tricky.........to instil in a child right from wrong, right from day dot is what you do, because they know deep down what morals they live by.........some good kids prefer to be that, have higher aims, no their parents are rightly proud, where as a bad child is usually bad from a poor home life ( this i know)........and once rewarded for just being what all children can be and treated with less contempt helps.
I think my point is not coming across but I know what I mean!!

[F. Nazarov]

funny thing, I'm listening to a song right now
and there's a part that goes: "To be this young is oh so scary"
and I feel it corresponds to this in a way.
But, anyways to get back on topic.
Seems like the bad kids who get over their surroundings seem to
always be rewarded more, and regarded as something special,
despite the fact that, that is what you are supposed to do
in the first place.
And good kids are just snobs. These generalizations
really do nothing for the youth. It just gives unjust rewards
and leads tension and hostility between the "good" kids and the "bad" kids.
Just horrible, I must say.

[robin]

Funny I thought I was reading from my own mind, as though I was sitting in this chair, as though I would cut them. Instead I grew up not to know better but to wax Machiavellian on they heads. They will never know our silence, dodging their emptiness and their "haves" pollution, until one day they meet us or read us and suddenly Dostoevsky's waking has meaning, for them. Too late for their parents, they are truly the modern living dead. A fine glimpse of character in you Monsieur Boylan, quick, reload, here comes more...some of us never did lose sight of wrong and right.

[Wulfstan Crumble]

A very astute point and something ive thought of for a long time. It does seem rather stupid to reward those who did something bad but stopped. They will want more rewards so will do more bad things in order to stop them for a reward and we can enjoy some circles. Last year I tried to get my Japanese school to make certificates for the best students and the most improved as only the noisy ones and the sporty ones (usually the same people) get rewards and awards. The teachers declined so i did it anyway for English. As for what i'll do; i'll stick to what ive always done and got bullied for as a kid; morals, being pro-good n anti-bad but understanding if theres a reall problem... trying to change my students for the better. As for changing the system...maybe vote out Labour, dont vote in the Lib Dems (just as bad) n as for the Tories, theoretically they would not endorse this kind of perverted reward system but who knows these days... hug a hoodie n all.

[mick weller]

Mark Twain was a prophet: he forsaw the coming of:
MAGNERS Irish Cider...
me? I'm just off to shag the mother-in-law...

[Lauren Xena Campbell]

I'm going to write!

Great one, very true, so many people know days are getting away with things that are deemed wrong in society, and yet we are just saying ' oh, don't worry about it, go take a month long holiday and swim with the dolphins.' what are we trying to achieve by rewarding bad behaviour. But I have to say I can understand the confusion between being good or bad, if you're good you get nothing, but if you're bad you get a treat. It's a case of morals I guess, weather the desire to be good is stronger then the desirer to be bad and get something nice.

This was a very interesting piece with an upsetting topic but well written. Great work!!!

[Tamme]

It's true how the negative always gets highlighted and good things go on unnoticed. It's really kinda sad.

[Emily B]

Damn. Straight up and in your face ugly. Pointed and cutting truths.

[Anthony Morningstar]

Yeah it seems to only get worse when you grow up as well. Oh your sucidal or have feelings like that. Yes I do. Well what have you done. Well nothing but still you've got to help me. Well until you do something extreme can we help you. Or either something along the lines of you want a job a place to stay. Yes. What did you do? Well nothing. Sorry can't help you. If you were a felon or it was your first time breaking the law we probally could do something to help you. But I'm honest. Well that doesn't matter.