Teach Your Children Well

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by survivalmonkey, Oct 2, 2010.


  1. survivalmonkey

    survivalmonkey Monkey+++

    This from fireplaceguy's blog. - melbo

    Joe Sobran's untimely death prompted some re-reading of his work - or at least the small portion of it that resides in my library. Herewith one of my all-time favorites, penned in 1999:

    Because I write about politics, people are forever asking me the best way to teach children how our system of government works. I tell them that they can give their own children a basic civics course right in their own homes.

    In my own experience as a father, I have discovered several simple devices that can illustrate to a child's mind the principles on which the modern state deals with its citizens. You may find them helpful, too.

    For example, I used to play the simple card game WAR with my son. After a while, when he thoroughly understood that the higher ranking cards beat the lower ranking ones, I created a new game I called GOVERNMENT. In this game, I was Government, and I won every trick, regardless of who had the better card. My boy soon lost interest in my new game, but I like to think it taught him a valuable lesson for later in life.

    When your child is a little older, you can teach him about our tax system in a way that is easy to grasp. Offer him, say, $10 to mow the lawn. When he has mowed it and asks to be paid, withhold $5 and explain that this is income tax. Give $1 to his younger brother, and tell him that this is "fair". Also, explain that you need the other $4 yourself to cover the administrative costs of dividing the money. When he cries, tell him he is being "selfish" and "greedy". Later in life he will thank you.

    Make as many rules as possible. Leave the reasons for them obscure. Enforce them arbitrarily. Accuse your child of breaking rules you have never told him about. Keep him anxious that he may be violating commands you haven't yet issued. Instill in him the feeling that rules are utterly irrational. This will prepare him for living under democratic government.

    When your child has matured sufficiently to understand how the judicial system works, set a bedtime for him and then send him to bed an hour early. When he tearfully accuses you of breaking the rules, explain that you made the rules and you can interpret them in any way that seems appropriate to you, according to changing conditions. This will prepare him for the Supreme Court's concept of the U.S. Constitution as a "living document".

    Promise often to take him to the movies or the zoo, and then, at the appointed hour, recline in an easy chair with a newspaper and tell him you have changed your plans. When he screams, "But you promised!", explain to him that it was a campaign promise.

    Every now and then, without warning, slap your child. Then explain that this is defense. Tell him that you must be vigilant at all times to stop any potential enemy before he gets big enough to hurt you. This, too, your child will appreciate, not right at that moment, maybe, but later in life.

    At times your child will naturally express discontent with your methods. He may even give voice to a petulant wish that he lived with another family. To forestall and minimize this reaction, tell him how lucky he is to be with you the most loving and indulgent parent in the world, and recount lurid stories of the cruelties of other parents. This will make him loyal to you and, later, receptive to schoolroom claims that the America of the postmodern welfare state is still the best and freest country on Earth.

    This brings me to the most important child-rearing technique of all: lying. Lie to your child constantly. Teach him that words mean nothing--or rather that the meanings of words are continually "evolving", and may be tomorrow the opposite of what they are today.

    Some readers may object that this is a poor way to raise a child. A few may even call it child abuse. But that's the whole point: Child abuse is the best preparation for adult life under our form of GOVERNMENT.

    Originally written for http://mises.org[​IMG]


    InvertebrateNation
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  2. oscar615

    oscar615 Monkey+++

    An very apt description.
     
  3. bnmb

    bnmb On Hiatus Banned

    Huh...This looks like "How to raise an asocial psychopath or politician" manual... :D
     
  4. fireplaceguy

    fireplaceguy Monkey+

    Thanks for posting this, Melbo. I'm introducing a Constitution Party candidate at a fundraiser next week, and I'm reading this as the intro to my speech.

    It's a great way to point out how screwed up things are today, without sounding unreasonable or angry. Everyone should be sending this out by e-mail, posting it, printing it and reading it out loud - wherever and whenever they can. And yes, I'd be grateful if you linked to my blog just as Melbo did...
     
  5. gunbunny

    gunbunny Never Trust A Bunny

  6. jim2

    jim2 Monkey+++

    Looks like the IRS in action.
     
  7. OhioHillbilly

    OhioHillbilly Monkey+

    The first thing I tried to teach my kids, when they were home, was that government is a nessesary evil. The more the govt GIVES you the more they own you. I tried to show them that we don't depend on the govt to take care of us. We work to take care of ourselves.
    I tried not to hit them with it all at once but a little at a time. We all know that a ten year olds idea of whats important is vastly different than what we as adults think is important. I tried to make it to where THEY asked the questions. I've always been a fan of C-Span. The kids would see it on the TV and ask whhat it was all about.
    Our daughter died this past April and we are raising our grandson. He asks a lot of questions about govt and he is genuinly interested. Not bad for a ten year old. We are teaching him the same thing. Take matters in your own hands and don't depend on the govt for anything.
     
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