After all, we don't hand them a grocery list and the credit card and send them off to market. They play "grocery" until they have the concepts of buying, selling and choosing. Why not play "democracy" until they have the concepts down and are ready to assume adult responsibility in that sphere?
The question is, is this self-defeating? Most people do *not* really understand the concepts of buying and selling especially well. Is that because of fundamental inability, or is it because we didn't demand the skill of them at an appropriate age?
Mind, I'm not agreeing with the original proponents of this idea, who would have three-year-olds voting. But a 15-year-old? I'm of *very* mixed minds here, and I think it's overly simplistic to say that they simply aren't capable of it.
One thing I've observed in the SCA (not having kids, but watching a bunch from birth through college) is that the best way to get a kid to grow up to be a responsible adult is to give them appropriate responsibility early. Not excessively early -- but generally a lot earlier than modern society tends to do. Not only do most succeed, but they tend to take those responsibilities much more seriously than the average person who isn't granted them until adulthood...
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The question is, is this self-defeating? Most people do *not* really understand the concepts of buying and selling especially well. Is that because of fundamental inability, or is it because we didn't demand the skill of them at an appropriate age?
Mind, I'm not agreeing with the original proponents of this idea, who would have three-year-olds voting. But a 15-year-old? I'm of *very* mixed minds here, and I think it's overly simplistic to say that they simply aren't capable of it.
One thing I've observed in the SCA (not having kids, but watching a bunch from birth through college) is that the best way to get a kid to grow up to be a responsible adult is to give them appropriate responsibility early. Not excessively early -- but generally a lot earlier than modern society tends to do. Not only do most succeed, but they tend to take those responsibilities much more seriously than the average person who isn't granted them until adulthood...