Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
The “adults” in charge are foolish brats, and we need to stop listening to and obeying them.
The most immature thing I have ever seen was a 2016 debate of presidential candidates, each of them making thinly veiled braggadocio references to the size of their penises. Not only did the American people fail to dismiss those idiots; we elected one of them president.
We are evading OUR responsibilities as adults when we indulge the deadly antics of these ridiculous babies. Stop for a moment and think about it, and you will see for yourself how immature, and foolish and absurd these people are — and what to do about them.
Me Me Me
What do misbehaving children want? Attention! And they want to get their way. They don’t care about anyone else. They want ALL the toys. They don’t want to share. When they don’t get their way, they have tantrums. They hit people and break things. They don’t listen and you can’t reason with them.
Doesn’t that pretty much sum up the attitude and behavior of the people we’ve been tolerating as leaders? In government, in business, and in various institutions?
We are talking about selfish, irrational bullies. We go along with them because, well, we think they are powerful and that we can’t resist or stop them. But like the neighborhood bully, give him a bloody nose and he’ll go home crying.
Let’s send these bullies home.
How To Reclaim Society and the Planet
Spoiled children dominate our culture and our world because responsible adults have not been doing their jobs. That’s us.
What would responsible adults do when children misbehave? Children can be stubborn so no one tactic works, but a good parent keeps at it. We should try many things. We don’t know which tactic will work at this time with these children. But parents and other actual adults cannot just throw up their hands. We have responsibilities.
The Silent Treatment
Stop answering their questions. Stop listening to their requests (or demands). Stop giving them things. Stop taking them seriously. They are irresponsible children, wasting your time and making our home (planet) a mess. Tell them you won’t talk with them until they learn to behave. THEY need to listen.
Setting an Example
BE the adult. Focus on what’s important — instead of reacting to the random ravings of (fifty-year old) children. Identify good and bad behavior and treat each appropriately.
Fix up the house. Invite neighbors in, especially ones who are new to the neighborhood. Lend a cup of sugar. Bring over cookies. Have a small gathering with wine and cheese. Be neighborly! Bring a gift for the new baby.
Punishment
Spoiled children should SEE that behaving like a brat doesn’t pay off. They should be humbled when those who prevent the use of fossil fuels are respected, and fossil fuel profiteers are not. They should be humbled when those who are cruel to new kids on the neighborhood (immigrants) become the “out group” and the adults have a party with ice cream and cake to welcome the new kids. They should be humbled when adults take away their toy guns and send them to their room, and the children who know how to play nice go outside and enjoy the sunshine.
A Stern Talking To
Yes, they won’t listen — at least at first — but you should still set them straight. It will eventually sink in, although this will require patience. The sad truth is, parenting is hard.
But tell them anyway.
“You will need to grow up. Your behavior is unacceptable. You can’t keep breaking things. You can’t hit other children. You must learn to be nice. You must clean up your room. You must be respectful of others. Then, and only then, can you go outside and play and have fun. Until then, just be quiet and watch and learn.”
Take Over
Parents need to assert themselves and their authority. Ceding too much to children is parental failure. And ceding ANYTHING to particularly immature and spoiled children is a disaster.
Take control. Stop indulging and tolerating and going along with what spoiled children “demand.” Immature children are in no position to demand anything. They are still learning. In time, they can participate fully. But not yet. Not until they demonstrate they are ready.
Often, Actual Children ARE the Responsible Adults
The irony here is that, all too often, the children ARE the responsible ones. They behave like people who know what they are doing. Maybe it’s because they see adults willfully destroying the climate and children know that THEY will inherit the mess — perhaps when it’s too late to fix the mess.
But I see the Parkland kids lead on dealing with gun violence. I see Greta Thunberg and the Sunrise Movement and other young people dealing with the climate crisis.
I see (alleged) adults failing on these and other issues — consistently and stubbornly, making childish excuses.
I align myself with people who are functionally responsible adults. Often, those people have been on this Earth for a very short time. I’m determined that they will be here for a long time. And that they will have a better time than the current useless stewards of the planet are offering them.
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