#414: The Kids
Are we doing enough to support them?
Welcome, new subscribers, and welcome back, loyal readers! I’m happy you’re here.
This week’s issue is about young people. I know that “the kids are all right,” but I’m not as sure we adults are doing our proper part right now. For example:
We’re letting the Internet (and Andrew Tate) raise our boys.
Interested? Read this week’s lead article, “Boy Problems.”We’re afraid to teach our children the truth about our country.
Interested? Read “War Against the Children.”If we don’t have children, we don’t want to hang around our friends who do.
Interested? Read “Adorable Little Detonators.”
I hope that this week’s articles resonate with you. If they do, I encourage you to share your thoughts and feelings in the comments.
⭐️ Join us for this month’s discussion of “The Instagram Account That Shattered A California High School” on Sunday, October 29. We’ll meet from 2:00 to 3:30 pm on Zoom. It’d be great to have you. In this excerpt from her book, Accountable, Dashka Slater tells the story of a racist social media account and its repercussions on young people and their community in the Bay Area. The piece also raises the question: What does it mean to be held accountable for harm that takes place behind a screen?
On the fence? Listen to fellow Article Clubber Melinda and I chat about the piece in this podcast episode. Don’t worry, there aren’t major spoilers, plus Melinda is great. Besides, listening might spur you to sign up for the discussion.
All right, have I convinced you? If so, it’s time to sign up! I’m looking forward to seeing you there. (Also, feel free to ask me questions about how it works.)
1️⃣ Boy Problems
It’s easy to make fun of Andrew Tate. For example: Why is he always smoking cigars? Why does he wear sunglasses when it’s dark? Does he really need all those cars? For a long time, I’ve tried to dismiss his influence. But the truth is, most 12-year-old boys know who he is. And sadly, many believe what he says — that to be a real man, you have to be strong and rich. Otherwise, you won’t have any chance with women.
Mr. Tate goes further: If you’re not happy, that’s the fault of women. The problem is feminism, plus all those weak guys who claim they want equality, when really they’re gay or emasculated. If you’re a boy and you have feelings, expunge them. If you’re a boy and you’re lonely or struggling, you’ve got to toughen up. The best way to do that is to treat girls badly and to bully other boys.
This guy is reprehensible to me. But I can’t pretend he’s not powerful. He knows the Internet is king, that we have abdicated our role as adults in raising our children.
By Eamon Whalen • Mother Jones • 17 min
2️⃣ War Against The Children
This special report about the history of our country’s Native American boarding school system is both difficult and necessary to read. I didn’t learn about the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in my AP U.S. History class. Did you? For more than 150 years, hundreds of thousands of Native American children were sent to more than 523 institutions, with assimilation as their guiding principle. “Don’t try to tell me this wasn’t genocide,” said Ben Sherman, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “They went after our language, our culture, our family ties, our land. They succeeded on almost every level.” Now that we have a better accounting of what happened, shouldn’t that mean our young people should learn the truth? If you live in one of the 16 states that have banned Critical Race Theory, unfortunately, the answer is no.
By Zach Levitt, Yuliya Parshina-Kottas, Simon Romero and Tim Wallace • The New York Times • 18 mins
Here’s loyal reader Clem proudly sporting an old-school, limited-edition T-shirt from back in the day when Article Club was called The Highlighter. Makes me think it’s time for some new merch! (Check out the old store.)
3️⃣ Adorable Little Detonators
Do you have kids? If so, did you notice that some of your closest friends ghosted you a few months right after your baby’s birth?
Or let’s say you don’t have kids. Are your friends with kids never free? Even if they are, all they do is bloviate about their baby, right?
This playful but well-researched article explains why friendships between parents and non-parents go south. The biggest reason? It’s the kids. A 2017 study in the journal Demographic Research concluded that friendships decline in both quantity and quality up until when kids turn 3 years old. But there’s good news: If you stick through it and wait a while, things get easier, kids grow up, and you can salvage your friendships — that is, as long as your friends are still talking to you.
By Allison P. Davis • The Cut • 26 mins
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