PonkaBlog

Don’t Eat Paste

I remember one time when I was in kindergarten. Nap time had just started and a classmate of mine took off one of his boots.  Then he poured about a dozen marbles out onto the floor, and they scattered everywhere.

His older brothers had put the marbles in his shoe the previous evening.  But being five years old, and without a fully developed set of reasoning skills, it took him several hours to determine the cause of his newly-acquired limp.  Which ended up with marbles rolling all over the place while the rest of us were doing our best to be quiet.

Then, in first grade, there was the kid that ate paste.  Kids actually.  There was more than one.  And, since we kept our supplies tucked away under the lids of our desks, kids who were motivated enough and sneaky enough could get a snack anytime they liked.  So, in addition to teaching us how to do basic math and how to care for the class hamster, the teacher also had to make sure that everyone learned not to eat art supplies.

I’m sure you’ve all got or heard similar stories.  Those stories aren’t uncommon.  The point is, that kids do dumb things.  Because their brains aren’t developed enough to realize that many of what they think are good ideas are actually incredibly stupid ones. 

But you don’t have to take my word for it.  The government has already decided this is so.  You can see an example of that in the juvenile justice system.  There are 675 juvenile courts in the United States.  And each one of them exists because the government believes that most kids can’t tell the difference between right and wrong.

So little Suzy Psychopath kills her baby brother in a jealous rage.  But, because she maybe/probably didn’t realize killing someone in real life isn’t the same as killing someone in a video game, she’s tried in juvenile court.  Suzy gets convicted and sent to prison.  Where she stays until she turns 18. 

Then, if she can convince a doctor that she’s not a danger to herself and others, she gets released.  If she’s 17 and 364/365ths years old, in the eyes of the government, she remains a danger and stays incarcerated.  But the very next day, on her 18th birthday, not-so-little Suzy Psychopath is allowed back into society.

Oftentimes with juvenile offenders, their records are sealed.  This is done so that bad decisions made in someone’s youth doesn’t continue to impact them for the rest of their lives.

So, we know there’s definitely a line that’s been drawn.  A line that designates when someone has the reasoning capacity to make permanent decisions, though there’s a disagreement on where that line is.  One could argue that the line is, in the United States anyway, 18 years old.  That’s the time when a person reaches the “age of reason” (also known as the age of majority) and is legally considered an adult.   

The “age of reason” is the age at which a child is presumed to know right from wrong and be capable of responsible action.  But, like I said, not everyone agrees on exactly what that age is.  After all, if you’re considered old enough to vote and join the military, but not old enough to drink alcohol or buy a gun, then can you truly be considered an adult?  Everyone does pretty much agree that the magical age when reason consistently overcomes fantasy is either 18 or 21.

So, we don’t have to discuss whether or not kids’ brains are completely developed.  That argument is settled.  They’re not.  In fact, recent studies indicate that the brain continues to develop until about age 25.  Kids, and even young adults are very impressionable and easy to manipulate.

Don’t believe me yet?  Tell me you seriously think that someone who believes in a magical elf that delivers presents or a bunny that hides eggs and candy has the maturity to think critically when being told a story about a man who can have a baby.

Which is why I support Florida’s new Parental Rights in Education law that prohibits educators from teaching anything about sexual orientation or gender identity to kids in kindergarten through the 3rd grade.  Because kids at that age are ready to think and believe anything, as long as that anything comes from someone they’re told they should listen to.

Of course, the Glibtaq community is pitching a hissy fit.  And companies like Disney who are pandering to the Liberal left are vowing to fight a law that’s designed to protect young children from being manipulated. 

I’m confused.

Let me see if I have this straight.  We’re supposed to believe that little kids can’t understand the difference between right or wrong, but can understand enough to choose their own “gender identity”?  On what planet does that make sense?

Everyone already knows that kids make dumb decisions.  That’s why juvenile records are sealed.  So those dumb decisions don’t haunt the kid forever.  But the Liberals who are fighting against the Florida law don’t seem to realize that what they’re fighting against is also trying to protect the kids’ futures. 

Or maybe they do and just don’t care.  They’re purposely trying to help kids make bad decisions that will continue to impact the rest of their lives.

Here’s the thing.  Their protests aren’t about trying to turn boys into girls or girls into boys.  Though that’s probably part of it.  I’m sure some of the people shoveling this bullshit truly believe that they’re doing the right thing by confusing/grooming young, gullible kids into thinking that they’re trapped in the wrong body instead of getting them the mental health help they need.  I’d say it’s more likely that the protests are about slowly gaslighting kids into accepting as normal something that definitely isn’t.

You and I aren’t going to start giving a shit about someone’s personal pronoun preference.  And no one is going to convince us that gender dysphoria is anything other than a mental Illness.  Those pushing the Glibtaq agenda aren’t going to change what we believe.  That ship has sailed.  They know that.  So, they’re trying to do an end run around parents by pushing their bullshit on kids when they’re at their most gullible and impressionable.

These people believe that Suzy Psychopath isn’t responsible for her actions.  But they also seem to believe that Suzy could decide she’s a man…and that would be OK.

You can’t have it both ways.  No reasonable person would think that kids are too immature to know the difference between right and wrong, or know not to eat paste, and at the same time think that they are mature enough to separate truth from fiction.  Which they’re obviously not.

And anyone who thinks otherwise has clearly lost their marbles.


If you’re unfamilar with the term “Glibtaq”, take a gander at this article: Fixing the Brand

What’s your Reaction?
22
0
0
0
0
0
0

Like What You See?

Get the PonkaBlog Newsletter
Did you know that PonkaBlog publishes a new article every week? That's at least 52 days a year full of facts, logic, reason and snark. And here's the good part: it's free! Sign up for the PonkaBlog Newsletter and we'll send each new article directly to your inbox. We promise not to spam you and you can unsubscribe at any time.

An Even More Drastic Measure
If you really like what I write, you can show your appreciation by buying me a cup of coffee!
About 
Mike is just an average guy with a lot of opinions. He's a big fan of facts, logic and reason and uses them to try to make sense of the things he sees. His pronoun preference is flerp/flop/floop.