Quote:
Originally Posted by annesingleton
I think you might all be missing the point, in our day we were all in the same boat and knew what our expectations were even though we knew that we could change our lot and move forward. They were good times. The 9% of children mentioned here are generally excluded from society with a history of families living on benefits and no idea of their potential and no ambition or hope for the future. Equally these 9% most likely don't have TV in their bedroom(they might not even have a bedroom) where the children don't have laptops, ipods etc, where the children get no schooling and may not even get enough to eat. They live in a self perpetuating system of no hope.
It's all relative and what's going on in third world countries should not be relative to our young people. Our young people should have ample opportunity to progress themselves but unfortunately their life chances and opportunities are limited by their family situations which is not assisted by the public's perceptions.
Not all young people have caring and happy families, whether well off or poor. You can be poor with good prospects or poor and hopeless.
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No, Anne, I don't think I am missing the point.
And I am well aware that not all children have caring families.
It didn't appear to be about having no hope, it appeared that these children were unhappy because they didn't have sky TV, or the latest designer gear......these are not children living on benefits because most of these children, although living on benefits, seem to have all the modern gadgets. These are
material things. Things which are not necessary to health and well-being.
Food and shelter is necessary(or it is as far as I am concerned).
As for schooling....there is no need in this country for children to go without schooling...in fact it is illegal to keep children away from school...they are required by law to attend. Now, as to what they make of that schooling is another matter. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink....you can give a child schooling but you can't make it think....and that is where the difference lies.
I would take issue with you about being poor and having good prospects........poor people do
not have good prospects unless they make those prospects for themselves. Poor people start the race already hobbled by their background.
Anyway the study said 9% were unhappy. This must mean that 91% were happy.......and in my book that is a result.