Category: Ramblings

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Accidentally Offensive

Accidentally Offensive, yellowreadis.com Image: Crack in Concrete

A while ago I read this post, “8 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Secular Homeschooler” by NotSuperMom. It caused a bit of a discussion with some fellow homeschoolers about whether it was inclusive or exclusive, offensive or not. I am a secular homeschooler, and I am a non-believer. I did not find the post offensive, but it did get me thinking.

Why did this post rub people up the wrong way? And was this similar to the feelings of NotSuperMom? What was it that jarred so badly? Was it, in fact, accidentally offensive?
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Cotton Wool or Common Sense

Have you read any “When I was a kid …” memes lately? I have. And I must admit, I get a little annoyed at them. The ones that basically state, ‘When I was X, we did Y and came out OK’.

These memes tap deeply into the idea that people, particularly this generation of children, are a ‘cotton wool’ generation – too protected for their own good. In many ways, I think it’s also a deep reaction against what is seen as too much protection, too much worry, and an overemphasis on safety. 

So I thought I’d have a more detailed look at the whole idea. Continue reading “Cotton Wool or Common Sense”

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I Got My Lunchbox …

I was 13 when I decided school was a prison. As I read my way through the classics of sci-fi – from Asimov’s ‘Foundation‘, through to Phillip K Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?‘, wending my way through Heinlein, Herbert and Clarke, – I learned about social structures. And I learned more by finding and reading works like Machiavelli’s ‘The Prince‘, Bernard Shaw’s ‘Man and Superman‘, and even the mad absurdity of ‘Waiting for Godot’. And in my 13-year-old mind, I started to put together a theory of social conditioning.

Warning: Occasional foul language when appropriate.

Continue reading “I Got My Lunchbox …”

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Three Inventions That Could Change Our World, By Not Changing Us

Three Inventions That Could Change the World by Not Changing Us, yellowreadis.com Image: Blue grid on red background

Today I thought I’d go in a different direction to usual. In the course of homeschooling, sometimes I come across really cool ideas when looking for lessons that I wouldn’t otherwise have known anything about.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could fix the problems of global warming, not by cutting down on our lifestyle, but through replacing old products with new ones? Cheaper ones? More humane, more economic, safer products? Well. here are three that I think could rock our world.
Continue reading “Three Inventions That Could Change Our World, By Not Changing Us”