Renowned biologist and naturalist E.O. Wilson regaled the crowd at last week's Aspen Environment Forum with his wit and wisdom during an on-stage interview. A choice segment:
The worst thing you can do to a child, in my opinion, is take them on a hike through a botanical garden where there are the names of the trees on the side. Rachel Carson once said, so true, take the child to the seashore, turn her loose with a pail, and tell her to go explore the tidepools. Don't tell her the names of any of these things. Let her find them, let her touch them, let her bring them to you, talk about them, and then you give her the name.
These squeezed-in lives of children who are taken occasionally to a park like that or a zoo to see the labels is all part of what I like to call -- I hope I'm not offending anyone -- the "soccer mom syndrome." I believe that soccer moms are the greatest enemy in modern life of natural history and proper biological education.
Later, when the audience Q&A session got underway, a woman prefaced her question by saying she'd forgive Wilson for his insult against soccer moms.
With a twinkle in his eye, Wilson retorted, "Don't. Remain irritated and think further upon it."
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Biodiversivist Posted 7:57 am
01 Apr 2008
http://home.comcast.net/~russ676/photo/taratulahand.JPG
Other posts on one of my favorite topics:
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/7/8/174113/3750
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2005/7/9/181017/2895
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/10/23/83823/917
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2006/10/24/155217/12
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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GreenMom Posted 3:06 pm
01 Apr 2008
I'm also a soccer mom -- my daughter, a middle-schooler, loves to play, plays at the highest available level, and can't imagine life without it.
So hey, not that I have all the answers, but I do think the answer is to go with your kid's individual needs. I've got one who lives in the soccer world and loves it, and one who would be killed by a schedule like his older sister's.
Life is complicated. People are complicated. Kids are individuals. Listen to them, and they will tell you what they need.
My two cents.
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Delay And Deny Posted 2:03 am
02 Apr 2008
Does E.O. Wilson ever stop?
One decade it's social insects.
The next it's the unity of knowledge.
Now it's soccer moms.
Hey, E.O., looks like that "Consilience Thing" didn't really take off...only a buck seventeen on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Consilience-Knowledge-Edward-O-Wils ...
Look! Nuclear Batteries!
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anotherID Posted 7:47 am
02 Apr 2008
Double cursed.
"Not only do they reach erroneous conclusions
and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it."
http://www.apa.org/journals/features/psp7761121.pdf
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caniscandida Posted 8:55 am
02 Apr 2008
Which just goes to show what people will say. E.O. Wilson is right!
By the way, I love spiders, and think they are beautiful creatures; but I have never had the experience of having a tarantula crawl on me.
There was an early James Bond movie, in which poor naked Sean Connery, in his hotel bed, discovers that he is not alone, there is a tarantula in there with him, and the camera shots linger on how it crawls delicately over his nudity. He ends up stomping it with a shoe.
Actually, animals are not very well treated in James Bond movies. In "Live or Let Die," an inoffensive snake gets torched with Bond's hairspray.
GreenMom,
you are absolutely right, there are all kinds of children, and they learn in all kinds of ways. And I am not sure what E.O. Wilson has against labeling things. We amateur vertebrate paleontologists have traditionally loved all the big greco-latin names stuck next to dinosaurs, etc., in natural history museums and in books. And that experience has certainly not deadened our love of either nature or science.
Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.
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Assessor Posted 12:59 am
03 Apr 2008
I partially agree. But, many of these "needs" are based on perception. If their friends have cell phones, i-pods, play soccer, and only take family vacations at a manicured resort, then the kid will also "need" to. In my opinion, parents should help children to occasionally break away from this "safety net" created by structured activities and spending our time in "built" environments. For example, I have a friend that won't allow her kid to attend church summer camp because of "stranger danger." Another is afraid of their child contracting West Nile Virus if they walk in the woods. This robs the children of their ability to explore, take chances, make decisions on their own, and develop self-confidence. Not to mention that appreciation of nature comes from direct experience. For instance, my son gained much more from hearing owls hoot in the nighttime woods than he ever did while visiting the zoo. He also gained much more of an appreciation for aquatic environments after catching his first Bass than he did from seeing a fish tank at a local exhibit. As a result, he's comfortable sleeping outside in the woods, knows how to safely maneuver canoe, and will handle a worm or a fish without hesitation. Meanwhile, some of his friends just opt to stay shore or at home......
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