I see over and over examples of how we have let our "intuition" and "common sense" be over run by what the media and others tell us...
From How Weaning Happens, by Diane Bergson, when she writes of primitive societies:
(Note: The name of the society is the !Kung, with an upside-down exclamation mark at the beginning. Since I have no clue how to make one here, I'll use a right-side up one.)
"In the book Childhood, author Melvin Konner tells about reading a passage to a !Kung woman from Dr. Benjamin Spock about the importance of having schedules and ignoring the baby's cries while you work about the house. Dr. Konner explains the mother's reaction: "The !Kung mother looked bemused and disapproving. 'Doesn't he understand he's only a baby, and that's why he cries?' she said. 'You pick him up and comfort him. Later, when he grows older, he will have sense, and he won't cry anymore.'" Dr. Konner adds, "the !Kung bet on maturation - and they have never yet had a child who didn't outgrow crying."
And we consider them "primitive"? Seems like we are the "primitive" ones, at least when we neglect our offspring...
3 comments:
I'm not sure what the one is for the upside down exclamation point, but the way that I type symbols that are not on my keyboard is by using codes. The one I actually use every day is the pounds sterling symbol: £. I type it by holding the alt key and pressing 0163 on the keypad at right. I don't think it works with the numbers that are above the letters. Other symbols you can get with other numbers alt 0164, for example, is this guy: ¤. Alt 0167 §, Alt 0169 ©, and so on. I'm sure the exclamation one is in there somewhere.
Interesting Post. Very good point! Also, when will you be sending me the McKenna articles? (McKenna - is that right?) anyhow you know what Im talking about - basically I want all of the articles that will undoubtedly back up the way we think - so that at least if people dont come over to the side it will make them think... Topics that primarily come to mind are SIDS/ co-sleeping, Con of Dr. Spock in letting the baby just cry, breastfeeding vs. bottles... ect.
xoxox,
Steph
Thanks, Emily! I knew there had to be a way to do it, and that someone would know better than I! I'll experiment for when I post about the !Kung people again.
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