SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
Jimmy doesn’t like it when his class talks about wizards. He’s asked them to stop, nicely and then very angrily, but the class said they will not stop.
The next time someone started talking about wizards, jimmy put gum in that kid’s hair, and stomped on their foot. Everyone is now scared that if they talk about wizards, Jimmy will hurt them.
Jimmy used hurting someone to scare everyone else to do what he wanted them to do.
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When a child is 9, it can be difficult to discuss the nuances of whether violence is justified or not. Perhaps the wizard’s were racists, or bigots that discriminated against people with immutable traits that Jimmy has. Perhaps Jimmy disagrees that the wizard’s support allowing warlocks to also be called wizards, stating that he believes this is a moral wrong. Giving a black and white answer to politically motivated violence is impossible, and providing context and nuance at that age is difficult at best.
The ultimate message should be that harming others should never be the answer. As they grow up and learn more about historical context, they can connect that back to the definition of hurting someone to get what you want.
SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
Yes, that’s why hurting the feelings of of people who are innocently going about their business, doing a little light genocide, is a terrorist action
SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
We are talking about a 9 year old here. Should we show them videos of the Israeli’s sniping children, point, and say “that is terrorism”.
Read the fucking room.
SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 days ago
What I was trying to point out is that on the news, in the UK and US, and in countries with authoritarian leadership, people are being arrested and convicted for terrorism, who have engaged in nonviolent protest or for their political opinions.
Therefore a 9 year old who is vaguely aware of the world will see these people and think that they are going around hurting others, not trying to help them.
Some people go their whole lives without thinking critically about such things, and those are the people who end up believing propaganda. On the flip side, if they’re smart enough to work out that that’s bullshit, they may well come to other equally faulty conclusions.
Like people of all ages, 9 year olds might be dumb as a stump, or have insight like a laser. The original explanation appeared to lean towards being suitable for the former.