Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Being Sensitive to the Behavioral Sink

School administrators in Scotland noticed that there were a lot of kids in their classrooms who didn’t live with their fathers or didn’t have any fathers. With Father’s Day fast approaching, the schools decided to do something about the growing incidence of divorce, illegitimacy, lesbian relationships, and single parenthood in Scotland.

They decided to penalize those few remaining kids who actually live with their fathers.

Yes, that’s right: the schools decided not to follow the customary practice of having the kids make Father’s Day cards for their dads. According to the Telegraph :

Father’s Day cards banned in Scottish schools

Thousands of primary pupils were prevented from making Father’s Day cards at school for fear of embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians.

The politically correct policy was quietly adopted at schools “in the interests of sensitivity” over the growing number of lone-parent and same-sex households.

It only emerged after a large number of fathers failed to receive their traditional cards and handmade gifts.

Family rights campaigners last night condemned the policy as “absurd” and argued that it is marginalising fathers, but local authorities said teachers need to react to “the changing pattern of family life”.

An Office for National Statistics report in April found that one in four British children now lives with a lone parent — double the figure 20 years ago.

The Father’s Day card ban has been introduced by schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Renfrewshire, Dumfries and Galloway and Clackmannanshire.

[…]

The making of Mother’s Day cards and crafts, in the run-up to Mothering Sunday, remains generally permitted.
- - - - - - - - -
But the Father’s Day edict follows a series of other politically correct measures introduced in primary schools, including the removal of Christian references from festive greetings cards.

Matt O’Connor, founder of campaign group Fathers For Justice, said: “I’m astonished at this. It totally undermines the role and significance of fathers whether they are still with the child’s mother or not.

“It also sends out a troubling message to young boys that fathers aren’t important.”

Mr. O’Connor is correct. Fathers aren’t important. With the all-powerful state hovering nearby, ready to support her and take care of her every need, a woman and her children have no need of any of those nasty testosterone-poisoned men.

Men may still have certain necessary functions to perform — operating jackhammers, lifting manhole covers, acting as sperm donors or boy-toys — but fathering isn’t one of them.

Local authorities defended the change, saying teachers needed to act “sensitively” at a time when many children were experiencing family breakdown and divorce.

A spokesman for East Renfrewshire Council said: “Increasingly, it is the case that there are children who haven’t got fathers or haven’t got fathers living with them and teachers are having to be sensitive about this.

“Teachers have always had to deal with some pupils not having fathers or mothers, but with marital breakdown it is accelerating.”

Notice that nobody finds any need to be sensitive about the boys and girls who can no longer make cards for their dads. I guess those kids will just have to suck it up.

Jim Goodall, head of education at Clackmannanshire Council, said teachers are expected to behave with common sense but be sensitive to “the changing pattern of family life.”

The “changing pattern of family life” is that our societal institutions, including the family, have now officially entered the behavioral sink.

For readers not familiar with population biology, the “behavioral sink” is a description of the collective behavior of animals whose population exceeds a certain density within their environment. Characteristics of the phenomenon include:

  • Dramatically increased acts of random violence, including killing
  • A reduction in live births
  • A reduction in the formation of pair-bonds
  • A failure to nurture offspring properly, if at all
  • Individual self-destructive behavior
  • An increasing incidence of homosexual activity

Sound familiar?

18 comments:

Afonso Henriques said...

“behavioral sink”

wow, so animals are leftists and are for multiculturalism also?

Concerning the Scottish fathers, they are considered somewhat male and white and as so, they must perish in order for a better world to rise

Zenster said...

So, how soon before Father's Day is renamed Turkey Baster Day?

Fjordman said...

It's sick. A culture that treats fathers this way, and abuse children by depriving them of fatherly guidance, cannot survive. We need to reassert male authority and masculine energy and push back feminism, otherwise we'll perish. If the welfare state functions as a substitute father (only without the moral guidance), then let's get rid of it. It's going to collapse at some point, anyway.

Whiskey said...

I agree Fjordman, but I think there will be practical difficulties in restoring fathers to any semblance of existence in the West.

Much of this is driven by both security and wealth (consumerism, in other words) and the demographic fact that women slightly outnumber men and therefore in democracies tend to get their own way. I'll note that the French Left for a long time denied women the vote out of fear they would back the Clerical interests.

Women with security will choose the most physically dominant man with the highest level of testosterone. Dalrymple's books describe even his nurses, educated and professional and earning decent money, making the same choices: thugs.

However, to make fathers respected they will have to be needed. You will see a massive political fight from women who as noted form the slight majority, and the men who benefit (high testosterone risk-takers) from this situation.

I agree this situation is disastrous and unstable, the massive increases in crime in European countries, excluding immigrants, can be traced to the explosion of fatherless boys predictably running wild. But, women benefit and they WILL fight to keep their power and choices for the bad boys.

ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ said...

How about we rename it "Sperm Donor Day" and send the cards to: "To whom it may concern"?

Paul said...

I have a different view: the damage is done. I would give credit for efforts to build the kids up in whatever circumstances they may currently live. However, it's hard to replace in a kids life what has been missing from early age.

But I'd say, let's support what we can in the lives of deprived kids. What is the choice? Ignore them? Step on them?

The time may come when readers here could make a difference in kid's lives. Let us be ready to make a difference for the ones put in front of us.

Anonymous said...

Men may still have certain necessary functions to perform — operating jackhammers, lifting manhole covers, acting as sperm donors or boy-toys — but fathering isn’t one of them.

Don't forget taxes. Men's most important function is to pay taxes to support those "independent" single mothers, as well as the rest of government.

Anonymous said...

This is a good example of minority tyranny against the majority, and how multicultural "progressivism" doesn't "enrich" our society - it replaces it. Because of a minority, the majority can't benefit from a cherished, established tradition. Yes, it is very sick, but what do you expect, from a culture that fetishizes all kinds of "minorities" as if the very act of being a "minority" is somehow a morally unassailable position. The teachers could have told any kids who felt "left out" that they could have made a card for the closest male in their lives -- a grandpa, a beloved uncle, a close family friend. In fact this eminentaly sensible solutoin is the way it was handled before the insanity of "diveristy" and "inclusiveness." (Kids without dads have always been with us, just not so many of them in past times.) But no, that wouldn't have satisfied the advanced "inclusiveness" insanity of the multiculturalists.

Defiant Lion said...

This is "cultural marxism". It is a deliberate and caculated attack on another pillar of judeo-christian society, the family unit.

This is how marxism rots a nation from its core. It attacks all levels that underpin society - rule of law, education, community, nation state, governance and judeo-christain religion.

It is the marxists who are rotting Britain from within and they have to be stopped. What they are doing is every bit as evil as Islam.

The problem is that most Brits have absolutely no idea what is being done to them.

Zenster said...

Queen: ... what do you expect, from a culture that fetishizes all kinds of "minorities" as if the very act of being a "minority" is somehow a morally unassailable position.

Bravo! More than even their cherished sense of victimhood, the towering sense of entitlement in minorities is driven by the "fetishism" that you cite.

Part of that fetishism now manifests in how modern esthetics regards the primitive as authentic and the unsophisticated as more genuine. Perish the effing thought that complex artistry or highly skilled talent should ever be given proper credit for its accomplishments. Welcome to a world where an where an aboriginal bedtime story is esteemed more than the work of Dickens.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Wow. A really basic structure of society is crumbling.

Having gone through a divorce myself, I was baffled by the extent of support and compensations divorced parents receive. This is severely discouraging for upholding long-lasting relationships.

It used to be that being just moederately rich was attractive, because people had to find their own ways to survive, and being friendly to rich people was a workable way. Now that doors is largely closed, as the State provides basic material support for just about everyone.

Somethings' gonna fall, very heavily, over this.

babs said...

In fear of having a ton of bricks come down on me... Maybe the term "Father" should be broadened in this instance to include any adult male that has taken a positive role in the child's life. Father's Day could be preceeded by lessons and essay homework in "who has helped me grow up." It could be the soccer coach, the local pastor, hell, even the guy at the deli you have known for many years. Mom's brother, your "second mother's" father. Really, anyone of the male persuasion that has interacted in a favorable way with the child.
This would make two points. One to the child that there is male support out there but, more importantly, to the single Mothers that, contrary to what they think, there is another sex living on the planet and they may actually be doing some good.

Decatur said...

There has always been divorce and separation, as well as widowhood caused by sickness and war. Many of my classmates grew up fatherless as their fathers had died during WW2, they received nothing but sympathy from staff and classmates at Christmas, Parent's Day etc. But this is different; this is the deliberate removal of one parent for political motives, and/or the production of a child out of a sense of entitlement.
I guess I'm growing hard in my old age, but I truly feel that it is only when children feel the shame and embarrassment caused by their feckless and promiscuous parents, that any changes will be made; Only when the children go home and accuse their parents of selfishness and deliberate neglect of parental duty, or when they demand to know "just why am I in this fatherless situation? where is my father?". Only then might these self-centred bipeds start to consider what they are doing to society and to their offspring.

It's a pity, but a start has to be made somewhere and the innocent may be the best ones to address the guilty.

Unknown said...

Somethings' gonna fall, very heavily, over this.

Civillisation probably.

In fear of having a ton of bricks come down on me... Maybe the term "Father" should be broadened in this instance to include any adult male that has taken a positive role in the child's life. Father's Day could be preceeded by lessons and essay homework in "who has helped me grow up." It could be the soccer coach, the local pastor, hell, even the guy at the deli you have known for many years.

I understand a father figure, such as a step-dad, could be an acceptable alternative but I don't think the guy at the deli is going to cut it. If you're that desperate then the damage has already been done.

Henrik R Clausen said...

Babs, you can have some bricks from me :)

Yes, I think it's a bad idea. A father is something special and unique. You simply cannot dilute that. Been there, got the T-shirt :)

Joanne said...

This issue has a double edge. One cannot blame this all on feminism, especially considering how many men can and do walk away from a pregnant women carrying their child. Everyone needs to make some big changes to restore the family unit of mother, father, and child back to where it once was.

Unknown said...

Joanne,

I think most of contemporary societal breakdown can be blamed on feminism. However what most people don't realise is that the prime function of the patriarchy (*scary word*) is to restrain men, violent impulsive men, with restraining (oppressing) women being a secondary function.

The worst and most damaging result of feminism has been liberating men from responsibility, which is supposedly a by-product of feminism. It is actually the most direct and damaging result of feminism even before the sorry state of modern women is taken into account. When femninists observe this result they proclaim that it confirms what they said all along about men.

Henrik R Clausen said...

'Blaming it on feminism' isn't clear enough, by any means - and does little to actually fix the problem. Which is widespread.

Rather than 'feminism', I suggest looking at all those weird psychological movements that came around in the 70's and advocated behaviour that seem more barbaric than civilized.

Take anger. These 'psychologist' suggest that anger is good and that you should be ready to be perfectly mean to others whenever you 'feel like it'. Recipe for geneting a generation of singles.

Enjoyment as a lifestyle is also not helpful. Building solid partnerships works best when you have a common goal and strong intentions to overcome obstacles on the way. Who needs that when life is secure and more entertainment can be rented just around the corner?

Times are too good to bother having family. Except if you're one of those hopeless romantics who actually like it :)