Mike Lorrey wrote:
> The only way the biggest kid on the playground can
> avoid being resented is to become the class clown.
That's more often false than true. The biggest kid is
actually admired more than he is resented. On the other
hand, class clowns usually don't find it easy to get
appreciated in any other way than by being comedians.
Unfortunately, among adults and among nations, admiration
frequently turns into envy and then into resentment.
I claim that only the very reflective have any chance in
these cases of knowing whether their animosity towards
others stems from actual injustice, or merely from envy.
Spike wrote
> That kinda works for the smartest kid on the
> playground [in the class] too.
Yes, and this is aggravated by the clashing values of
most of the kids---who naturally look up to size, strength,
and athletic performance---and what seem to them to be
external and artificial status bestowed by teachers.
One of the best effects of the technical revolution, at
least here in California, has been the way that achievement
in school has been transformed into something naturally
admired by huge numbers of kids.
Lee Corbin
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Oct 12 2001 - 14:39:41 MDT