Children's culture artifact/object
Reflect on last Friday's show and share. What did you learn or take away from that activity? How does a societally constructed childhood then impact adulthood? What are some areas in your life right now that are a direct reflection of your childhood?
posted by cmartin @ 1:04 PM
25 Comments:
Friday left me feeling oppressed. Who is to say that I can't play with Barbies, or that a diary is somehow more sensitive and therefore feminine? Although, on Friday we were all products of our socialization because we were able to come to a general consensus on the pile of male, female and grey area -- even though there was more gender mobility for things like my Gameboy.
Growing up with three older sisters made my male societal gender construction awkward; however, I doubt that most gender construction comes with ease and naturalness. As adulthood came so did my acceptance of deviation. As children we were more attached to these definitions of gender and were too quick to point out our classmates’ incongruities with ridicule.
I guess friday left me feeling a little disappointed with today's culture, whether we created it or not. I felt as though mostly what we have done to the toys of today, is take them from the past and corrupt them. We had some very similar objects in the past pile and in the today pile, the only difference being that those of today had tattoos and stood for shows that were full of profanity and vulgarity. To address how it will affect adulthood, I am nervous to see what comes in the future. Childhood has a very large influence on adulthood, and if today's childrens childhood is filled with very controversial objects, then chances are the future for these socially consturucted kids looks a bit forboding. Some areas in my life that are a direct reflection of my childhood are certainly my creativity, my mom always had me painting and doing arts and crafts when I was little. Also, my patience may be a reflection of my childhood, I was always taught that playing nice was the only way to make friends, and so I inested a lot of time in making the best friends possible.
Amanda Schafer
In response to Adam:
I hear what you are saying about the divisions between appropriateness for gender. I would have to agree, it used to make me so mad when I was little that my brother wouldn't let me play with him because I was a girl. The only realization that I have made is that, when we were little it was others that made the gender divide for us, but as we saw in class on Friday, we were the only ones doing the dividing. I feel like we are perpetuating the divide then, and not acting to bridge it. So basically I have come up with a conclusion, you bring your Gameboy to class and I'll bring my Barbie Girls and we will play in order to save the future from the gender gap.
I agree JHunt. People and especially kids have become so easily entertained by their own plastic gismos, like iPods. It makes simple interactions like cooking with mom or playing outside less appealing and less fun. Will there be a day we'll all be walking around with those white earbuds not talking?
I learned a lot on Friday during show and share. I would never have thought there was such a difference between generations and I definitely wouldn’t have thought about the taboo of boys crossing over to girl toys. Toys of today and toys of the future are always going to be technologically advanced. Children will always vie for bigger, better and cooler toys. I thought the thing that showed the biggest similarity between childhood and adulthood was video games. A game such as this was made for children and ends up being played by primarily adults. In regards to my own parallel between childhood and adulthood, as a child I loved to read and always got in trouble for reading when I was supposed to be sleeping. My love of reading has continued into my adulthood. I believe that things that you love as a child don’t disappear as you grow older. On the contrary I believe the things you loved as a child are enhanced as an adult because you strive to go back to your childhood, that place of innocence.
IN RESPONSE TO ADAM…..
So what if Barbie’s are for girls; break the mold, be daring and play with those Barbies!! I agree with you that children are attached to a gender role. However I believe that these roles are enforced by parents because they want their child to grow up and be “normal” and fit to the stereotype of their respective sex.
After Friday’s show and share I felt discontent with children’s culture today. I realized that growing up, I collected different items and also I was very comforted, by either a precious stuffed animal or baby blanket. However, today’s child is “comforted” by his/her cell phone and ipod. As a young adult I feel that socially my childhood was constructed to be very sentimental and caring and I believe that when I have children that I will act that way towards my children. But when you look at children of today, you think but not hope that when they become adults they will lead stressful, fast paced lives because of society today. Some areas in my life right now that are a direct reflection of my childhood are areas that I keep to myself. For instance, I brought four stuffed animals that are dear to my heart with me so that I can have a special connection with my childhood. I also knit and will be making a blanket for my baby when I have one and I feel like that is because I grew up knowing that things of comfort were good for you and I want my children to feel the same way.
In response to mmattson,
I have to agree with everything you said. And to me it is sad that kids are always have to outdo each other by getting bigger and better toys. I also believe that things of your childhood do not disappear when you grow into an adult. My beanie babies will always be with me, or you will see a little kid playing with pogs and think to yourself “how cool is that, I used to play with that when I was a kid!” Last weeks show and share opened my eyes to a new world of appreciation for my childhood items and made me think about how my children will appreciate their little gifts at a very young age.
Friday's show and share was pretty much a confirmation of the fears that I had about American children's culture of today. We saw that many of the best learning experiences were in the "past" pile, while today's toys were hi-tech gizmos that did most of the learning for the kids. Case in point: Look at story books. The "past" pile had cute story books that parents could read with/to their children. Now we have electronic storybooks (usually based on movies/TV shows instead of original work) that read to the kids so parents don't have to.
Additionally, most of the newer toys were primarily for entertainment, with learning as simply a side note. This is vastly different from many of the old toys that had nuturing and learning as their main goals. Personally, I see this as a product of the societal move to two-working-parent households, busy families, and broken families. Parents don't really have time to sit down and play with the kids, so we've created toys that can keep children occupied and babysit them. Honestly, I think it's a shame.
In response to laurenb:
I agree with what you're saying about the differences in children's cultures of yesterday and today. I, too, brought stuffed animals to college, and I can't imagine being comforted by a hi-tech, talking, walking teddy bear that cries when you squeeze the paw and talks to you. Sometimes you just want something quiet that will listen to you and not talk back. :)
I also, like you, wonder how this shift is going to affect today's children. Are they going to be bored and discontent with anything that's not beeping and flashing when they are grown, and what does that mean for things like the "Great American Novel" if kids are so used to having kids' books read on CD to them that they can't sit still long enough to read it for themselves? I think we're soon going to find that the things that we originally created for convenience in our busy lives are going to come back to haunt us in the next generation.
After Friday’s show and share, I felt a bit nostalgic. Barbie’s, a Gameboy, a blanket, all the essentials of my childhood were right there on the table in front of me. It was compelling that even with only a few boys in the classroom, there still were a huge variety of toys. Even more fascinating was that with the millions of objects available to share, each student could recognize and relate in some form to almost every toy. What I found most interesting was that with a diverse group of students, we could all generally agree on how to categorize the toys whether it was by gender, or generation. I believe this displays how society impacts our perceptions and makes it easier for us to generalize and stereotype. A societally constructed childhood controls a good percentage of our absorptions. As we discussed, what we absorb while young affects how we mold ourselves into adults. My work ethic is definitely a result of my childhood. My father taught me at a very young age to work first, play later. If it weren’t for the discipline I developed at a young age, I wouldn’t be such a hard worker now. And thanks to me finishing my work early, I always had plenty of time for television. When I was little I watched a lot of TV, a typical couch potato. Today I still watch a lot of television because I find it completely engaging and entertaining. Plus I continue to have weird cravings for Burgerking! Some aspects are rewarding and some are not, regardless, my school work, leisure time, and appetite are a direct reflection of my childhood.
In response to chelseyc..
I also recognized the very disparate objects due to the generation gap between our childhood and today’s childhood. A display of huge technological progress was easy to identify. Even with the toys children commonly play with to nurture, there was a shift from a simple beanie baby stuffed animal to an electronic talking and engaging Furby. The Barbie has been around for multiple generations, but the design and accessories are a direct reflection of the time period. I hardly remember the Barbies I played with having piercings or tattoos. Chelseyc had an interesting explanation for technological toy takeover. Forget parents reading bedtime stories, sitting down for tea time, or teaching the alphabet, Elmo can do it all! With the whole wave of parents having child anxiety you would think they would just get more involved, instead I see a trend of parents showing care by buying the best products available. It is definitely a shame.
The first thing that surprised me about Friday's show and share was that no one had brought in a stuffed animal. When I first heard the assignment that is what I almost brought in, but I thought everyone else would bring in the same thing...I guess that was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, what made the biggest impression on me were the two Barbies. Even though it doesn't seem like girls play with Barbies as much anymore, it was a little disturbing to see the Barbie with the tattoo.
The socially constructed gender exercise was interesting because it proved that even though we say that those things are constructed, we do not realize that they have impacted us, and that we do the same thing. I believe that those constructs are becoming less constricting as society in general becomes more liberal and open minded. I have a four year old brother who plays with all of the toys at our house-including the occasional baby doll. With that said- I know he would never be encouraged to wear nail polish.
I was at the mall last week and I noticed that I wouldn't buy anything with a large logo on it. That made me realize that I sounded just like my mother. As a child I also would always be in control of whatever game I was playing- telling everyone what to say etc. Today, I still like to plan, and make lists, and be in control of situations.
In response to chelseyc...
I don't think that all the toys we have today are meant to babysit and occupy children. I think even these computer games and fads can have something to teach them. When we were young there were toys like the Tamagachi and Pokemon that could fall into the category of what you are referring to. Toys, weather they are to "occupy" or to teach, are still going to hold the child's attention. That's what toys are for-educational or not.
On the other hand, I think you made a good point. Many children are staying home and being "taken care of" by for example television sets because their parents are working.
I was absent for Friday’s show and share but I feel like I would been a little saddened about how far the concept childhood and therefore, the toys deemed appropriate for children, has come in just the short amount of time since I was a child. However, I feel like every adult looking at today’s childhood will always feel nostalgic for their own and the perceived simplicity of it. The first thing that comes to my mind about the constructed childhood impact on adulthood is gender based. Boys played with trucks and action figures and girls played with dolls and their kitchen sets. While this is changing, I think it’s still a dominant view. How one is raised based on the constructed childhood, the nurture debate, plays a huge role in their adulthood and this is obvious when you compare the adults from the early 20th century who lacked most of the things we take for granted today and the adults now, who grew up in America’s Golden Age, without issues like the Depression. My childhood impacted my life in several ways. My mom would always make me read books, especially the Newberry Medal books, and today I love literature and want to have a career in publishing or editing. My parents also instilled me that good grades are very important and I think that played a crucial role in my presence at UF.
In response to Kadler…
I relate to your sense of nostalgia over today’s childhood and I thought your point about how society impacts our perceptions was really interesting, it hadn’t occurred to me. I agree with you completely though, and the impact of this is significant in how it leads us to treat others and also how it affects our views and opinions. Like you, I grew up with a strong work ethic and it has definitely stayed with me today. Without it, I would have missed out on a lot of opportunities.
I did not realize how far we have gotten away from comforting toys. Stuffed animals and baby blankets have been replaced with unsentimental objects such as ipods and videogames. Children’s toys today have become nothing but flashy objects that keep them from interacting with their families and friends. When we separated the cultural objects into objects of then and objects of now, the division of generations was very clear, with all the new technological advances in the toys of today. Society is a major contributor to children’s ideas of gender and gender roles. While growing up girls are taught to play with “girl” toys and boys are taught to play with “boy” toys. Even though the gap between sexes is getting smaller, since society as a whole is more accepting of people that do not fit the “norm,” it still exists. I, today, reflect certain aspects that were created in my childhood. I love to cook and clean because that is what I used to do when I was younger. I was raised to keep things tidy, and I still continue that today.
In response to chelseyc…
I agree with you whole-heartedly that it’s a shame that we have toys now to keep children occupied so we don’t have to watch them. I remember when I was a child and had to have a babysitter, that babysitter would spend time with me and play games with me. Babysitters now have it easy; all they have to do is make sure the child is playing with their videogame or having a book read itself to him or her and make sure they’re not getting hurt. We definitely are loosing interaction between people and are becoming lone couch potatoes.
I was very interested to see what everyone else brought and how they related it to children's culture. So much of the world around a child has a direct influence on their lives. Some children are just more exposed than others but all live in an environment created by their parental units. Childhood and most ideas that go along with it are culturally constructed. This behavior ensures the perpetuation of the culture. I think that this can be seen in the American culture and can be demonstrated though objects existing within our (somewhat) short life time so far. We have to remember that as our technology changes we as humans are changing. As we have seen advertisers are starting to target children. This promotes the desire to become a consumer at a young age. I noticed that there were only a couple of books brought in and a baby blanket was the only hand-made thing. Most artifacts were toys. Toys that you would soon grow out of, break or be pushed out by something bigger and better. Why do most people associate childhood with toys? I think that your childhood directly influences your adulthood. Childhood is an intense learning period and with the transition to adulthood you must begin to juggle putting your knowledge and experiences to practice while still learning.
In response to Adam:
Gender division has been around for a very long time; according to the bible, as long as humans have been around. This division is real in a biological sense. Woman have the charge of protecting and ensuring new life. Most cultural trends and beliefs arise to protect a societies' way of life. Instilling these ideas in a child at an early age was a good protection against the disruption of the fundamental balance that began as gender but became an idea of sex. As we have seen in various text that we have read, gender differentiated toys and activities arose out of social norms. Some key adult behaviors were translated into the childhood realm starting the education early. The interesting thing is that as time has progressed in the United States an awareness for different groups of people has arose. From women to different minority groups. Social issues have changed with each new wave of awareness and maybe each new wave brings us away from the socially constructed idea of sexual division to a more enlightened concept of gender.
I thought the show and share last Friday was very interesting. I am a visual learner and although I know children's cultural objects today are different from when I grew up, physically seeing and holding them really helped me understand things. It is disheartening to realize how impersonal children's cultural objects have gotten. I feel that growing up the blankets and books with morals were things we had for many years that still carry emotional connection. However, I feel that children's cultural objects of today don't hold such significance. There are very few objects today which I believe any child holds great emotional attachment to that could not be easily replaced with the newest version. I think that the attitude towards belongings will hurt this generation because the attitude which children possess today is that of no satisfaction. Children do not get a chance to feel emotional attachment and enjoyment of objects because as soon as a newer, better one comes out their only desire is to obtain what they don't have yet.
I really enjoyed Friday's activity. It was fun to reminisce and to hear the fond memories of my peers who enjoyed the same things I did as a child. I learned that all of us have special memories of things from childhood and although we are grown now and are entering into a new phase of life, we can hold on to those memories forever. A socially constructed childhood definitely does impact childhood and we see this everyday. According to social standards, males shouldn't wear make-up or paint their nails (we mentioned this briefly in class). The society that we grow up in shapes our minds in our most formative years of maturation. Some areas of my life right now that are a reflection of my childhood are definitely my religious and somewhat my political views. I also feel like some of the rules that I had growing up (that I swore I would never have for my kids!) were good rules to have. The way I relate to people is also a reflection of my childhood. Because I have a sister who is close in age, I had to learn very young how to cooperate and share. All of these factors had an influence on who I am and how I think today.
I agree with lbladder. I have a teddy bear that I sleep with. Although it wasn't the stuffed animal which I grew up with (I keep that at home to make sure it's safe) it is one that was given to me by my boyfriend and it has sentimental value. I agree with lbladder when she talked about the fast pace which today's society moves with and I think it's really unfortunate that this generation of children won't have the connection and emotional attachment of books like "The Giving Tree" or "Goodnight Moon," books I read over and over again as a child and still enjoy reading today. I feel like instead of having the same 5 books read over and over that we all loved growing up, children today will just obtain a massive library of books they read once, if they read at all. Books is just one example but I believe this to be true with all childhood artifacts including music, Barbies, etc.
In response to jschneider...
I agree 100% with what you said about children and the toys of today. Toys of our time and generations before held much more sentimental value and are now priceless. The toys of today are so heavily dependent on technology, which is constantly changing to new and better things. I also agree when you said that children have an attitude today of no satisfaction. As long as one friend in the group has a better ____ (whatever the object may be), every other child will want it as well. It is harder for kids to appreciate things when there is not much sentimental value behind it. It is so easy these days to replace what you have with something newer and better and as a result there will always be a need for more.
The two biggest things I took away from last Friday's show and share were that toys are more gender-based than I realized and also that toys have transformed to fit in with the culture in shocking ways (example being Barbie with her tattoo). It was also interesting to me that the toys that haven't changed that much were in the section that could apply to both genders, such as the journal and books. I think toys marketed towards young children that embody issues for older people (like tattoos) are going to speed up the process of "growing up". I think children are beginning to deal with issues which are considered more mature a lot earlier than we did and especially earlier than our parents did. When I was younger school was always emphasized and being involved and busy was important. I think this has definately had a positive influence on my life throughout the years because it taught me to be focused and to organize my time. When other kids were sitting in their tv room playing video games all day, I was at soccer practice and then reading and doing homework. Now I get bored and feel lazy easily if I don't organize and spend my time wisely.
In response to danielle e:
I agree with your comment. To me it's actually kind of sad that (like you said) stuffed animals and baby blankets are being replaced by things like video games. I don't think video games require much imagination to play, while playing with stuffed animals requires one to be imaginative and creative. I also think children form bonds with stuffed animals. I know when I was really little I had one little bear that was my favorite and couldn't go to sleep without. I don't think that is as common now and you can't really form a bond with a video game. I also think technology has a huge deal to do with it. I also agree that toys have become increasingly more gender stereotyped. There are fewer and fewer toys that apply to both young boys and girls.
Friday left me feeling that the world was no longer humble. With this amount of commercial influence effecting today's youth, how does anyone expect them to gain their own indentity?
Being that our society is more of a "make your child this way" rather than "just let your child act as they will". I feel that many people grow up with a faltered view of their childhood and many other areas of their life. Consequentially, these people often become rigid and uptight because that is what they became from their childhood.
On Friday I realized that I am still very much curious. That is just my natural instinct, to be questioning and wanting to inspect. This attitude can get me in trouble, but has brought me tremendous satisfaction.
In response to Danielle E:
Toys and anything that keeps young minds interested really is becoming a bigger and bigger business. Slowly but surely, parents are becoming more willing to spend large sums of money to keep their children happy. WHile I was a counselor at sleepaway camp, I was astonished to see nearly every camper with their own ipod and portable playstation. Practically none of them had any toys that I would consider practical for a child of that age to have.
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