| RavenBlog |
|
| Comments on Tuesday 10 September 2002: |
| I was surprised and dismayed, last night, by a friend firmly disbelieving that an eight-year-old child could be sophisticated enough to write a poem with intent to parody the usual style in which eight-year-olds write poetry. It doesn't seem such a difficult concept to me - I was well acquainted with parody when I was six; probably earlier, but my memory of before then is hazy as hell. I had learned disdain for my peers by that point. Why would I not engage in stylistic parody? But it seems that the art of parody is not as culturally standard in America as it is in England; even the most crude implementations seem lacking - I'm told children swear the pledge of allegiance verbatim, even. I don't recall any chants from my childhood ever being so exempt from transmogrification. Without a good cultural grounding of satire, no wonder someone like Bush can (nearly) win the popular vote.
[20:18] |
| Tyrethali |
| Oh, there are variants on the pledge of allegiance. It's just that few kids will go so far as to say one out loud in front of authority, aka, teachers, because then they would be branded as godless communists or something. |
| Digi |
| France seems to be a good combination of such things. They're well aware of parody at early ages, but don't go so far as poor sarcasm. Contrary to popular belief they do engage in sarcasm, but only the good, non-snide kind. The French kids are also patriotic, and are taught the national anthem from the earliest age. The anthem is the same in status as the American pledges of allegiance. These two factors may have something to do with high standard of education, and a political system that is born of revolution. So in a strange way, that I'd never considered before, France is a combination of the better parts of the best bits from England, and the US, and all this topped off with a beautiful arrogance, that the English vainly attempt. It's a much nicer language too. I still hate France though. |