Would you label your child a Marxist or Keynesian? My twelve year old is a Marxist!
Two days ago I discussed the foolishness of baptizing children and calling them Christians when the child (typically) has no understanding of the faith they are being “forced” to believe. The complexity of Marxist economics is beyond a typically 12 year old, beyond a typical 16 year old. I used to have the book Marx on Economics. I read part of it in college (or maybe it was shortly after college?). Regardless, it was rather a bore and I was raised to be a Capitalist – I became one when I was eight. Sadly there was no baptism into the Capitalist faith so I might not be allowed into your economic group.
You see on my eighth birthday, my aunt purchase Monopoly for me. My aunt was in her 20s and we played on my birthday. After the game was over, she stood up, pointed at me and said “I’m never playing with you again!”. True to her word, she has never played Monopoly with me since that day – I was a Capitalist! My parents never taught me how to be a Marxist or a Keynesian. My life has probably been ruined you see because I was not given the opportunity to decide for myself which form of economic theory worked best to build up society. The odds are that your parents raised you as a Capitalist too.
Do not indoctrinate your children. Teach them how to think for themselves, how to evaluate evidence, and how to disagree with you. –The God Delusion
Actually economic theory was never a discussion (at least as far as I remember) in the house growing up. I do remember my parents working hard and using their money wisely to accomplish things for the family. But more to the point – are kids allowed to think freely about Marxism and make an educated decision based upon their Capitalistic belief system – one they have been taught indirectly from birth?
There is no doubt to me that parents will raise their children as they see fit. And children have the right to learn and seek their own answers to the economic theory that works best for society and more specifically for their life. But what if parents actively protest against the Marxist system? What is a child to do when they are told repeatedly that the Marxist system is wrong and evil? Does this prevent a child from seeking answers?
What a brilliant thought pattern this creates. Of course the only solution that I see appears impossible in implementation so it is not really worth the effort to think about – even though I have indeed traveled some of the paths.
Are you raising your child to think? What is wrong with indoctrination?