Cultural differences
Sunday, June 7, 2009 Earlier this week my daughter, who is 12, returned from a school exchange trip to France. Her group was staying just outside Paris so they were able to visit the Eiffel Tower and Parc Asterix and the "house and garden of some dead artist guy".
Unprompted, Sophie told me that a lot of the older French children smoked. Each morning a large group, including some as young as 14, would gather outside the school gates and light up. Inevitably, coming from England, some of the visiting children would cough theatrically and complain about the effects of "passive smoking".
"What did you do?" I asked my daughter.
"Oh," she said, "I told my friends they didn't have to stand there. If they didn't like it they could move."
"What about you?" I asked. "Did you move?"
"No, Dad," said Sophie. "Actually, I quite liked the smell."
Simon Clark
My daughter has changed her tune. Apparently she didn't say she liked the smell of cigarette smoke. What she actually said was, "It didn't bother me". There, I've set the record straight.
Reader Comments (4)
The worst bit about that story is that it shows the way children over here are indoctrinated.
My son (12) comes home sometimes and tells me of classes about things like global warming and religion that he has attended where only one view is put across and it must be accepted as the norm. I told him about indoctrination and what to watch out for which he finds quite amusing. Another thing he told me is that questions are not encouraged when such subjects are taught.
I should think that about 99% of children in schools just accept what they're told, hence the behaviour of the English children in Paris. Hopefully someone will put an end to this method of teaching soon as it will just produce a generation of acquiescent morons. Or maybe not. Once they escape the confines of school they do seem to go crackers, get drunk and start smashing up the High St so there's hope for us yet.
I am amazed that children as young as 4 and 5 are being given anti-smoking propaganda at school.
Its good to see you have a daughter with discrimination Simon, you must be very proud.
Its dispairing to see how children of the nanny state i.e. the british isles, are so totally brainwashed.
Its appaling to see the latest crop of anti smoking ads on TV where they use toddlers admonishing their parents for smoking. Not to mention the radio anti smoking ads using children's voices even quoting terms and conditions at the end of them. How sick is that.
Will it come to the stage I wonder where children will be admonishing us for voting for the 'wrong' political party!!
Ooff! Don't you DARE misquote a 12 year old daughter. Emphasis is retroactively adjustable, according to mood.