Two women and a cute two-year-old boy with a Mohawk sat across from me in the trolley car. The kid was kneeling on the seat, looking at the passing scenery. While he was doing this, the two women – possibly his mother (holding on to a stroller) and a friend (holding a paperback) – gave him brief commentaries on what he is looking at.
"Look, that's a building."
"Look, we're in a tunnel."
"Look, we're on the side if a hill."
When we pulled into the stadium station, the commentaries changed noticeably.
"Look, that's the Chargers stadium."
"What’s stadium?" the little boy asked, still barely able to form complete words.
"Stadium is that big building over there where they play football. That's where the Chargers play. We’re gonna see the Chargers when they play, right?"
The kid nodded.
The second woman chimed in enthusiastically, "But they only play in the fall. Right now it’s spring so they won’t be playing yet.” I was waiting for her to recite the players’ names to the kid, but she didn’t.
The kid gave her a slow, blank-eyed nod, the kind of nod kids do when they do not understand or are trying to process what they just heard.
The second she saw the kid’s blank expression and realized the pointlessness of the information she was giving, she went back to her book and never said a word again until I got off at my station.
I guess there is such a thing as too young for indoctrination.
"Look, that's a building."
"Look, we're in a tunnel."
"Look, we're on the side if a hill."
When we pulled into the stadium station, the commentaries changed noticeably.
"Look, that's the Chargers stadium."
"What’s stadium?" the little boy asked, still barely able to form complete words.
"Stadium is that big building over there where they play football. That's where the Chargers play. We’re gonna see the Chargers when they play, right?"
The kid nodded.
The second woman chimed in enthusiastically, "But they only play in the fall. Right now it’s spring so they won’t be playing yet.” I was waiting for her to recite the players’ names to the kid, but she didn’t.
The kid gave her a slow, blank-eyed nod, the kind of nod kids do when they do not understand or are trying to process what they just heard.
The second she saw the kid’s blank expression and realized the pointlessness of the information she was giving, she went back to her book and never said a word again until I got off at my station.
I guess there is such a thing as too young for indoctrination.
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