Israeli Elections (ii)
I was talking with a 9th grade literature teacher here about the elections and what I felt (two posts ago) about kids' interests. He's not an American but he did feel, like I did, that Israelis listen to the news at a very early age. I gave him a summary of what I wrote in the post (without telling him about the blog).
He disagreed. He felt that the interest in politics and news comes from a different place: most people here, he said, feel that normal, day-to-day life is too boring, too trivial. It's an escape. Even the bad news is an escape and better than the routine.
Though we'll never know for sure, I hope he's wrong.
He disagreed. He felt that the interest in politics and news comes from a different place: most people here, he said, feel that normal, day-to-day life is too boring, too trivial. It's an escape. Even the bad news is an escape and better than the routine.
Though we'll never know for sure, I hope he's wrong.
posted by T.Y.I.I. at
Friday, March 24, 2006
1 Comments:
ShloimeTas-I would have to agree with you. Trivial and boring - that doesn't seem like what life is to Israeli kids versus others. I think that the Israeli kids are more politically involved and aware because it affects their daily lives in a much more real way than other kids. These kids have experienced the intifada in so many ways that affect them directly. They have lost friends and relatives. They have watched people being displaced and becoming homeless. They have seen Amona. They know that serving in the army is a given not a choice. They know that the outcomes of elections will affect them in a real, concrete way! Because decisions made by various parties can and will change their lives, they care more and want to know more. I'm sure that the adults in Israel are also more passionate about the outcomes of the elections than those in the U.S. This, of course, filters down to the kids. Trivial, boring, no, I don't think so.
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