Swimming to me is like language acquisition. You can learn the skill later in life, but it's much easier if you do so when you're young. This is a skill that could save one's life. So, the question is, who doesn't have that skill, and why? How do we address this problem?
Who doesn't have the skill, and why, is a fine thing to study. Framing it as a problem, as you did, is where *I* have a problem. That implies there's something that should be done about it, which begs the question of "Who does this thing to fix this perceived problem?"
Answer 1 (mine): The parents of the kids. It's their responsibility and their right and their choice.
Answer 2: the government, either through policy or through funding to non-profit organizations. This answer leads right back to "nanny government". Sure, it's EASIER to learn languages early in life, and swimming as well, but that doesn't mean that it's necessary. It's just as easy to prove that most Americans speak only one language; does that mean the government should step in and force everyone to teach their kids three languages by the time they're ten so they can keep up with European kids? No! And yes, knowing how to swim could save your life; so could knowing police-level driving skills, but it's not mandated that everyone learn that, either. There are many functions of government, but telling parents how to raise their kids, directly or through intermediaries, isn't one of them. You can't be a small-government democrat and still expect that level of governmental access.
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Date: 2008-05-02 05:36 am (UTC)Who doesn't have the skill, and why, is a fine thing to study. Framing it as a problem, as you did, is where *I* have a problem. That implies there's something that should be done about it, which begs the question of "Who does this thing to fix this perceived problem?"
Answer 1 (mine): The parents of the kids. It's their responsibility and their right and their choice.
Answer 2: the government, either through policy or through funding to non-profit organizations. This answer leads right back to "nanny government". Sure, it's EASIER to learn languages early in life, and swimming as well, but that doesn't mean that it's necessary. It's just as easy to prove that most Americans speak only one language; does that mean the government should step in and force everyone to teach their kids three languages by the time they're ten so they can keep up with European kids? No! And yes, knowing how to swim could save your life; so could knowing police-level driving skills, but it's not mandated that everyone learn that, either. There are many functions of government, but telling parents how to raise their kids, directly or through intermediaries, isn't one of them. You can't be a small-government democrat and still expect that level of governmental access.