The Hands that Wrack the Cradle

(my journal entry dated June 20, 2012, a Wednesday)

I did not learn much about Jose Rizal’s birth anniversary commemoration yesterday. Except for Lourd de Veyra’s commentary about how kids today don’t know much about Rizal, which is tragic really, but the treatment of the story was rather comic, and I don’t know at whose expense—the students themselves, their parents, their teachers, mass media, or society in general.

The high school students that were interviewed to answer basic questions about Rizal were simply all over the place. One question was, what are the two novels that Rizal wrote? One kid answered “Noli Me Tangere” and “Florante at Laura.”

Another question: Who was Jose Rizal’s only brother (the answer to which is Paciano). The kid had it wrong again by saying, “Graciano.” Oh well.

It would be too premature to say that the way patriotism is taught in our schools has indeed gone down the drain. But if the gauge to finding out is measuring how much they know about the country (its history, culture, heroes, etc.), then we are in serious trouble. If the kids from the private schools flunk it, how much more if the kids from the public schools are asked?

Fortunately, I think gauging a person’s worth based on academic performance is becoming passé as years go by. Companies have not been that strict when it comes to accepting applicants with no college degrees.

Besides, previous generations of Filipinos may know a great deal about Rizal, this country and our culture and history, but where exactly has it gotten us anyway? Some of them are in politics and, well... you know the rest.

I think one dictum that we could consider redefining is one that concerns raising our kids. “The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that moves the world” just doesn’t apply to parenting anymore. Or rather, it still does, but parents these days just don’t have the corner market in the “rocking-the-cradle” territory. We have cable TV, the internet, our children’s friends, the school and neighborhood, etc.

Before cable TV and the internet, most kids go out to play with other neighborhood kids. You knew who your kids’ friends were. These days, it’s practically the same, except for two things: First, why would the kids bother going out when there’s internet gaming, social networking sites and all-day-long TV cartoons at home? Second, with so many “hands” rocking the cradle, we’re raising distracted kids on the verge of becoming spoiled brats—or spoiled “broths,” what with too many “cooks” trying to cook them up according to their own standards.

We can’t just throw the burden of the responsibility on the parents. Children these days tend to outgrow their cradles at a very fast rate. And we live in a society that’s trying to work us hard and dumb down our sensibilities.

In an oppressive society, privileged kids are no longer just those who live with affluent lifestyles. PRIVILEGED KIDS ARE THOSE WHO HAVE GOOD PARENTS/PARENT FIGURES AT LEAST.