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Will you pay $2,000 to have a kid read 12 books of your selection?
Summer will arrive, and students may have a more difficult time finding a part-time job than in years past. Is there a teenager, maybe even your own child, for which you care for and want to do something to help him or her find a way to make some money this summer? Do you fear the teen is going to spend the entire summer watching youtube videos of bad lip reading, smoking incense, and virtually killing people on XBox? Are you willing to spend as much as $2,000 to try to make the world an incrementally better place, and definitely give the teenager a leg-up in life?
If your answer is yes to these questions, then consider joining me in hedgeless_horseman's Sad Attempt To Keep Unemployed Teens Out of Trouble By Paying The Lazy Punks To Read Something Potentially Worthwhile Summer Scholarship Program.
Here is how it works. First, make a list of a dozen books that you believe are worthwhile for teenagers. Below, is my current list, along with brief explanations of why I believe each book is worthwhile for teenagers.
Second, purchase all of the books to give away. If you want a copy of a book for yourself, then buy an extra. These books are to get the kid started with a library of his or her own. Get real books made out of paper.
Third, place a reward value on each book indicating what you are willing to pay the kid to read it. I do understand this is very co-dependent, sick, sad, and wrong on many levels, but I have decided that I don't really care. Longer and more technical books get a higher reward in my system. However, having a higher reward for the books one feels are most important might also work. In my experience, the total value of all the rewards is a more important number in the eyes of the kid than the value on any one book. They want to know, "what is the value of the entire summer scholarship?"
Fourth, write a short and simple contract for the entire scholarship that includes the list of books and clearly explains the timeframe, rewards, and the fact that the teenager only receives pay after completing a book, holding a lengthy and detailed discussion with you about the book, and possibly passing an oral or written examination.
Finally, present the contract to the teenager for consideration, but do not sell the idea, or negotiate in any way. If he or she decides to pass on the offer, which is okay, then thank him or her for the consideration, and look for another teenager to repeat the proposal.
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, P.S. Edition
Bruce Feiler, $ 10.39
In today's world where all sides try to dehumanize the enemy, we should understand that Jews, Christians, and Muslims pray to the same God.
Reward: $ 50.00
Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: Revised
Bob Meehan, $ 20.00
All teenagers are going to be exposed to drugs, most are going to try drugs, many will become addicted, some will want help for themselves or others. This book can help.
Reward: $ 50.00
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall, $ 10.85
Inspirational, entertaining, and gives the reader all he or she needs to become, and stay, physically fit.
Reward: $ 50.00
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, 10th Anniversary Edition
Daniel Goleman, $ 16.29
In a world where teens must interact with others, it is immensely helpful to have read an Operations Manual for our psyches.
Reward: $ 250.00
Excel 2010 For Dummies, 2010
Greg Harvey, $ 13.70
Understanding Excel is a foundation skill of many 21st Century jobs, appears on most resumes, but actually resides in very few brains.
Reward: $ 150.00
Graham and Dodd's Security Analysis, Fifth Edition
Sidney Cottle, et al, $ 10.00
This one book can put every reader, even a teenager, light years ahead of many, if not most, Wall Street professionals.
Reward: $ 350.00
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, 5th Edition
G Edward Griffin, $ 24.50
Griffin explains money, banks, and some important history. A must read for everyone in America today.
Reward: $ 200.00
The Double Helix, Annotated and Illustrated 50th Anniv.
James D Watson, $ 17.43
Every kid will gain from this glimpse into real science and the process of discovery.
Reward: $ 50.00
The Elements of Style, 4th Edition
William Strunk, et al, $ 8.26
The book that started me on this sad attempt. We can all improve our writing.
Reward: $ 50.00
The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition
Carla Emery, $ 19.77
Especially if one does not live on a farm, it is a good thing to know the how, when, what, and where of providing for ourselves.
Reward: $ 175.00
The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War
Michael Shaara, $ 16.32
An unforgettable illustration of war, and the things we are capable of doing to one another.
Reward: $ 100.00
The Way to Cook
Julia Child, $ 26.00
This is the most aptly titled book on this list. Huge benefits may be reaped from a teenager reading it before moving away from home.
Reward: $ 150.00
That is $ 193 in books and $ 1,625 in incentives, for a total investment of less than $2,000. Should I pay to cause my children to read these 12 books? That is up for discussion in the Zero Hedge comments, below. Will I pay? Yes. Absolutely, I will pay.
Will you pay a kid to read 12 books of your selection?
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Fuck No I ain't paying...and that's a shit selection
and that's a shit selection
Then how about improving it? Bitching wastes our time.
*crickets*
They read all the books, but they still can't find the answers.
- Mark Twain
At least give 'em a chance, somethin' will sink in.
- Ned
Liberty Defined by Dr. Paul - In an age where there is little if any moral compass, I think this is a worthwhile read. Although it isn't technical by any stretch, I would want my kids to have a working knowledge of the concepts contained therein.
First, adapt teaching methods to today's technology environment.
For example - use smartphones. "The Lanterns", for example, is available for $2.99.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0094KY878
The associated app is free:
http://www.savageleft.com/resources/beacon.html
Tailoring learning to today's technology is absolutely critical.
I'm more of the opinion that a hard bound book's tactile element adds to the experience... as well as the inability to redact such whilst one sleeps.
I like hard bound books too.
However, the ultimate goal is to communicate information and most information communicated to youth today is in electronic form.
In other words - to communicate to young people effectively, use the tools and techniques that they're familiar with.
Yes, right up until the power goes off. I personally believe a number of "technology free" common sense skills need to be learned. in many cases it is essential to the simple act of having a decent and productive conversation.
Really want to grab these kids by their throat when they can't look you in the eye. Pretty much know they are full of shit at that point.
Certainly, we're going to see electricity get much more expensive as the 241 coal powered plants shut down in the mid-Atlantic.
Here's a trace of Hussein Obama's collectivist ideology, through his destructive policies, to a projected resulting electric bill:
http://www.savageleft.com/resources/hostility.html
Oh my god, higher electric bills! You may want to balance that with:
Less asthma,
Less mercury poisoning in fish and people,
Less mountain top removal and associated river destruction.
At least try to balance it out!
No balance at the Environmental Pollution Agency.
- Ned
{It has been really cloudy here, my solar cells are covered with snow anyway and the windmill has iced over so it is imbalanced and the blades tripped. They are talking about shutting down Pilgrim and the crazy Quebeckers want their hydro power back, so the big dc line from up nawth is going into dis-use.}
Certainly, financial coercion is the primary weapon wielded by the despot's regime against the several states and the people.
Arty the Smarty:
http://www.amazon.com/Arty-The-Smarty-Faith-McNulty/dp/044803431X
Nonconformity, ambition, fearlessness, the trickster archetype
The author also wrote "The Burning Bed" ... in the TV Movie Farah Fawcett torched her abusive husband.
Farah Fawcett
Now there's an intelectual delight.
The Audacity of Ho...no wait, nevermind.
1) The Federalist Papers - various
2) The Communist Manifesto - Marx
3) Entire, or select reading of the Bible. Can substitute OT for Jewish kids,Koran for Muslim kids, or best, read all. Various authors
4) The Rise And Fall of The Confederate Government, Jefferson Davis
5) The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve - G. Edward Griffin
6), 7), 8), Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins (need some 'fun' reading)
9) A Peoples History of The United States, Howard Zinn
10) Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Abigail Gehring, editor
About the best I can do in with 5 minutes to think about it.
To the down voters, what book(s) are a problem, and what would you substitute? There are a lot of good options amongst the comments.
Although I didn't downvote you, I have a problem with 2 of your choices. 'Communist Manifesto': the notions of communism/socialism/utopianism/statism is an extremely virulent virus, one that - IMHO - has done more damage to people than any other ideology *ever* except islam. Why take the chance of introducing said virus into an immature and therefore possibly susceptible mind? Besides, it ain't like it's not gonna be crammed down their throats by their profs in college. Zinn's 'People's History'. As Zinn sees it, pretty much *every*thing associated with this country's past (and white people especially) is a bad bad thing, to be condemned and scorned. How does it profit a kid - or a nation, for that matter - to be taught that his country is eeeeevil? No other country on Earth teaches such rampant self-hatred to its young. There's a common-sense reason for that: doing so would be corrosive/destructive to both the student and his country. It would be a slow-motion form of suicide. So why should we be doing it, or admiring those who preach it?
Liberty and Western civilization should be clearly understood before the nonsense of the Communist Manifesto is offered.
"The Open Society and Its Enemies, Volume I" might be a good place to start, for teenagers.
As Zinn sees it, pretty much *every*thing associated with this country's past (and white people especially) is a bad bad thing, to be condemned and scorned.
You sound like someone whose opinion is based on reviews. You might try reading it yourself.
For certain, the best way to educate people is to expose them to both good AND bad ideas, so that they can learn to discriminate between the two.
Well OK then, let's just take a random stroll through 'People's History' & other works and see if we can find any pro-USA quotes; or tales designed to inspire 'USA Pride' or 'American Exceptionalism' in it, shall we?
"The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history. With a country so rich in natural resources, talent, and labor power the system can afford to distribute just enough wealth to just enough people to limit discontent to a troublesome minority. It is a country so powerful, so big, so pleasing to so many of its citizens that it can afford to give freedom of dissent to the small number who are not pleased. There is no system of control with more openings, apertures, leeways, flexibilities, rewards for the chosen, winning tickets in lotteries. There is none that disperses its controls more complexly through the voting system, the work situation, the church, the family, the school, the mass media--none more successful in mollifying opposition with reforms, isolating people from one another, creating patriotic loyalty."
"Capitalism has always been a failure for the lower classes. It is now beginning to fail for the middle classes".
"While some multimillionaires started in poverty, most did not. A study of the origins of 303 textile, railroad and steel executives of the 1870s showed that 90 percent came from middle- or upper-class families. The Horatio Alger stories of "rags to riches" were true for a few men, but mostly a myth, and a useful myth for control".
“If the gods had intended for people to vote, they would have given us candidates.”
“The Constitution. . . illustrates the complexity of the American system: that it serves the interests of a wealthy elite, but also does [just] enough for small property owners, for middle-income mechanics and farmers, to build a broad base of support. The [slightly] prosperous people who make up this base of support are buffers against the blacks, the Indians, the very poor whites. They enable the elite to keep control with a minimum of coercion, a maximum of law--all made palatable by the fanfare of patriotism and unity.”
? Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States: 1492 to
And on & on, ad nauseum.
Just not seeing a whole shitload of positivity, pride, or good news to send the kiddies home with. No "Genius of The Founders" stuff there! Nuh UH!! What I *DO* see is the work of a leftwing statist who was a political scientist/propagandist FIRST, and a historian SECOND. A guy following his agenda just as diligently and ruthlessly as any Rockefeller or Bernanke or sinister cabal of Jooooooos: to tear away at the fabric of the USA. Fuck his sorry dead ass.
Yes, yes, I get it, but it's not clear to me that you understand the counterpoint...
The basic idea is that the prevalent/widespread/dominant sense of cultural consciousness is biased--as a society, we are VERY aware of (and outspoken about) our relative successes and conquests and victories. YES, the US won the Big One and defeated the commies and dominated the industrial world and wrote all the rock'n'roll and drank all the beer and on and on.
This is the accepted backdrop we're supposed to perform against in daily interaction. We all KNOW this.
The truth is that some of those successes weren't quite as astonishing as we take for granted when we also examine what we PAID for them.
By consistently presenting the point of view of the Americans who were seen as simple "input costs" to the amazing accomplishments of the country, the student gets to place his own perspective on some kind of scale to render an informed decision about how history actually transpired.
The old saw that history is written by the victors is repeated too often for most people to remember how powerfully *true* it is, and I'd suggest that the most important component of wisdom is the understanding of one's own biases and convictions.
You can only do this when you can perceive the choices that other people like yourself have made. When you only learn one side of the story, the choice that caused the conflict may never become apparent.
One last time:
1) The kiddies WILL BE exposed to Zinn's garbage (or 'alternate views') by their Marxist history profs when they get to college. So it ain't like they're never gonna hear "only one side of the story", now is it.
2) But that's when they're college age, and presumably more mature & experienced & able to filter out ideological indoctrinationary bullshit/propaganda. And discern their profs political agendas. They're much less likely to have that capacity in their earlier years. I know a 12-year-old girl who knows *all about* the Trail of Tears, but has no clue whatsoever as to why George Washington was a great Man. So why dump shit on them so young? Hmmmm?
3) Do you truly believe it's in a country's best interests to teach self-hatred and self-disgust to their young? NO OTHER COUNTRY on Earth - or at least none hoping for a better future - does this. (Japanese kids aren't taught *at all* about the rape of Nanking, or Singapore, or Unit 731, etc etc. And their "knowledge" of Hiroshima & Nagasaski can be boiled down to 'We were just standing there minding our own business, not hurting anyone, when the devil Americans came along & nuked us for no reason at all!') Why the fuck should the USA engage in this dangerous and hugely corrosive behavior of indoctrinating their young to loathe their forefathers and by extension, themselves??? Just to please the state-lovin' leftists that infest our educational systems? I think not....
Do you truly believe it's in a country's best interests to teach self-hatred and self-disgust to their young?
This is a bullshit question.
I've read the book, and that's not an accurate characterization of the content. There's no "self-hatred" in pointing out that SOME Americans benefited at the expense of OTHER Americans whenever society made difficult decisions. That same process is occurring today--it's not "self-hatred" to point out that current government policy is protecting the interests and welfare of the tiniest number of very wealthy Americans by causing unnecessary pain to the vast majority of others.
That said, YES, it is by far more better for the long-term welfare of any society to be honest about its history. Those who don't learn the mistakes of the past are far more likely to repeat them. The citizens of the USA are its greatest resource, and educated ones are more valuable than indoctrinated ones.
By all means, though, if you have kids, prevent them from learning anything you find personally objectionable. We will always need busboys.
I have - when my kids had to read it in high school, wanted to know what it was about - have you?
Yep, sure did. It was incredibly eye-opening to get the "flip side" of the stories I'd been fed in my later public-school "Social Studies" curricula. If I'd had any exposure to most of that material in my youth, I wouldn't have been so historically deprived for the first half of my life, and I'm sure I'd have made some far better decisions along the way.
I recall specifically remembering (during Zinn's coverage of the early industrial period in the Northeastern US cities) how incomprehensible the IWW movement had seemed when it was being taught in middle- and high- school, and how much less goofy everyone seemed after getting a better understanding of their daily lives. And how about those "Free Soilers," eh? They received about 2 paragraphs of treatment over the course of the 7 years I spent in "mainstream" middle/high school.
It's a funny thing, in my view, that despite the tremendous importance of recent history (say, post-Renaissance), and its relatively "action-packed" storyline, the subject in primary education is seen as a boring waste of time by such a large percentage of students. OBVIOUSLY our teachers are most often "doing it wrong."
Riffing a bit, I'm reminded of that crazy from the film Teachers who became an incredibly effective history substitute by walking into a classroom with no prior understanding of how high-school education was supposed to be delivered.
I just would want these kids, like my own kids, to see both sides of the story and have to think their way through it and come to a conclusion.
That is why I would have those 2 books on there, some balance to the federalist papers and rise and fall of the confederate government.
If our belief system is superior, then it should be able to stand the test of being compared to a different belief system.
Obviously there are dozens of great books, but whatever ones I chose would include ones that had alternative ways of viewing things in order to stimulate thought. That would be the plan at least.
IMHO that is what is missing in todays educational system - too busy indoctrinating and not teaching children to think for themselves, or at least be exposed to other ideas and ideals which would hopefully generate thought.
dexter_: I'm with you on Communist Manifesto, especially since it will line up with ongoing events and can inject some discomfort when "things didn't quite work out, but give us more time..."
I'd add "Free to Choose," http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=friedman&sts=t&tn=free+...
as a better counterexample. Went through this with Young_Meat a bunch of years ago. School gave him Marx, I dropped off Friedman, great discussions followed.
- Ned
{above is more or less not to make any commentary on Friedman as a Chicago type; that is another discussion.}
Parliament of Whores - P.J. O'Rourke
The Invisible Bankers and The Only Other Investment Guide You'll Ever Need - Andrew Tobias
Swim With the Sharks... - Harvey McKay
Also, I seriously doubt not 1 teenager in 1000 will slog through Graham & Dodd for *any* amount of money - but that's just me.
First off, I don't think there's anything wrong with paying someone to read a book of your choice as you stated. Whether or not it's a worthwhile investment ot you is up to the indivdual kid.
Personally, I just buy books for my daughter knowing that she will eventually pick them up and read them of her own accord, if I choose an area that has her interest.
"Saturn: A New Look At An Old Devil" Liz Greene
http://www.amazon.com/Saturn-New-Look-Old-Devil/dp/1578635071/ref=sr_1_1...
This book is best read between the ages of 27 and 30 (Saturn return) as one (hopefully) becomes aware of choices and consequences.
Review - "Saturn, she says, symbolizes a psychic process--one that allows us to utilize the experience of pain for self-discovery and greater understanding."
Sounds like Fight Club?
Interesting idea. More interesting list. I believe no reading list for teenagers is complete without the bible or religious tome of your choice (which you have more than covered with the most excellent Abraham:...) and Atlas Shrugged. I know, I know you Rand haters. I don't give a shit what you think about her personal philosophy or the way she interacts with other humans. If you haven't read Atlas Shrugged, you are missing out on a brilliant characterization of the statist/socialist/collectivist state and why it is dehumanizing.
NO religious book should be on any child's reading list, it is just brainwashing that has just been tweaked over the millennia. For example if you look at the Book of the Dead you will see how that has been adapted to fit other religions that followed. And most probably the Book of the Dead was just some scam to rip people off and perpetuated because dead people can't claim refunds!
Like it or not, Christianity is a key pillar of Western civilization. Attack it at your own peril.
I really could not possibly disagree with you more. 10 pages in to reading the bible (or torah/koran) yourself and you realize everything you hear from the organized church is bullshit. It builds a barrier to indoctrination.
Of course, that reading should also be tempered with The God Delusion (Dawkins) or some of the personal letters written by Jefferson on the topic of religion.
Jefferson made his own version of the bible with a razor blade,called it the Jefferson Bible
No...but...I have spoken with highly educated and intelligent adults after they actually read the Gospel of Luke. As it was for me, their response is always along the lines of, "That wasn't at all what I thought it was going to be."
I was raised athiest (my parents called it "pro-choice religion") but I read the bible in high school because I was the only athiest I knew. I found some of my doubt receeded. 40 more years of reading an odd collection of stuff and I am firmly back to my athiest roots. But I am much more comfortable with it because I have arrived here on my own.
Atheist or Agnostic? Big difference!
If we must split hairs, it was actually neither. It was more like a godless vaccuum. I was just always told I could choose what I wanted to believe when I got older. It seemed like atheism at the time, but it wasn't actually 'anti-god'.
No doubt. Agnosticism seems a bit presumptuous, to me.
Please name a good book that is not brainwashing.
Hedgeless, read comment http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-01-24/will-you-pay-kid-read-12... above.
Oh...and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) should be on my list, too!
Of course, the greatness of Atlas Shrugged was the exact reason that Rand had to be corrupted and brought over to the dark side to be used to funnel her fans into the incoherence of Objectivism.
And once you think about it that way, you can see why she was so proud (and present) when Ford picked her acolyte Greenspan as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Power corrupts.
Ever read some of Greenspan's early writings about gold and freedom (I am sure you have). That dude was turned...damn shame.
Lol.
Or as my wife puts it:
"You can still be right while being an asshole about it." *
* Never directed at me...of course.
Well, that's the thing. There was nothing "right" about her after she became a celebrity. It's like she never even heard of her own books, let alone wrote them. Tell me, how can one write these books, yet insist upon a large centralized state in order to maintain "national security." Seriously?
Meanwhile her boy Greenspan writes in 1966 that only gold is money, while paper is theft. Then he proceeds to execute the largest paper theft the world had ever seen. Afterwards, Ron Paul had him autograph his copy of the 1966 paper, asking him if he still felt the same way. Greenspan replied that he'd read it again recently, and wouldn't change a word.
Her own personal cult attacked Rothbard, trying to force him to leave his religious wife, all so he could remain in Ayn's good graces. Thankfully he "saw the light" and left on his own.
If it isn't yet clear, these people are duplicitous. Dangerously so. Yet I'm supposed to believe she wasn't corrupted, but just highly compartmentalized, to the point of overwhelming incoherence? All while writing Atlas Shrugged?
The only thing "right" about her, in a functional sense, was her ability to empower herself at the expense of others.