this post was submitted on 24 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

In retrospect, such creepy toys, in a way. Infinite creativity at their disposal, and we slam a plastic cash register in front of them so they can pretend to be shopkeepers:))

Not saying there's anything wrong with work and IRL adulting* (other than the whole Late Stage Capitalism hellhole bit), just that... I mean, they're kids! Let them play with dragons and fairy princesses and weird aliens, work'll come all too early...

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

nah babe, i had one of these as a lil baby and this is the very first time i’ve even considered comparing it to a cash register! i never played shopkeeper, but i DID get a really solid grasp of/interest for mechanical shit from this and other toys. and now i make/repair jewelry and clocks for a living!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Yeaah, felt kinda' awkward about how my brain snapped to that comparison while reading it this morning, think it correlated this with some other, mostly unrelated thoughts.

That sounds like a really cool way to earn a living! I'm genuinely happy that you've discovered that in yourself!

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This toy isn’t a pretend cash register though, it’s just a motor skills training toy

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You are correct! :)) I'm a wee blitzed and was sent on a diatribe:))

And, yes, I've seen other such examples (I call them "variety decks"), which are useful, indeed! But you could do that with a set of Legos, for instance, and you'd not only have the thing, but the possibility of creating a lot of new things. But, of course, we all know Legos are not exactly cheap, so back to Capitalist hellhole.

I guess my ultimate point was that toys made by adults are pretty lame most of the time:)) That was a rollercoaster for me=))

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Or maybe they're just lame because I'm perceiving them through the lens of a jaded adult, I dunno...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

And plastic workbenches and kitchens and baby dolls... Turns out kids just like imitating adults.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Children like to emulate what they see their parents do, not everything is a grand conspiracy.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

I would walk the dog with my grandson and would prep a poop bag to pick up waste, and he was transfixed so I showed him how to find the top side, part the sides and put it over the hand in preparation for use.

And he was happy to wear a poop bag on his hand, which creeped out granny, even though the bag never actually touched dog poop.

Soon after that it was clear that he discovered (or was trained) to recognize feces is yucky and to be avoided. (he was never in close smelling distance to the dog poop, so he got this from elsewhere.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 day ago

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but it is undeniably a trend. And, yes, emulation is fine and good, it's one of the many catalysts for individual development.

I was referring to hyperfocusing on favouring the emulation of work, paying bills, moving money, etc. (I don't exactly have a category under which to group these other than "Capitalist adult stuff") - my thinking is that there is a difference between organically emulating what we see our parents doing and having to go through it in a context which is heavily biased toward specific aspects. And I'm not saying this hyperfocus is planned, or has a hidden intent of brainwashing kids into being wage slaves, but I am saying that the latter may be a completely incidental occurrence regardless. Like the increased probability that a child will pick up smoking at one point in life if their parents smoke around them while they're growing up, but on a societal level.

To summarise my thoughts metaphorically, why not make a dinosaur (replace with any other imagination-sparking thing) with the plastic one would use to mould a cash register.

Again, running through this makes me realise that maybe it is just down to being a jaded fart on my end:)) Good thing I'll never be a parent, I guess!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

I completely agree that the implications set an unhealthy example, literally just threw "fairy princess" out there thinking of elves and stuff.