Teach kids patriotism at shopping camp
Summer camps say they're registering fewer kids this summer, with parents cutting back on expenses. But commentator Benjamin Barber says he's heard of one camp that might actually help the economy.
Benjamin Barber (Benjamin Barber)
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TEXT OF COMMENTARY
KAI RYSSDAL: You can add summer camp to the list of businesses being hurt by the sluggish economy. Industry experts say camps are registering fewer kids this summer. Their parents aren't shelling out to send 'em away for as many weeks, either.
Granted, camps aren't as big a deal as say housing or oil. But commentator Benjamin Barber says he's heard of one that might actually help the economy.
BENJAMIN BARBER: Worried your kid can't get into sports camp? Listen to Becky Ross of Louisville, Ky., who declared recently: "Not everybody can be a cheerleader or football player, so here is something for someone with different interests."
That something is a "shopping camp" at the Summit Mall in Louisville. A fashion camp for girls. And Ross, who's the camp coordinator, says not to worry: It's not really about fashion or designing clothes, it's about how to put together and accessorize outfits, it's about "personal development and self-confidence."
In short, it's camp at the mall, where -- announces the camp ad -- you "will visit stores that teach lessons in organization (the Office Depot), how to find information (Barnes & Noble) and the importance of thank-you notes (Hallmark)." Yep, and the day "ends with a graduation ceremony, where campers receive a certificate and goody bag that includes a $40 Summit Mall gift."
If this makes you want to, well, throw up in your shopping bag, please don't. Because there's a serious side, too. I mean, some 6-year-olds might not think going to the Office Depot is their idea of summer fun. But they're going to be America's Plan B when the Bush stimulus-check-plan fails! If we could get every other kid in the country into shopping camp this summer, goodbye recession!
On the "Jezebel" website (devoted to "celebrity, sex and fashion without airbrushing") cynical bloggers wrote stuff about the fashion camp like "Now you pay to shop," and "I'm pretty sure my mom's behind this" and "My soul just died a little." Well, I say it's time kids figured out patriotism is their thing too. After 9/11 President Bush reminded Americans that the way to be part of the war on terrorism was to get back to the mall. So why not the kids too? After all, consumerism's way too important to be left to the grown-ups.
RYSSDAL: Benjamin Barber is with the New York think tank Demos.
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07/08/2008
Kids can learn a lot from camping. In addition keep them from games and computers.
http://www.parents-kidz.com
07/08/2008
Mr. Barber speaks only for the rich. He has no consideration for those facing mortgage forclosure or worse. His essay is little more than an excuse for the superficial wealthy to pat themselves on the back while others suffer.
From Washington, DC, 07/07/2008
I was amazed at Marketplace’s audacity to air two paradoxical segments within the same program without any interpretive common sense. The first story laid out the serious ramifications of the childhood obesity crisis in the United States with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ release of recommendations that children with a family history of heart disease should be treated with the cholesterol- and lipid-lowering drug, Lipitor, to reduce their risk of obesity-related morbidity.
Current national surveillance data (NHANES) show that one third (31.9%) of American children and adolescents are overweight or obese, and an estimated 60% of 5- to 10-year old overweight children manifest at least one physiological cardiovascular disease risk factor.
Yet no wisdom was conveyed to underscore the role of consumer culture in producing this crisis, the essential need to prevent overweight and obesity in our young people instead of treating the problem, the expert recommendations that have been issued over the past several years to advise our federal government how to reverse it, and the continued lack of government leadership to seriously address this public health epidemic. The solution discussed was to give children as young as 8 years of age medication without any strong endorsement about the need for our government to prioritize resources to change our built environments, encourage responsible parental role modeling and behaviors, and change Americans’ collective social norms around eating behaviors and physical inactivity that have led us into this conundrum.
The obesity crisis remains obscured by media coverage of global warming, the energy crisis, and the intertwined international food crisis that is worsening both domestic and global food insecurity of the poorest. Still, there is a clear connection among these events and the growing obesity crisis.
Your second story featured the provocative commentary of political scientist and Demos fellow, Benjamin Barber, who unconvincingly promoted the virtues of patriotism for children through a shopping camp. Pinch me! Does he really believe that a shopping camp is a viable alternative for (likely overweight) children whose (likely overweight) parents can’t afford to get them into a summer camp? What is so remarkable is how the author of the book, Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole—which documents the deterioration of civil society and the negative effects of global capitalism (like credit card debt and personal bankruptcy)—can be taken seriously!
Benjamin, we don’t need a summer camp that produces children who serve as “America's Plan B when the Bush stimulus-check-plan fails.” In an era where too many American children can’t afford to join a summer camp and default to eating inexpensive fast food at home in front of electronic media for hours each day, it shouldn’t be a surprise that summer weight gain is a documented trend that is contributing to our obesity crisis. Teaching children to be expert shoppers isn’t a satisfactory remedy.
What we really need is an abundance of summer camps that teach our children how to be engaged citizens instead of conspicuous consumers. We need them in all communities across our country to teach children and their families about socially normalizing healthy behaviors—eating more fresh fruits vegetables, wholes grains and turning off televisions so that they will spend quality family time and take regular power walks outdoors in the evening together.
It also involves socially denormalizing unhealthy behaviors—getting rid of screens from children’s bedrooms, not allowing children to sit inactive in front of television or computer screens for more than two hours a day, and not spending precious household income on branded sugar-sweetened beverages and branded calorie-dense foods.
From Richmond, VT, 07/07/2008
I couldn't put my finger on whether the author of this piece was being sarcastic or not, until the ending statements. I was sure he was joking. This angle seemed strangely amiss on NPR, despite my being very grateful for the freedom of speech (and freedom to disagree!) that we still enjoy in this country.
Other than walking (excercise!) the only valid part of this shopping camp is that it may help educate some of our young people as to how they can better present themselves in an utterly materialistic world. This may serve to build some self-esteem in some who may otherwise have been lost.
Otherwise, it has no place in our culture at all. THINKSMART camps, maybe; how to make the best decisions about what to spend your money on... or perhaps, as suggested above, CREDIT camps! Teach our young people what it is, and which vital habits are necessary to keep theirs healthy!
Please, no more "Patriotism = Consumerism" statements; they are truly misguided, and in the long run, will serve to set us BACKward on this recession road, not forward.
Teaching our youth to THINK, not BUY impulsively, will serve us all better in the future.
Thank you.
From Mt. Pleasant, SC, 07/07/2008
As the grandmother of three, ages 10, 5, and 4, my ears perked up when I heard the piece about 'shopping camp' for kids. At the end of the piece, you issued an invitation for listeners to tell you what they are doing this summer. There is a great object lesson here. Let me share our summer plans with you.
My husband of 40 years and I celebrated our 40th anniversary on June 29th at a luxurious resort about 20 miles from our home. We then spent a few days at our mountain condominium, a respite from the hot Charleston weather. Next week we are going to Canada where my husband will play in a golf tournament and then we plan to spend a couple of days in Montreal with old friends. In August we are taking our 10 year old granddaughter on a tour of patriotic American sites such as Philadelphia, Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, and Washington, DC. And in September, my husband and I will depart for three weeks in Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Why am I telling you all this? Can you believe my elitist braggadocio? Well, you know what, we started 40 years ago with nothing. Through hard work, many sacrifices, paying cash for purchases, always living within our means, paying all bills -- in full -- on time, and saving until it hurt for the future (our 'future" is now), we are now able do all these things. Nobody ever gave it to us. Nobody canceled our debts, or reduced our interest level, or gave us an "easy payment" plan, or bailed us out because we got in over our heads. We simply didn't! I don't feel a bit sorry for the families who spend every penny, charge up to the hilt, borrow every dollar they can on their homes and then lose the homes, eat out when they can't afford it, and pretend not to understand that they will, ultimately, have to repay their loans and credit card debt. Live for the moment! Buy now and pay later! Sound familiar? If we had done that, we would be sitting at home all summer, feeling sorry for ourselves and wondering how we could pay the power bill. Yes, we have had a lot of luck during those years, which included two years in Vietnam for my husband. But we have always worked hard and played by the rules and it has paid off in the long run. Why is this so difficult for today's young families to understand and replicate? Sure, send your kids to "shopping camp." Then when they are your age, they too can be in debt up to their eyebrows and the stooges in Congress will be trying to get re-elected by giving them tax rebates to stimulate the economy. In the words of your 'shopping camp' reporter, THIS makes ME want to throw up in MY shopping bag!
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