Did Dr. Spock hurt America?? (sin, history, moral, preferences)

[HotinAZ]

An interesting thought, although he did not mention God, we can see how both, Dr. Spock and a lack of Love for our Lord, have combined into the society that we now share.

In the last 50 years, human nature has not changed. Selfishness, lust, covetousness and all other passions are in the human heart at birth. It is only a trained proclivity to say NO to our natural drives that keeps our passions in check – self-control is what stops us from stealing, murdering and committing adultery. It is parents who must instill this important quality in each generation. History and common sense teach us that the society in which children are not taught to keep control of their passions is destined to moral disintegration.
In America the reason that baby boomers and their children have grown up with less mastery over their passions than previous generations is because in the late '40s a new voice of authority on parenting rose to prominence, and parents of the '50s and '60s began to raise children differently than before.
In 1946, Dr. Benjamin Spock first published his infamous book "Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care," which was unlike any that came before it. Instead of stressing the importance of teaching self-denial and respect for authority, Spock discouraged directive [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]training[/color][/color] and emphasized accommodating children's feelings and catering to their preferences. No longer did children learn they could endure Brussels sprouts and suffer through daily chores. Using Spock's approach, parents began to feed self-indulgence instead of instilling self-control – homes were becoming child-centered. As parents elevated children's "freedom of expression" and natural cravings, children became more outspoken, defiant and demanding of gratification. In fact, they came to view gratification as a right

By Reb Bradley
[SIZE=-1]© 2009 [/SIZE]

The full article can be read here:
How Dr. Spock destroyed America

[Okiegirlfriend]

My kids were raised without Dr. Spock and turned out just fine.

I'm a Baby Boomer too. I had very sensible moral parents.

[texdav]

I don't think DR, Spock did anyhting to ruin america. That was done by the parents really;who were too interested in their own lifes and want thier children not to struggle which lead to the I'm special and deserve attitude of today.

[TravisW]

Really, I think it goes further back to some of Rousseau's contentions about human nature. At least in Western culture, the concept of Original Sin has been prevalent for the last 1000 years in pretty much all areas, or rather was prevalent until the Romantic era when the concept of all things being "natural" being equivalent to "good" arose. Unfortunately, some of the things that are "natural" to humans aren't necessarily "good" for human society.