Hurry up, Johnny

As a homeschooling parent and someone opposed to the factory school, this “only in the well-off industrialized world” bit of news totally cracks me up:

Officials are determined to crack down on parents who drive their children to school in journeys that sometimes involve less than a mile. The habit is blamed for a fifth of all traffic in peak hours, as well as pollution and child obesity.

Repeat after me: you are a slave to your car, to your technology, to your institutions, to your routine. Success is all that matters. Fear is what determines your life, this is double-plus good:

But the plans are likely to be opposed by parents who believe it is not safe for children to walk or cycle to school, or do not feel public transport is good enough.

Why can’t the parents accompany their child to school on foot or bicycle, if they truly believe it’s not safe for the child to go alone? No time? Too lazy? Odd messages we adults are giving children.

Johnny, komm, wir fressen eine Leiche…., Johnny, come, we’ll feast on a cadaver, let me seal you up in my car, create a bubble, you’ll never have to touch a thing, Johnny, come, I’ll make sure only pre-processed stuff gets through the barrier, Johnny, come, you don’t need those legs, Johnny, come, a car and a screen, a screen and a vacuum tube, Johnny, come, I’ll program the remote, Johnny, come, we can tape it for later, it’s as good as the real thing, safer, too Johnny, come….