CONFLICTING PATHS: GROWING UP IN AMERICA

SEAN P. CORCORAN
HIS 300 – INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL METHOD
SEPTEMBER 7, 2004

TYPEPAD POST #1
Posted on TypePad.com twice on 9/3/04 and 9/7/04. Deleted and edited both times. Posted again 9/13/04

QUESTION:

Of the readings in Conflicting Paths: Growing up in America, which two interested you the most? Of your interests, which ones do you think might furnish the basis for your research paper? What would you have to do or find to carry out the research for your paper?

In reading Conflicting Paths: Growing up in America, Chapter 5, The Beat of Different Drummers into the 20th Century, and Chapter 6, The Disappearance of Childhood in Our Own Time?, interested me the most. I thought this statement in the Preface summed up the underlying message in this text beautifully - “The images of the past on which we base our judgments of the present are seldom the kinds of useful guides we need. Always emotionally powerful, they are seldom often surprisingly fragile when examined closely (Preface xi).” Time changes everything. Children grow up in the society that they live in and are influenced by that which surrounds them. Issues such as class, race, and gender (as well as religion, demography, and geology) affect the way a child grows up. Different times bring different issues to be confronted. As time changes, so does society, which in turn directly affects children as they grow-up and mature. What might have been in the past is not necessarily true in the present.

In looking at Chapter 5, The Beat of Different Drummers into the 20th Century, I found it very interesting that children grow-up differently based on the society that they live in. As I mentioned above, time changes everything. During the turn of the century, every aspect of our society was buzzing with change. Urbanization was beginning to take place as thousands fled the countryside and stormed cities in search of work and opportunity. Industrialization was growing steadily across the nation as new inventions fueled mass production and the need for cheap labor. The biggest change during this time was the increased disparity between the classes, as the working class began to expand rapidly. And at the center of it all, hiding in the shadows, was the affect it had on family life and more importantly children, as families were uprooted and on the move in able to survive. This statement says it all – “Children…, at once the hope of tomorrow and the fear of today, symbolize the resurgence of reform (303).” Reform and change was everywhere and children were just caught in the tide. Society was growing bigger and bigger with more opportunities to influence the growth of children. Children were introduced to a new and exciting world. They were introduced to new environments full of issues and problems that cut across social class lines (such as social class conflicts, ethnicity and racism, social issues - such as crime and poverty, and gender equality) – that in the past were not so apparent in the eyes of children. They weren’t only seeing it - they began living it.

In looking at Chapter 6, The Disappearance of Childhood in Our Own Time?, I found it very interesting that children today are the result of modernization and the atmosphere that it has created. “Few problems are so poorly understood as those relating to children…this stems from the combined impact of dominant images, myths, theories, expectations, fears, and aspirations (330).” In today’s society we put tremendous pressure on our children to succeed. We punish children for their missteps and failures instead of supporting them and assisting them with their issues and problems. At the same time I agree that our children are a product of the society that we live in and are affected by the modernization around us. We allow our children every means of distraction that can be had because we have the means to do so. Instead of reading a book or learning, our children would rather watch television or play video games. Instead of using a computer as a learning tool, they use it as a means of communication. Children today have more opportunities to see what is taking place around them. With every form of media providing news and opinions about any and everything, children today are not shielded from society as they once were. They grow-up way to fast and sometimes try to act older than they truly are (or even should be). Children have lost their innocence. Basically, they have escaped their leashes and have set out to explore the world for themselves regardless of the consequences. And in today’s world – who can blame them?

The information provided in Chapter 6 has furnished me the basis or rather the idea for of my research paper. As discussed above children today are the result of modernization and the atmosphere that it has created. In looking at the last 50 years when our military presence and our diplomatic relationships in the world have intensified and has become more important, military families (as well as missionary, diplomatic, and business families) have been serving and living abroad in great numbers. Most move from country to country, from base to base, every few years, and many live abroad for over ten years without returning stateside. What interests me is the affect this has on the military dependents (children) as they move from place to place throughout their childhood. As a former State Department “brat” who traveled the world and lived overseas (in eleven different countries over eighteen years) through out my childhood, I plan on writing my research paper on how the childhood of “military brats” (military dependents) has been affected by the plight of the military family living abroad, both in the past and present. I plan on trying to cover such information as family life, personal relationships and friendships, adapting to different cultures, education (both formal education and personal education), assistance by peer groups (both civilian and military support groups) and re-adjustment upon returning stateside.

Where to start? Good question. The first thing that I would have to do to carry out the research for my paper is to define a rough outline of what my paper will be about and what supporting arguments I am going to cover. What is my topic? What will be my supporting arguments? Once I have a general idea of what I am going to write about, I need to find and make sure there is sufficient information available concerning my topic. I need to start from the bottom up, beginning with my bibliography. I plan on trying to find as many different types of resources so that I am covering as much ground as possible. The resources I plan on exploring are - texts written by subject matter experts, personal accounts from former and present “military brats”, peer group and military support group materials, personal diaries (if they can be found), essays written by children while in school abroad, personal oral interviews (if possible), movies and documentaries, and newspaper and magazine articles covering my topic. Some resources I plan to explore may lead me to a dead-end, while others may bring me an abundance of information. But finding the information is the key for me to write a successful and informative research paper. From there it’s all about organization and using the information where it can do the most in support of my research paper.

Comments

[Shannon]

Hey Chris,
Sounds really interesting so far! Will you be focusing on the last 50 years or so as you said or will it go back futher than that? One aspect you might want to check into is the percentage of children who grow up in the military and then continue the trend when they are adults. Were they turned off to doing the same thing with their own family or not? Did they like it when they were children but now want a more stable life? Just some thoughts...