Lost Connection

Professor J,

The article about our veterans returning home was enlightening. I remember older female family members discussing the war on the home front and the rationing, scrap drives, and worry about brothers and husbands far from home. I remarked that it must have been terrible to which came the response "No, it was the most wonderful time even if it was hard. Everyone pulled together."

I'm one of those people that thinks mandatory military service between high school and college would have a lot of benefits, this feeling of camaraderie would be experienced by everyone at least once. I'm reasoning that serving, training, and those respective hardships might be beneficial in the ways needed without necessarily being in a battlefield situation. Mandatory service is a whole other discussion.

The concept of the White Indian makes sense. Interesting that it was happening back then when, compared to our modern lives, we would view people as much more connected than today. Hippies went searching for it again on communes in the sixties and it is the draw of most cults. There is clearly a deep longing there that is left unmet in our cars and single family/single generation dwellings.

The comments about mother/child bonding reminded me of how often we have heard doctors and child psychologists advocate the concept of "self soothing" and a child learning it even while in their crib. It's the intentional forcing of the baby bonding with that stuffed animal or toy so mom and dad can sleep or go about their day. The underlying message from early on is: No one is going to comfort you. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, kid.

In recent years however we've seen the rise of things like breastfeeding and the baby sling to increase that skin to skin contact. The family bed, advocated by lots of parents, is considered dangerous and unhealthy by the medical community. We have a lot of deep and (naturally!) connected problems.

Since I posted last I've read several articles about the somewhat prickly relationship between the feminist community and the transgender one. Here's just one example. It's apparently existed for some time and Caitlyn Jenner brought it to the forefront. The Trans community want support, which they get in theory, but as Stewart pointed out the focus is on how Jenner looks. It only makes sense that feminists who have fought the good fight not to have women judged solely on their appearance would take issue. As one writer pointed out Jenner is 65 but didn't get a breast augmentation and ask for 65 year old breasts. (But then seriously, who would go under the knife for that?)

It's an interesting debate with good points made all around and no simple solutions (funny how often that's the case). The bigger picture is that Jenner is bringing attention to the issue.  I keep thinking how many episodes of COPS I've seen where the prostitute on the sidewalk turns out to be a man. They make sense now. The amount of teens thrown out of the house because they are transgender is a serious problem. Education and enlightenment will hopefully help solve it.