When you see a young child, thoughts of imagination, innocence and hope burst into mind. It brings me to remember the days in which I had no concerns bigger than whether my caterpillar friend in the backyard ran away or not. But, why do we associate these thoughts when we encounter an adolescent? Is it because we are jealous of their inexperience and lack of pressure? Or is it because we understand children to grow up under the same conditions, happy and light?
I have had the same poster hanging up in my room for three years. The image portrays a toddler with sunglasses, sticking his tongue out, and flipping off the camera. Now, this probably doesn’t exemplify the purity in which you associate a child with, but why not? Society expects all households to raise their children to be respectful, thoughtful and diligent. Yet, not all children are provided with these luxuries, so why do we associate all adolescence this way?
This has been a question of mine ever since the first day I hung the picture up. With each and every visitor, there is a comment about the image: “Why do you have this poster?” or “That’s such a funny poster!” Some love it and some hate it. Yet, I find this civic artifact to demonstrate the different sides of societal beliefs. This poster draws a lot of attention, as many have different interactions with it. The image can cause happiness, confusion, and even anger. But, in my opinion, I believe it enraptures civilization in a truthful way; unforgiving and honest.
I love that poster, and I wish I had it hanging in my room. Your analysis of commonplaces regarding children and the related emotions were spot on and provides a new way of thinking.
My first reaction to the poster is to laugh. I completely agree that some children aren’t awarded the same childhoods. If more people had pictures of them as a carefree child basically being themselves and defying social norms, then the world would be more accepting and generally happier.
That is a fantastic poster! It really works well to tackle the commonplace of childhood innocence head-on. I think that the commonplace in question can be quite harmful by creating a false sense of a nearly-impossible ideal childhood and if this commonplace didn’t exist, many people would be much more content with how they grew up.