As a child I ran into many occasions where my parents would have to sign something saying that i was allowed to participate in something or go somewhere in school. At the time I never really understood why kids in general needed to have their parent/guardian to sign something to make someone else's (the kids') decision. I do understand it more now of course, but i do believe that there is a flaw in the construction and composition of the laws revolving consent. The reason these flaws are present is because the laws are way too general. It's almost as if the government is too lazy to do anything with them, because all they really say is regardless of people's intelligence and amount of independence they still have to be eighteen and up to make their own decisions.
Some parents are excessively protective and wind up sheltering their kids and overpowering them when given such a responsibility. Due to this, many children lose out on endless amounts of opportunities and lack the trait earned otherwise, which is being a well-rounded individual. Without this necessary trait, many kids wind up missing out on proper decision making skills when it comes to something of actual significance where they let the parent/guardian take over.
-Derek Guarino
This is a thought-provoking meditation on the issue of consent. I would like to have seen you take the next step and relate it to the issues we discussed within Exile & Pride. How might the points you raise relate to issues surrounding the treatment of disabled children both in the past and at present?
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