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Comment by bpizzi | Hacker News Reader

> I wonder if the kids ever asked you why companies are doing it?

Actually they ask "why" every time for every thing that I say :) My sons are not yet (to my eyes) sufficiently mature to really hear a thorough answer to "why". I try to make them asking "How?" instead. I'm a hacker, not a philosopher ;)

But, to relate to your answer, I'm not really trying to make them hating ads (thought I hate ads too, like you). Loving and hating things and people is up to them, I'm just giving context and knowledge (ok, sometimes it's hints on my own feelings on important subjects such as religion). That's of course a very personal pov on education.

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"Actually they ask "why" every time for every thing that I say :) My sons are not yet (to my eyes) sufficiently mature to really hear a thorough answer to "why". "

I am digressing a bit here, but I strongly encourage you to rethink this.

The act of hearing things they are not sufficiently mature to hear is the very best process for becoming mature in that way.

Of course I am not speaking of prurient matters or horrific tragedies (you should hand them neither Penthouse nor MAUS) but I think you should explain matters like the one at hand clearly, in an adult manner, and with adult vocabulary.

They may not understand more than 10% of it but that lack of understanding is a great challenge and the 10% they do grasp is a foundation for deeper thought.

I have three children and not only do we speak of things that are beyond their ken, with them, but we make a point not to adjust our vocabulary downward when we speak with them. They have risen to the challenge.

I agree! Maybe you misread me, or maybe it's me not having been clear enough: I do expose them to adult speech/logic/vocabulary, it's just that I encourage and arrange the meaningful dialogue to start with a "How" instead of a "Why". It's just semantic (and me hoping that it will spark a scientific interest/method).

I see your POV as mature and I'll strive to do that exactly - not burden the kids with my own prejudices, but instead give them context and knowledge for them to find their preferences on their own.

Ads themselves are only a symptom. I suppose I'm profoundly disappointed in some aspects of our civilization, and the values it promotes, and I want my future kids to avoid such disappointment while still being cooperative players in the world (vs. defectors, in game-theoretic sense).

What I learned while being a father of two is that there is no such thing as objectivity. I have my prejudices. And when I notice one, I tell my kids about that. Including that I probably have a lot of unknown (to me) prejudices too. And that all humans have these.

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