Alternative Upbringing – The Veldt Summative Assignment

A slam poem by Molly MacCormack

A child chooses a tablet over their mother.
A child prefers the warmth of their laptop over the warmth of their father’s arms
wrapped around them during a hug.
A child won’t stop consistently crying chaotically
because their phone stopped working
from the abundance of usage.
Day in, day out.

What poor children, letting technology replace those around them.
You say as you hand a child their iPhone to play a family simulation game,
at dinnertime.
Who really is to blame?
The children?
Who were born into this world where now, having technology is a necessity to live?
The parents?
Who assume there is no harm being done if the child is content?
The technology?
That is being created to fit these “needs”
to make us think we are finding our definition of happiness.
But are we happy, are the children happy?
Their eyes stare at that machine like it is their one true love, the only thing that never fails to make them feel intoxicated with delight,
But all they get back is pre-programmed responses,
false smiles from digitally drawn characters
and the DINGs, BUZZs and BLINKs
that were all installed by unnamed professionals.
Don’t they crave not only giving, but receiving back a real human emotion?

As the years pass by, we seem to forget that devices do not teach real kindness.
We forget that a tablets’ non-existent arms will forever be closed when a child feels they need a goodnight hug.
A child can never experience how tender and gentle their sister’s smile is by clicking on a photo.
A phone may be able to teach them their ABC’s,
read them to sleep with storybooks,
provide them with constant attention and entertainment,
but can we assume that human children need more than that?
Can we assume human children need humans? Relationships?
Connection?

At this point, a connection with Wi-Fi will not cut it.
Children need to learn to love, live and be human
by the ones who know how to best.
Ones that share a gigantic grin with the world as you tell them a joke
Ones that weep with you as you inform them on an gloomy ordeal
Ones who love you back, for who you are.
Not only because you remembered your passcode to enter.
Humans need humans,
Children need humans.

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