Brainwashing the kids

Watching the news this morning and young children in Wales (and elsewhere), some as young as 4 or 5, being effectively forced to support world cup teams I couldn't help being struck, and disturbed, with the similarities between that and the sort of indoctrination which goes on in places like North Korea and with radical Islamic groups.

Not everybody supports or even likes football - I'd argue it's a minority overall - but how are parents supposed to protect their kids from such indoctrination without withdrawing them totally which then singles them out for potential ridicule and bullying by their peers?

Darro wrote:Watching the news this morning and young children in Wales (and elsewhere), some as young as 4 or 5, being effectively forced to support world cup teams I couldn't help being struck, and disturbed, with the similarities between that and the sort of indoctrination which goes on in places like North Korea and with radical Islamic groups.

Not everybody supports or even likes football - I'd argue it's a minority overall - but how are parents supposed to protect their kids from such indoctrination without withdrawing them totally which then singles them out for potential ridicule and bullying by their peers?

I’d worry yourself more about indoctrination with within families over religion, racism, nationalism and royalty. Oh and Brexit

It's nothing like North Korea and radical Islamic groups. All our family support the same football team, even our latest 3 month old has an England kit and our football teams kit but we wouldn't behead him if when he grows up he supports another team,

Darro has a good point I feel. It is indoctrination whichever way you look at it. If you can get them behind a footie team, then they soon learn to despise someone that wears different colours from you. It's only a small step to get them to stand behind a flag and kill people because they belong to a different race. Countries have always relied on this.

It's simply not right, whether its over footie, religion or whatever.

Kids are always brainwashed by their parents. My uncle brainwashed his son to support Manchester City. I nearly reported him to social services.

Mr Angry

Football supporting, is an exspensive and unproductive hobby.

Season tickets are a ridiculous price as are the kits and they seem to change all the time. A dad 2 kids 90 mins watching football 230 quid plus transport plus food, do t know how they can afford it

Gustav wrote:Footbal supporting, is an exspensive and unproductive hobby.

Glassfull wrote:I’d worry yourself more about indoctrination with within families over religion, racism, nationalism and royalty. Oh and Brexit

Of course it exists within families but what I'm talking about is institutionalised indoctrination which is what's happening here.

Karl Marx once wrote that "religion is the opiate of the masses" but today that would more properly be said about football - and we all know the dangers of fanaticism!

Darro wrote:Of course it exists within families but what I'm talking about is institutionalised indoctrination which is what's happening here.

Karl Marx once wrote that "religion is the opiate of the masses" but today that would more properly be said about football - and we all know the dangers of fanaticism!

But what if the school wanted to teach kids about global warming or conservation, would that to be considered indoctrination? How many parents have argued with an infant school child that insists, “But teacher says”?