Children are, legally and socially, the most oppressed and unfairly treated group of people in modern society.
on social media, it is highly normalized to openly dislike children, complain about their existence in public spaces, and dismiss their struggles. But if you look at the reality of how they are treated, children are a class of citizens with zero autonomy, minimal legal protections, and absolutely no say in their own lives, all while being constantly blamed for behaviors they cannot control
Consider their complete lack of basic rights. Children have no say in where they live, what they eat, what they wear, or who they spend their time with (obviously,they need guidance,but that is not what i mean here)In many parts of the world, physical discipline which would legally be considered assault if directed at an adult,is still widely accepted and protected by law when used against a child. When children express distress or anger about their lack of control, adults routinely dismiss it as a "tantrum" or "attention-seeking," rather than recognizing it as a natural human reaction to having zero agency. We expect children to behave with the emotional maturity of adults while treating them like property. This unfairness is especially obvious in public spaces, like airplanes. The amount of vitriol directed at crying babies or restless toddlers on flights is CRAZY. A child crying on a plane is often experiencing intense physical pain from ear pressure that they don’t understand, combined with being trapped in a sensory-overloading metal tube. They do not have the neurological development to regulate their emotions or understand the concept of "public etiquette" yet. To treat a crying child,or even their stressed-out parentsas a personal nuisance is incredibly selfish, yet society regularly treats children as if they are invading adult spaces just by existing???
children are LITERALLY entirely products of their environment. Even the kids that people label as 'spoiled," "annoying," or "bad" are completely innocent. A child does not choose to be spoiled; they are raised by adults whodid not set boundaries. A child does not choose to be aggressivE, they are reacting to trauma, neglect, or poor modeling at home. Every single thing a child does is a direct reflection of the environment adults have built for them. Yet, when a child misbehaves, society directs its anger and disgust at the child rather than the system and the adults who failed them.
We are talking about the most vulnerable, and innocent members of our species, yet they are the only group it is socially acceptable to openly exclude, mock, and dislike.