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The only purpose of the state...

Posted by Dissident on 2010-June-09 05:26:24 EDT, Wednesday
In reply to Which approach would you like best re: youth lib? posted by Sigma on 2010-June-08 21:35:09 EDT, Tuesday
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...in the area of youth rights should be to enforce those rights IMO, much as the courts enforce civil rights for adults. That is what I stand behind. If someone attempts to forcibly prevent a younger person from exercising their rights, then the state should intervene on behalf of the younger person. If competency tests are held, then I believe a committee of both peers and adults who do not have a personal emotional investment in the young person in question should analyze the results and decide objectively; it doesn't have to be bureaucrats, but instead can be composed of teachers, civil rights advocates, psychologists, and other emancipated peers. It's also my opinion that social conservatives should be kept off of these committees.

In regards to a state agenda for youth rights...the state should decree that people of all ages are full citizens and should have the right to exercise those rights as soon as they achieve the necessary level of cognizance. If the state was starved and disempowered to the point where it couldn't enforce rights, then employers, parents, teachers, and many other adults would feel free to walk all over younger people and attempt to interfere with their rights. Whether somebody gets a job over another person should entirely be competency based; if two competing people prove equal, there should be some way to choose who to hire at random.

Schools should largely be controlled by a combination of the students and teachers in equal measure, with the state funding education but not controlling the curriculum. The textbooks should be provided by a wide variety of sources, and students and teachers should work together to decide who to purchase these textbooks from (assuming that textbooks will be used for any particular course).

In short, the government should protect rights when necessary, but should not act as guardians of emancipated youths. I would forsee many youth groups forming to attempt to ensure fair treatment of youths in employment, housing, etc., and I see youth residences being run by a combination of its residents and individuals of all ages who were hired to administer for the welfare of its residents in terms of meals, working water, a possible infirmary, etc., much as is done for residences designed for the elderly in today's world. I see many youth organizations formed by people of various ages who advocate for youth rights, and the government need not be involved with these groups, except to protect the rights of youths to join these advocacy groups (so that parents do not attempt to forcibly stop their kids from joining these advocacy groups, etc.).

Dissident

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