So, I happened to see a piece about a bizarre interview with Willow and Jaden Smith, the kids of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. This portion especially had me shaking my head: WILLOW: That’s what I do with novels. There’re no novels that I like to read so I write my own novels, and then I read them again, and it’s the best thing. JADEN: Willow’s been writing her own novels since she was 6. Here's the interview: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/jaden-and-willow-smith-exclusive-joint-interview/?_r=0
My gosh, I thought it was supposed to be satirical at first. But hey, they're not hurting anyone (except some ears with that painfully bad music), so it's hard to care. Mistakes and failure are vital for growth of integrity and practise of self-criticism. Hopefully these kids will stumble upon enough to wake them up someday.
Certainly, they could be worse, but I got to wondering -- are these kids even in school? I would guess not, if she reads NO novels. I think these kids are being done a disservice.
In the comments there's a quote from Willow (the one apparently reading quantum physics) about how she's behind in mathematics for her age because she's on tour and such. It sounds like the kids get a patchwork of high-end private schooling. Agreed. To give a life story: I am "home schooled." I never went to school, and my mother stopped tutoring me when I was ten (which, bless her, may have been a very good thing; she once asked me why it's harder to walk up hill than on level ground, and didn't agree with my "gravity" answer). After that, and until I started the actual courses I'm in now, I studied GED books in twenty minute sessions. The books were useless: hardly touching on things like algebra and science, and instead focused on passing the low-requirement test. My educational saviour was cheap fiction novels (Stephen King, Micheal Crichton) that I read for two to four hours a night. Before I got a job and moved out, my mother always said she would buy me as many books as I wanted if they came from a used bookstore. I took advantage of that. I think there's something that can be learned from repeatedly taking in an author's ideas, even if the writing is what some here would call low grade. The poorly delivered point is that novels were a crutch for my lack of school, and I think I would have a much harder time learning anything without having read them in my youth.
I'd forgotten that she mentioned something about how going to school was too depressing. I find your experience and point of view very interesting, about novels having saved your education. It is certainly a great endorsement for reading.
I don't think I'd judge some spacey teenagers on that comment alone. They have decent vocabularies, that says something about their education. And I'm pretty sure some of the Universe contemplating I did at that age was similar. All that stuff about time not really existing at least reflects some awareness of relativity.
Just think of how great an education they get in Science since they are members of the church of Scientology!
Although they've consistently denied being scientologists, despite being repeatedly connected to it, and giving quite a bit of money to it.
I saw that today too, I've also seen several articles about his tweets. At first i just thought he was a troll of legendary status, but now i honestly don't know what to think. Those responses were so WTF did they just say, i was speechless. I don't know what to think, I really don't. Either hes one hell of a troll, or the fresh prince needs to stop the glue sniffing in his household.
Eh, I don't see the harm. They may actually be good writers, so let's see what they've got before we make any judgment. Besides, we've endured Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey. I honestly doubt they could do any worse.
... they aren't, are they? Ah, fuck - they seem like intelligent, if pretty pretentious kids. Mind, I'm sure I would have been worse at their age, so there is that. And we have survived novels much worse than those still!
I can't imagine growing up in the public eye that comes with being THE Will Smith's son/daughter. I hope they turn out normal for their own sake.
Mr and Mrs Smith are really hurting poor kids with way over the top free mind style of raising. Especially Willow has grown way too fast in some areas and is behind of his piers in other things. In one interview I read one of them talked about concept of time. It was badly worded but deep thinking. Hopefully he/she read more Kaku.
