Korea really is a great place to live and work and while by most accounts, people seem pretty with it...every now and then I am reminded that the views of Korean society and mine clash a bit. For instance, this article that Nicole came across that details the latest head scratcher for me....stretching facilities to aid in growth for children so they can escape the ridicule of being short. Yes, being a shorter male, I see this as particularly screwed up. Here's the article link....South Korea Stretches Standards for Success.
The article gives some details about how the new technique is supposedly able to enhance height growth which will in turn lead to a life of success. I've seen first hand as well in my classrooms that the children feel this way. I had one student ask me if I felt like a loser because I was under 6 ft to which I simply responded no, but was not impressed with the lines he was thinking along.
Before I go on a tangent I'll just bring up another fact about the Korean society with regards to this growth business. The Korean kids happen to be some of the more frail people I have seen which in many ways is an attribute of their poor sleep habits which happen to be one of the major factors in growing. The overworked, under-rested Korean kids don't stand a chance to grow but now there is this new idea that stretching them can fix all that? I also see this as just another gateway into a world of thought that will spawn even more options down the line to support the "enhancement" of your life through scientific means, rather than the embrace of your own natural attributes.
That's my take on the stretching bizz, just thought I'd share.... ;)
-adam
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