NP - All Work and No Play Make the Baining the "Dullest Culture on Earth"

[Bekah]

agreed - very curious, fascinating - thanks 

Bek

http://beckylindroos.wordpress.com/

On Aug 1, 2012, at 9:53 AM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:

> Really interesting article.  Thanks!
> 
> Laura
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
>> From: David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Aug 1, 2012 10:22 AM
>> To: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>> Subject: Re: NP - All Work and No Play Make the Baining the "Dullest Culture on Earth"
>> 
>> The Baining are small-scale agriculturalists, who subsist on their
>> gardens and the few animals they raise. In their style of life and
>> attitudes they are in many ways the opposite of hunter-gatherers,
>> including those hunter-gatherers to whom they are closely related.
>> Hunter-gatherers love the bush, or forest; value freedom and
>> individual initiative; and are extraordinarily playful in their daily
>> lives and especially value play among children. Hunter-gatherer
>> children are allowed to play all day, every day, from dawn to dusk,
>> and in that way they acquire the subsistence skills, social skills,
>> and personal traits and values that characterize their culture. In
>> contrast, the Baining shun the bush, which they view as chaotic and
>> dangerous, and they derogate play, especially that among children.
>