This is the last in a series that explores the part that fantasy might play in the behaviour of children... again where fantasy is indeed a reality. It seemed that TV characters may have an impact on how children and youth in care may build an identity for themselves at a certain stage of development. and help us find meaning in some of the behaviours we encounter in our work as child and youth care workers we encounter.... and quite frequently too. I am referring to TV series and movies that children and young people are watching now.. at the time of righting. Surely these will change and new fantasy characters and digital figures will emerge as having such an influence... possibly and particularly in the area of digital games.
First , there's Superman. Now, Superwoman is wonderful. He starts his day as the insignificant un-noticed Clark Kent - a nobody and a dogsbody.BUT, he st5ransformes when someone is in distress into a powerful, unconquerable , flying hero.
Superman flies at speed above the skyline. He is everything that dreams are made of and further, he saves downtrodden and unjustly treated people with his miraculous indestructible force.
Then there's Micheal Knight..... the Knight Rider.The black knight of the night in a car that is indestructible. He is the 'pretty 'boy'. charming and well mannered, YET, .... let some well, organised structure of planned injustice come to his attention and Micheal Knight climbs int o his car and literally penetrates it and blasts it to kingdom come . ... Micheal saves the downtrodden and unjustly treated with miraculous indestructible force.
Batman and Robin fit the same profile. But the most exciting of them is Spiderman.
Superman flies, but Spiderman !!!
Spiderman is a wonderful hero. He can climb buildings to save the distressed. ........ Masked and anonymous, he uses his miraculous indestructibility for the threatened and the downtrodden.
AND NOW ... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... we are proud to present ....ten year old PHAMBILE ...He is a Superman, Micheal Knight, Batman and Spiderman ... all in one!!... a mousy no-body by day , but a dramatic hero when stirred. Phambile can climb buildings, throw a jujitsu blow like lightening n the name of justice and fairness and the fight against injustice. Phambile... ladies and gentlemen... is indestructible. He can even fly !!
And, in the system injustices abound. and call on Phambile to transform from the mousy, no-body he is in the day , to his avenging, justice- seeking, powerful self.:
rules that don't make sense and are used against a fellow inmate rather than for him
staff that rob the young persons of what should rightfully be theirs.. - its called 'creaming off'... taking the best of the donations for themselves ( clothing, food ,computer equipment ........)
a group given punishment for the misdemeanour of one
a child moved suddenly out of the programme with the excuse that she doesn't 'fit' the program
. The list goes on
But then when the power of Phambile strikes...staff.. watch your motor-car tyres, plates of food dashed against the wall , a breadroll at mealtime thrown at staff,..Phambilile at these times is totally unafraid of threatening and confronting staff...
Sometimes its the young persons and children that have to be taught a lesson in justice.... knocked out cold with the end of a broom. punched-up in the grounds, ... windows smashed ... piddled on whilst sleeping, . ribs broken.. even setting fire.
Don't forget that Phambilie can climb buildings....downpipes are up and down-pipes. Ledges and edges are grips and footholds... barbed wire means absolutely nothing to Phambile when he is on a mission to restore justice and fairness.
AND THEN ... when the whole world breaks into apparent chaos, superhero, Phambile escapes to return to his mousy daily persona.
"Jump Phambile, Jump" . It waas the chant from below. He was on the third floor balcony. The others were chaning from below as they urged Phambilie to test his remarkable, TV character abilities.
"Jump, Phambile. Jump"
There he stood on the ledge of the three story building , poised and ready.
The chanting crowd was hustled indoors.
The child and youth care worker sat on the other side of the cement balcony, lit a cigatette and said
"Come back in Phambile, You'll probably kill yourself. It's not such a good idea really."
With the chanitng stoped and the audience removed, Phambile hesitated, then suddenly flew past the child care worker into the building to lock himself ont the veranda of the boys floor.
He was Clark Kent again, crime reporter . The mousy one .. there, waiting to be galvanised into his persona, Phambile ...indestructible, justice-seeking and violent.
...
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Monday 3 June 2013
DEAR YOGESHREE drugs, alcohol and fantasy..a child and youth care challenge.
DEAR YOGESHREE
Initially my thinking was that there would be three letters to you on fantasy as an experience in our work as child and youth care workers.. This is the third already and it seems there could be two more exploring the theme. This one relates an experience in which drugs and alcohol played a significant part in fantastical thinking but it struck me in the next letter it could be worth exploring the impact fantastical television characters may have on children's self concept and so on their behaviour.
Caroline pitched at the house where her son was in care with us. It was just before six in the morning and she was in a dreadful state. The child care worker didn't want to disturb me at that time so they had coffee and waited until eight. It was then I got the usual call. " You had better get here .. quick!"
She looked particularly dishevelled. She had walked from the centre of Hillbrow in Johannesburg. For those who may never heard of Hillbrow - - it's famous for being the most densely populated high-rise apartment square kilometre in the world. It is well known for a night life that often doesn't bear scrutiny.
Caroline lived in a small apartment in this area where she and her friends were well into the Hillbrow culture - drugs, alcohol and sex..... Its great life if you don't weaken !!
Her story....... she and some friends were into drugging together in someones apartment in Hillbrow. At about three in the morning she decided to have some fun, so she deliberately spiked a middle-aged man's drink. He was already far gone on drugs so he passed out almost immediately on the floor of that apartment and died.
Caroline knew that she had overdosed him, panicked and left the apartment with his body on the floor, locked it and fled into the early hours of the morning and the anonymity of the Hillbrow millions, thought better of it and ran to the Children's Home.
"Mr Lodge, I murdered a man," she said.
"Caroline ... we must go there now" ... my response.
"You won't get in, the caretaker won't let you in", she argued, pale and very frightened.
We went anyway into the dullness of high-rise Hillbrow. I woke up the caretaker.
"There's no way I can let you in to someones flat without their authority" , or words to that effect, "or a police search warrant. What he actually said was " Fuck off man you're wasting your time"
"Whats your name?" I asked.
" Phinandas"
"I'm the Director of the Children's Home in Jo'berg blah, blah blah - you come with me and stay with me all the time. We really need . we HAVE to see into that apartment - someone could be dangerously ill in there and need emergency treatment..... Please... etc etc.
I didn't have money on me otherwise I would have offered it to him.. We all know these stories.
Phinandas opened the door. We very cautiously went down the short passage into the lounge. It was necessary to switch on the light despite the time of day...../ NOTHING !!. not even a tell-tale mark on the carpet.
Caroline couldn't believe it. She wasn't relieved (as I was). She became even more agitated.
"Mr Lodge", she said. " He must have recovered enough to go to Cookie's flat. She's his friend, and died there"
So off we go to Cookie's flat. Same story there, same patter same looking caretaker, same result - no body there - nothing - no corpus delecti
Three flats later, I got to the point...
"Caroline, we are running around Hillbrow looking for a dead man on a carpet"
"Dead men don't walk. They don't disappear into thin air."
"Mr Lodge" she said " He's lying dead in one of these flats, I know, 'cos I killed him. He must be dead somewhere. I'm a murderess.
We left Caroline in Hillbrow and came home
"
Initially my thinking was that there would be three letters to you on fantasy as an experience in our work as child and youth care workers.. This is the third already and it seems there could be two more exploring the theme. This one relates an experience in which drugs and alcohol played a significant part in fantastical thinking but it struck me in the next letter it could be worth exploring the impact fantastical television characters may have on children's self concept and so on their behaviour.
Caroline pitched at the house where her son was in care with us. It was just before six in the morning and she was in a dreadful state. The child care worker didn't want to disturb me at that time so they had coffee and waited until eight. It was then I got the usual call. " You had better get here .. quick!"
She looked particularly dishevelled. She had walked from the centre of Hillbrow in Johannesburg. For those who may never heard of Hillbrow - - it's famous for being the most densely populated high-rise apartment square kilometre in the world. It is well known for a night life that often doesn't bear scrutiny.
Caroline lived in a small apartment in this area where she and her friends were well into the Hillbrow culture - drugs, alcohol and sex..... Its great life if you don't weaken !!
Her story....... she and some friends were into drugging together in someones apartment in Hillbrow. At about three in the morning she decided to have some fun, so she deliberately spiked a middle-aged man's drink. He was already far gone on drugs so he passed out almost immediately on the floor of that apartment and died.
Caroline knew that she had overdosed him, panicked and left the apartment with his body on the floor, locked it and fled into the early hours of the morning and the anonymity of the Hillbrow millions, thought better of it and ran to the Children's Home.
"Mr Lodge, I murdered a man," she said.
"Caroline ... we must go there now" ... my response.
"You won't get in, the caretaker won't let you in", she argued, pale and very frightened.
We went anyway into the dullness of high-rise Hillbrow. I woke up the caretaker.
"There's no way I can let you in to someones flat without their authority" , or words to that effect, "or a police search warrant. What he actually said was " Fuck off man you're wasting your time"
"Whats your name?" I asked.
" Phinandas"
"I'm the Director of the Children's Home in Jo'berg blah, blah blah - you come with me and stay with me all the time. We really need . we HAVE to see into that apartment - someone could be dangerously ill in there and need emergency treatment..... Please... etc etc.
I didn't have money on me otherwise I would have offered it to him.. We all know these stories.
Phinandas opened the door. We very cautiously went down the short passage into the lounge. It was necessary to switch on the light despite the time of day...../ NOTHING !!. not even a tell-tale mark on the carpet.
Caroline couldn't believe it. She wasn't relieved (as I was). She became even more agitated.
"Mr Lodge", she said. " He must have recovered enough to go to Cookie's flat. She's his friend, and died there"
So off we go to Cookie's flat. Same story there, same patter same looking caretaker, same result - no body there - nothing - no corpus delecti
Three flats later, I got to the point...
"Caroline, we are running around Hillbrow looking for a dead man on a carpet"
"Dead men don't walk. They don't disappear into thin air."
"Mr Lodge" she said " He's lying dead in one of these flats, I know, 'cos I killed him. He must be dead somewhere. I'm a murderess.
We left Caroline in Hillbrow and came home
"
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