Theory of the leisure class: children as adult toys, and the love of pet dogs

[Jurriaan Bendien <bendien@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In the romantic philosophy of his pedagogic work "Emile", Jean-Jacques
Rousseau wrote "Leave childhood to ripen in your children. In a word, beware
of giving anything they need today if it can be deferred without danger to
to-morrow." (actually, Rousseau himself had it off with a Parisian maid,
Thérèse Le Vasseur, by whom he boasted he had five children - who were then
consigned to the foundling hospice). But all this is obviously a far cry
from today's blow-up dolls and obsession with infants, and the merchants are
quick to spot a market opportunity - get them when they're still young.
Thus, The Scotsman newspaper reports:

"Once upon a time, even the most precocious little girl was content to
celebrate her birthday with a round of pass the parcel and musical chairs.
But now a manicure and a make-over is being sold as a suitable way for
fashionable five-year-olds to entertain their guests in style. Pamper Partys
is the latest phenomenon to target the pre-teen pound, offering children the
sort of beauty treatments normally reserved for their mothers. The
Glasgow-based company is fast gaining a following among primary schoolgirls
across Scotland, with its promise to style the hair, nails and make-up of
little misses and their party pals in the privacy of their own home - and
provide a Polaroid photograph to record the event. Pamper Partys, run by
teenage entrepreneur and student Ashley McKay, has projected earnings for
the coming year of £1 million - but experts worry that it is offering girls
too much, too young. (...) Dr Kerri McPherson, a lecturer in psychology at
Queen Margaret's University College in Edinburgh... said: "We know
absolutely that over-concern with body image at a very young age is an
important risk factor for eating disorders in later life, and if primary
school children are attaching great importance to the way they look, this
could lead to anorexia or bulimia. To give manicures and make-overs to such
young children promotes to them the fact that our bodies can be changed, to
look more attractive. As they are made aware of this they will look at
strategies for changing their bodies - sadly that might mean losing weight
by going to the toilet to throw up after they eat. She added: "We talk about
intrasexual selection - this is when people compare themselves to people of
their own sex, for example when little girls are trying to attract
boyfriends and start to think about their own attractiveness in relation to
their peers. Parties offering make-overs risk creating a competitive
environment." The criticisms come against a backdrop of growing concern
about pressures on young girls in the UK consumer society. In July last
year, Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, criticised the
"sexualisation" of children, while fashion retailer Next was attacked by
child welfare campaigners when it targeted a T-shirt bearing the slogan "So
many boys, so little time" at girls under six. (...) In March, high street
chain Bhs created a storm of controversy when it emerged it was selling
push-up bras for ten-year-olds and bikini pants for seven-year-olds
embroidered with the slogan "Little Miss Naughty".

Source: http://www.news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1288872003

So much for legal pedophilia. But how does this differ from loving your pet
dog ? Maybe not very much. The NYT reported recently: "As part of the V.I.P.
(Very Important Pet) welcome at the newly renovated [Trianon Palace hotel,
on the edge of Louis XIV's Versailles], a selection of doggie toiletries -
cleansing wipes, doggie shampoo and a tiny flask of a fruity perfume called
"Oh My Dog!" - are included. The products - as well as the beds and shocking
pink water bowls - are on sale at Les Cadors, an upscale dog boutique in the
Marais in the heart of Paris. Dogs can enjoy the washing and grooming of
their fur by specialists, and walks in the formal gardens of the Chateau de
Versailles. A psychologist is available "to help you understand and better
communicate with your dog," according to the hotel's brochure. An "agility
course" in the gardens is offered, although dogs are not invited into the
humans-only spa. (...) The even tonier Crillon Hotel, on the Place de la
Concorde close to the American Embassy, has a Dog de Crillon program that
offers clients a dog tag engraved with the dog's name on one side and the
address of the hotel on the other, a sleeping basket with a softball, a bone
containing fluorides, a bottle of mineral water and biscuits, a menu that
changes daily and the services of a bilingual veterinarian recommended by
the embassy. The hotel chef, Dominique Bouchet, is poised to prepare special
$17 meals for dogs with either chicken or beef. Meanwhile, the Meurice Hotel
allows clients to host dog parties in the Belle Étoile suite on the eighth
floor. The Four Seasons-George V offers a coverlet embroidered with the
dog's name that can be custom-ordered in advance. (...) Still, when it comes
to dogs, Vincent Smarella, the manager of the Bristol Hotel, has seen it
all. One client from Florida arrived with trunks filled with grass sod that
she unrolled onto the terrace so that her four dogs would feel at home.
Another demanded that her dog's drinking water be served at room temperature
in Limoges porcelain with the dog's name on it and that rugs be laid out on
the bathroom floor so the dog wouldn't catch cold. A third required a
messenger dispatched to the airport to retrieve veal liver flown in from the
dog's butcher in Miami. Then there was the woman who dressed herself and her
dog in matching Chanel outfits. But Mr. Smarella said nothing compared to
what he once experienced in a hotel in the United States, where he was
required to organize a doggie birthday party every year for 150 guests. "The
dog would actually sit at the dining table with his owners," he recalled.
Asked whether he ever found such requests ridiculous, Mr. Smarella replied
with appropriate sang-froid. "I don't judge them," he said. Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/06/international/europe/06PARI.html?ex=106965
0000&en=970521032b066ab5&ei=5070

Jurriaan