Some interesting facts in Wiki's current entry on Indigo Children

[Orrex]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigo_children

Two fascinating tidbits:

In the New Age movement, indigo children are children who are believed to represent a higher state of human evolution. The term itself is a reference to the belief that such children have an indigo-colored aura.<1> Beliefs concerning the exact nature of indigo children vary, with some believing that they have paranormal abilities such as the ability to read minds, and others that they are distinguished from non-indigo children merely by more conventional traits such as increased empathy and creativity.

There is no scientific support for these claims.<2> Similarly, despite frequent claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that these children actually shine with a blue glow when seen under blacklight.

and

They are strong-willed, independent thinkers who prefer to be self-guided rather than directed by others. They tend to think outside of the box, and are often referred to as "system busters". They are naturally drawn to matters concerning metaphysics, spirituality, the paranormal, the occult, and mysteries, while opposing conventional beliefs and unquestioned authority. They are often considered spiritually gifted, due in part to their depth of wisdom and/or level of awareness that is said to be "beyond their years", as well as the extraordinary talents and/or abilities that they allegedly possess, such as "third eye perception".

Indigo children have the power to validate parking anywhere in the continental United States, and they also have the miraculous ability to withstand the fawning New Age gobbledygook heaped on them by over-reaching parents.

also

Indigo Children are protected by a zealous cabal of true believers who go to great lengths to control information available about the alleged phenomenon. Anything seen as off-message or contrary to the accepted dogma is summarily tossed into the memory hole.

Check back often. Some shameless asshole seems to update the entry with new tidbits every now and then...

[Warpy]

1. OK, which one of you shameless assholes is it?

C'mon, you're among friends! Fess up!

[Orrex]

2. Oops. Joke's on the shameless asshole

Apparently the good people at Wiki consider such corrections to be vandalism.

Help! Help! Some shameless asshole is being repressed!

[AZCat]

3. I found this part interesting...

The term indigo children originates from the 1982 book Understanding Your Life Through Color, by Nancy Ann Tappe, a self-styled synesthete and psychic, who claimed to possess the ability to perceive human auras. She wrote that during the mid 1960s she began noticing that many children were being born with indigo auras. Today she estimates that 60% of people age 14 to 25 and 97% of children under ten are "indigo."

(emphasis mine)

97%?! No wonder the kid in the stroller was identified as "indigo" (referencing random indigo thread in GD). It would have been more unusual if he wasn't.

[CanSocDem]

4. If you believe in evolution...

...you would have to believe that mankind is due for a major growth spurt. We haven't got much right in the past few centuries and despite the locally heralded advancements in 'medical science', we are still depriving the human spirit, of the opportunity to grow.

That was the essence of the social revolution of the 60's so I am not surprised that the children of the 60's revolutionaries would have greater insight into the big-ger picture of social growth. Whether or not they have coloured auras I wouldn't know as I can't see them but over the years I have met people who could.....

Their aura's aren't as important as their deeds and time will determine those.

"Hey Teacher....leave those kids alone."

[cosmik debris]

5. growth spurt?

You don't really understand the driving force of evolution, do you?

[CanSocDem]

6. Is english your first language?(eorm)

[TZ]

8. Obviously it's not yours

You ought to not use a term like evolution since you have no clue--Darwin would roll over in his grave:eyes:

[Orrex]

10. My first language is Eorm

[uppityperson]

25. Eorm eorm eorm, eorm eorm! E! O! R! M! Eorm?

Are you an Indigo? he asked Dusk. The boy looked at him shyly and nodded. "I'm an avatar," Dusk said. "I can recognize the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. The next avatar won't come for 100 years." The man seemed impressed.

Eorm. I can recognize earth, wind, water and fire also. Does that mean I'm an avatar also? Eorm?

[Orrex]

26. I can recognize Earth, Wind, and FIre when I hear them on the radio

[Orrex]

27. Noggin/Nick Jr. runs a promo between shows

It features a bunch of middle-America-sounding parents speaking with amazement about the knowledge demonstrated by their young kids. "Mommy--octagon!" recounts one parent. "You know what a slow sounds like?" says another stunned parent.

While it's nice that kids are learning things of course, the promo is framed to give the impression that these parents have no idea where their kids might have learned this stuff, as if the knowledge is alien or without precedent. If my too-young-four-school toddler were to surprise me by telling me what a sloth sounds like, I'd kind of just assume outright that he'd heard it on tv. Wouldn't anyone?

Not the parents of Indigo Children, apparently. The blurb you cite is followed by the revelation that Dusk's cryptic utterance was likely gleaned from the show Avatar: The Last Air-Bender. But instead of chuckling at a child's cute assimilation of a manufactured mythology, the investigator--and certainly the parents--assume some kind of otherworldly enlightment.

Heck, as a tot I could name all of the members of Ultraman's Science Patrol. That doesn't mean I was in touch with a higher plane; it just meant that I liked tv.


Crazy stuff.

[uppityperson]

28. Jr was exceptional.

Knew numbers when was 3 due to watching the little float ball in my coffee pot. Wrote "off" and "on" in a picture when was 4 since saw those on stove controls and figured it out on own. Doesn't mean was on a higher plane, but was very observant and liked puzzles, how things fit together in the world, engineering type analytical mind.

Maybe I'll tell Jr that is an Indigo Child and watch the aura fizz out.

[Orrex]

29. You make a great point

Children are naturally curious and inquisitive; it's a sad commentary on society when kids who exhibit these traits must be explained via some nonsensical New Age gobbledygook.

[cosmik debris]

21. Science is my first language

That's a language in which you are completely illiterate.

[Odin2005]

7. Who let you out of the crazy house?

:rofl:

[Orrex]

9. No doubt you're referring to the pop-culture version of Gould's Punctuated Equilibrium

As reasonable as the theory is, it's been so bastardized that the general public has no idea of how it might actually work and what its implications might be.

The fairytale known as Indigo Children has nothing to do with evolution, punctuated or otherwise. Please don't tell me that you believe in this crap, either; I was trying to have at least a lingering iota of respect for you, but...

[CanSocDem]

12. No, I wasn't.

I was just saying that this world could use some spiritually advanced citizens. One need look no further than this forum for evidence.

"I was trying to have at least a lingering iota of respect for you, but..."

Thy praise or dispraise is to me alike

One doth not stroke me, nor the other strike.

Ben Johnson (1573-1637)

I didn't think I was ever going to be able to use that poem.




:applause:

[Orrex]

14. Well then you make even less sense than I thought

I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, for whatever reason.

And are you suggesting that so-called "Indigo Children" are spiritually advanced citizens? That's just kooky.

[CanSocDem]

16. Actually....

"And are you suggesting that so-called "Indigo Children" are spiritually advanced citizens?"

...I was using your post.

"...They are strong-willed, independent thinkers who prefer to be self-guided rather than directed by others. They tend to think outside of the box, and are often referred to as "system busters". They are naturally drawn to matters concerning metaphysics, spirituality, the paranormal, the occult, and mysteries, while opposing conventional beliefs and unquestioned authority. They are often considered spiritually gifted, due in part to their depth of wisdom and/or level of awareness that is said to be "beyond their years"..."

I find people who look only at the surface of things to be "kooky"...so there ya go.


.

[Orrex]

17. That was a preposterous quote from the original Wiki article

It certainly wasn't my view.


And for the record, I most definitely don't confine myself to the surface of things. For instance, I look at the phenomenon of Indigo Children, and I see parents wildly ill-equipped to deal with their children, so they manufacture all kinds of explanations bordering on full-blown insanity.

If I'd simply looked at the surface, I'd have said "wow. I thought these kids had organic and/or functional behavioral disorders, but I guess it turns out that they're the next step in human evolution, just like their parents say."

That would be kooky.

[CanSocDem]

30. You look at 'indigo children' and see "parents...

...wildly ill-equipped...". Of course, if you looked closer, you would see children.

"Life longing for itself..." if you had read that ditty by Kahil Gibran that I posted for you the last time you were upset with somebody's parents.

Something that has been bothering me lately is your premise that 'children have to be carefully taught lest their minds become polluted with useless information'. That sounds as if you believe that the children are not equipped at birth, to be capable of sound and moral judgment.

The "big" question used to be: Are children born bad and learn to be good OR are they born good and learn to be bad?

..............................................................................


Considering that you're living in an area with one of the highest concentrations of psychics in the USA I can understand your devotion to becoming your own man etc.., cutting the apron strings and all that.

But, be careful that you don't sacrifice human values for trendy socio-political values.

Let your kids spend time with their grandma and friends.



Because you're the least objectionable of those who have engaged me, I'll let you in on a secret that could make your life better.

Here it is:

There is a grid pattern encompassing the globe that modern science can't quite pinpoint or define but can see effects that defy their own principles. There are minor and major lines that intersect at specific points around the globe creating major power areas. You live in one....and that is why you are surrounded by psychics and woo's. Their intuition draws them there, not a map or a scientific formula.

You must feel like one of those "lost boys" from the polygamist communities in the SW.

Those power areas are known for one thing: Source power for your reality (whatever you perceive it to be).

.

[Orrex]

32. I'm having trouble parsing that

Before I even try to respond to your de facto angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin question, why don't you tell me the definitions of "good" and "evil" first? Then we can get around to an answer.

Children most certainly aren't capable of sound moral judgment. If you have evidence to the contrary, I'd love to see it. And spiritual witnessing and personal belief do not qualify as evidence, of course.



Are you talking about ley lines, by the way? There's one in New Castle PA? Are you sure? We can't even get FIOS out here.

[CanSocDem]

46. The question is....

...not,'how many angels can dance on the head of a pin'. Rather, I'm asking.....

...if your kids turn out to be unteachable, are they just BAD SEEDS...????? Can they ever be rehabilitated?? What lengths will you go to ensure they learn the proper values?

Most progressives agree that it takes a village to raise a child. Are you comfortable letting a bunch of scientists raise your children??


"Are you talking about ley lines, by the way? There's one in New Castle PA? Are you sure? We can't even get FIOS out here."

No. Yes.


.

[Beetwasher]

43. Uhh, Wow, You're Full Blown Kooky

"There is a grid pattern encompassing the globe that modern science can't quite pinpoint or define but can see effects that defy their own principles."

And the evidence for this is....Because you say so? :rofl:

Or maybe you're looking at a map w/ a longitudinal/latitudinal grid overlaid and think those lines actually exist? :rofl:

[CanSocDem]

47. But, what if I'm right?

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa071999.htm

"Alternative science investigators suggest that Leedskalnin somehow learned the secret of the 'world grid,' an invisible pattern of energy lines surrounding the Earth which concentrates points of telluric power where they intersect. It was here, at one of these intersections of Earth energy, that he was supposedly able to move his prodigious stone blocks using the unseen power of our planet." Yet that still does no explain how Leedskalnin was able to tap this power, and others cannot."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amXsPcD7g5g


And while I'm at it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqnEGu8VF8Y&feature=rela...

More evidence that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.




.

[Beetwasher]

48. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! "Alternative Science Investigators.." ROFL!!!!!!!!!!

A link from Paranormal About.com?????????? :rofl:

Like I said, full blown kook.

What if you're right? Well, you're not. What if you're just a kook? (and you apparently are).

[TZ]

49. and what if the moon is made of green cheese.

Cause there's probably just as much evidence for both.....

[dropkickpa]

22. Oooo, stroke it, stroke it!

[Orrex]

23. That is so hot.

[lizerdbits]

13. Is this the 'next stage of evolution' bullshit?

I have created my own reality with 'ignore' so I'm just guessing. So what selective pressure have we been under in the last several decades that has resulted in said indigos? Lots of pot smoking? :rofl:

[mr blur]

15. I ignore it too, but I guess it's more drivel

[EvolveOrConvolve]

11. Evolution and "the human spirit" have nothing to do with one another

One is the biological process of genetic changes in a population over time (to be overly simplistic) and the other is an unsubstantiated myth.

Evolution, as such, doesn't have "major growth spurt{s}". Try http://www.talkorigins.org for some great information.

[csziggy]

18. I could see some justification that we are in a period of stress on the Earth's ecosystem

With factors favoring increasing mutations (increased solar radiation from reduction of the ozone, chemicals, overcrowding, increased distribution of viruses and other biological agents, increased mixing of populations previously somewhat isolated by geography and social pressures for humans and reduction of living areas for other species) that could lead to changes in species.

But I doubt any human culture will last long enough to be able to recognize the changes as they happen.

[Orrex]

19. Heck, a good percentage of US culture doesn't acknowledge the changes that happened already

Irreducible complexity and all that...

[csziggy]

20. Yeah they'd rather make shit up - like indigo children and crap like that n/t

[Silent3]

24. "due for a major growth spurt"?

Due?

Evolution does not work on a schedule like product releases or the new Fall Fashion Line-Up. Evolution responds to current conditions, it doesn't plan ahead. There is only one way evolutionary adaptation happens: individuals with maladaptive traits fail to reproduce in survivable numbers compared to other individuals better adapted to the current environment, typically by dying off before getting a chance to reproduce.

There is no evolutionary mechanism for intelligently anticipating the future needs of a species and then preemptively modifying the genetic code of newborns to match those anticipated needs.

Unless of course by simply imagining evolution works that way we make it work that way... that would fit in line with your take on medicine, after all. Imagine the Indigo Kiddies and they shall come! :eyes:

[Random_Australian]

31. Ha! You use this word 'evolution' - I do not think it means what you think it means.

Evolution:
1) Genes are passed down the generations
2) The characteristics of an organism affect its chances of survival
3) Genes probabalistically affect the characteristics of an organism.

That be evolution.

So, I'm curious: In which part of that does something have to have a 'growth spurt' based on social factors? Since when does social growth have to do with evolution?

[Goblinmonger]

33. But Indigo Children could be the....solution?

We're playing the rhyming game, right, Inigo?

[TZ]

34. Inconceivable!

:hi:
I love me some Princess Bride references!

[Random_Australian]

44. Ah, they're one step back from that: I've just had my sigline quoted at me in one form or another so

many times it's become part of my lingo; I've never seen princess bride.

[TZ]

45. oh man

You MUST see that movie. Freaking brilliant it is....

[JitterbugPerfume]

35. they call them Indigo

I call them insufferable brats

[Tuesday Afternoon]

36. Does that mean that 97% of children are insufferable brats?

If 97% are considered to be Indigo and you consider Indigos to be insufferable brats then it would follow that you consider 97% of kids to be insufferable brats, right? :crazy:

[uriel1972]

37. I do, but that's because I remember my childhood and

the children around me as I grew up.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

38. bwahahahahahahahha

dude!! of course ;)

[dropkickpa]

39. Yes

I speak as a parent and and 97% of children are insufferable brats. Mine included. Goes with being a kid. If they're not a brat, there's something wrong with them.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

41. true

carry on.

[moggie]

40. It's more a matter of insufferable adults

It's not the kids' fault they're labelled Indigo, and in many cases they're probably as unobjectionable as kids ever are. They just have the misfortune to have fantasy-prone airheads for parents.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

42. maybe so.

carry on.