The Long family live in South Westland in New Zealand. To get to the nearest road they need to walk for two days.
This documentary about them is interesting on at least two levels. There's the family itself and how they manage. And then there's the other level: The attitude of the team filming them.
The parents are presented as mildly batty, and "the cause", whatever that might be, would perhaps be better served by hermits with better teeth. And obviously, the kids are denied a lot of things that their peers would take for granted.
But in my experience, people who have completely whacko upbringings turn out surprisingly normal as long as the parents have been at least moderately well-balanced, while some of the people I know who inject heroin into their veins have had seemingly normal childhoods.
Not many kids, anywhere, have the level of access to almost completely untouched nature that the Long children grow up in. It's degraded landscapes and landfills for almost everybody else. That can't be right.
3 comments:
Hardly "mildly batty" compared to the "batty" I know. As for the teeth, around here it takes a room full of people to get a full set.
Handsome, articulate and seemingly healthy family.
I would far rather live like that man and his family than his fathers.
Thanks for that. It has started my day with hope and optimism.
How on earth the journalist managed to avoid questioning all the stuff everybody else denies their children, such as learning from adults and seeing where their food comes from, is almost mind-boggling.
So few understand the obvious.
looks like a healthier life than alot of kids have,bet the kids live a very happy and fullfilled life,i laughed at his dad saying it wont save the planet his son living like that,missed the point that he himself and his family feel they have to try do something about what we are doing to the planet,good on them,
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