DanielDec 29, 2022

Useful term I discovered this week: “toxic mimicry”. It’s the pattern of substituting systems/organisations/services that look superficially like they fill a core societal need but in fact act to take up the space that a genuine system would fill, and only provide virtual nutrition.

Examples:
- 6pm TV news mimics public discourse
- Malls mimic public spaces
- Daycare mimics collective child rearing

I like the term as it suggests something predatory and insidious.

Show threadDaniel Howard 🌻Dec 29, 2022
@dznz Family Daycare facilitates collective child rearing, in my experience, though the real advertised purpose is to let parents earn an income, so I don't see that as misleading.
Show threadjosie 🏳️‍⚧️
@dannyman @dznz i think Family Daycare is systematically different from Corporate Daycare, even when it involves similar fee structures.
Dec 29, 2022 at 11:51pmWeb
Show threadDanielDec 29, 2022
@jeauxsie @dannyman this highlights my ignorance in this area, really. Serve me right for using an example I’m not deeply familiar with 😅
Show threadDaniel Howard 🌻Dec 30, 2022

@jeauxsie @dznz

As a parent who has used family-based and business daycares I gotta say it really depends. The best daycare providers of any flavor make an effort to get families together, and it really helps.

And for families that NEED childcare ... well, we NEED this community building, too. <3