“Cotton-wool kids” culture will destroy entrepreneurialism

by Kate Pritchard - Thursday, 10th July 2008 - - Business comment

Stop mollycoddling kids! Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi, has a rant in The Times today, claiming that obsessive health and safety levels in schools will stifle the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“My greatest fear is our children will grow up expecting to be looked after their whole lives, and expect corporate reasonableness for their entire working life,” he says. “There would be no way we could compete with India and China with that attitude.”

He reckons teachers should expose kids to real-world dangers. Take them canoeing. Go camping. Rub some dirt in their snotty little faces.

“If you don’t learn to protect yourself when you’re young, you may end up in even more danger later on," he says.

Wise words indeed, Mr Woodroffe. But we’re not sure quoting the famous Philip Larkin poem (“They fuck you up, your mum and dad”) to a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears 14 year olds is quite the right way to toughen up the little nippers...

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