ABSTRACT
It’s important to underscore, though, that the testing regime of the last decade has also trashed the counter-cultural traditions of middle class youth. Even the elite secondary school is no longer understood to provide a space/time for exploration, creativity or dissent. In fact there are practically no places for kids to cultivate creative marginality or healthy adolescent rebelliousness. Many middle class kids have precious little time to play, even on weekends. There are no supervised recreation programs, no regular dances, no theatre groups, nothing. So the emotional intensities are achieved through kids’ fleeting interactions in packs and occasional sexual encounters (though, as always, privacy is at a premium). Those who choose to act young and keep playing-instead of keeping their heads down-are coded as fuck-ups. The very idea of youth has become suspect.
