In Modern America (sic) we see a society, and particularly its educated elite, lacking the will to impose constraints on the behavior of adolescents. The wisdom of the ages teaches otherwise. Children, adolescents, and adults all need constraints of various kinds — guardrails, in the words of a famous Wall Street Journal editorial. Everyone likes to have a good time, but most people come to recognize that happiness and satisfaction come not so much from the enjoyment of pleasure as from the performance of duty. A life without constraints is not a dream but a nightmare.
Michael Barone