Perhaps Miss Douglas was texting her boyfriend or applying lip gloss when the topic of the legality of threatening the President of the United States was brought up in her history or civics classes? Hell, I never paid attention in sophomore typing class because the guy that sat behind me had unbelievable blue eyes. Perhaps I got a little off topic, but Miss Douglas did not learn this behavior or mentality from her Ohio public school education that we all Americans helped pay for.
This behavior and mindset was taught by, more than likely, the girl's parents. I am not saying its completely their fault or doing. It could also be some deer-hunting, camo-wearing, misled boyfriend or a group of uneducated friends. Peer pressure sucks -- we were all teenagers once. You know, I thought Dubya was an arrogant dumbass, but I would have never dreamed of hurting him. SOMEONE is teaching Miss Douglas that kind of hate. And her hash tag adds fuel to the fire. But that little Tweet has gotten both the teenager and her parents into hot water. As expected, the Secret Service and FBI are both investigating.
And honestly, what makes President Obama so polarizing? I mean, his ideas aren't that radical. If you did real research you would know he wasn't a Muslim (which would be fine if he were) or a socialist (a practice we currently use in this country via public schools, the postal service, fire & law enforcement etc...) So, what is it? And I hate playing the race card, but that seems to be the only thing I can come up with. But many don't want to admit they are racists. However, they pass this hatred down or onto others, especially their children, who in turn Tweet illegally without any thought to their words or actions.
My friend, Eleni, points out that kids in public schools are taught to pass standardized tests, but not to think critically. I also believe that MANY children aren't raised to think for themselves. I grew up with parents constantly telling me I CANNOT and SHOULD NOT think like them. People in this country would be better off if they had the ability to decide on their own what they believe in and not what their parents, elders, or uninformed influences tell them to believe. I mean, I knew a guy who was in his mid-20's and it took me explaining my parents "think for yourself" mentality that made him actually realize he COULD believe something else.
I know there are a lot of things broken in our public education system. And I am more than happy to voice my opinion about it because my money pays for it. I do not have kids, but if you do, I probably helped educate them. That being said, some people just cannot learn by reading books. My boyfriend is incredibly intelligent and he is one of those people. I didn't want to (or care to) read a book unless it told a good story. I remember being startled in one of my freshman college classes when a professor actually asked me what I thought of a topic we were discussing. I mean, I could not believe he actually cared what I thought after being told to shut up thousands of times in K-12th grade.
There are no solid answers or explanations as to what drives extreme hatred in a 16-year-old mind. School shootings come to mind. They are senseless. I mean, when I was 16, I hated the girl who made fun of my acne, but I never even joked about trying to kill her. It just wasn't in my mind's capacity to ever consider taking the life of another human being. And it still isn't. And maybe Miss Douglas was just angry she didn't make the volleyball team and was letting off steam. But what did President Obama do to her that was so terrible? My guess would be nothing.
I am aware parenting is not easy and I am also NOT saying don't raise your children in a Republican/Democrat, conservative/progressive household. Teach them the positive, loving values of those beliefs. But also give them the freedom to study and look beyond those teachings. Because no matter what, you aren't born with that level of hatred. It is a learned behavior. And who wants a 16-year-old child with that amount of irresponsible and uneducated venom in their heart and mind?
No comments:
Post a Comment