Middle schoolers refuse to pose with Paul Ryan during photo op (deaths, education)
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You know the politicians I can't stand and I would do the same.
But it's apparent that not everyone had parents who raised them to be gracious, courteous and respectful regardless of personal feelings and political views.
Even my late 20-somethings were appalled by this type of behavior, but I'm not surprised. Given the choice between exhibiting class and being an *****, they always choose the former.
I guess I see a difference between refusing to take part in a photo op and refusing to take part in a conversation. In my mind, the photo opp is something you can politely refuse. It is not substantive. If my child refused to listen to what Mr. Ryan had to say, listen respectfully, and really consider his position I would have a problem with said child's behavior. If my child politely declined to take a photo, I would not.
Perhaps I'm just cynical, but there are so many times when politicians of both stripes show up simply to take a photo and then skip out on the part where they are supposed to listen to their constituents. I see the photo as nothing more than a political stunt.
I guess I see a difference between refusing to take part in a photo op and refusing to take part in a conversation. In my mind, the photo opp is something you can politely refuse. It is not substantive. If my child refused to listen to what Mr. Ryan had to say, listen respectfully, and really consider his position I would have a problem with said child's behavior. If my child politely declined to take a photo, I would not.
Perhaps I'm just cynical, but there are so many times when politicians of both stripes show up simply to take a photo and then skip out on the part where they are supposed to listen to their constituents. I see the photo as nothing more than a political stunt.
I live in NJ and went through the NJ public school system, not far from the middle school mentioned in the article. I don't know what kind of pathetic, jacked up schools are in the rest of the country, but here in NJ, you graduate the 8th grade having all of the following terms in your vocabulary:
-Bicameral Congress
-Speaker of the House
-President pro tempore
-Electoral College
-Term limit
-Filibuster
-Veto
-Lame Duck
-Supreme Court
Most kids don't understand the difference between the Senate and the House? In the middle schools here, you learn how elections and the Electoral College work starting in the 6th grade; you learn how a bill becomes a law; who your state Reps and Senators are, and what congressional district you live in.
You are deluded if you think teachers and parents are telling their kids which party or reps to pledge allegiance to. During the 1988 election, as part of a 6th grade Civics project, we designed political bumper stickers with slogans for our candidate of choice. The teachers chose the top 3 bumper stickers to win a prize. Two of the winning slogans were for Bush. I still remember one of them: DUKAKIS IS MUSH, SO VOTE FOR BUSH. Liberal NJ public school teachers gave that one a gold star. I guess they forgot their indoctrination agenda that day.
The purpose of these units in Civics are to get kids engaged, not to brain wash them. As for the parents planning this, instructing their kids what to do so this would go viral? Give me a break. They didn't learn about the photo op until the night before. And do you seriously think the parents wanted this to go viral, with every comments section and forums like this, with a bunch of people calling their kids (whose full names appear in the articles) STUPID LITTLE BRATS, as well as condemning their parenting? You people seriously need to dial it down a notch or five. Eighth graders have definite opinions on politics and social issues. At that age, the important thing is that they are engaged at all, and not apathetic. Yeah, those views will evolve with age and life experience. So what? Let them grow into their beliefs. Nurture in them, the will to give a damn at all. They "shouldn't" care about politics? Why?
When I was 14, I wrote a rousing anti-abortion essay. My stance on abortion has since flipped. But back then, I was vehemently anti-abortion. Why? Where did I get those beliefs from? I don't remember, but it sure as hell was not from my apolitical parents or my "liberal NJ school indoctrination". And that essay, by the way, was also awarded a prize by liberal indoctrinating NJ public school teachers. They even made me read it aloud during an assembly. The take away from that exercise was not the abortion issue, but knowing how to research a topic and write a persuasive speech.
Also, how is refusing to pose for a picture with Paul Ryan being disrespectful? Or showing HATRED? It's a way to peacefully protest and make a statement of polite resistance. Some of you are in absolute hysterics. Did they throw a shoe at him? Did they make some kind of outrageous statement like 'Paul Ryan doesn't care about black people'? Were they chanting LOCK HIM UP or 'LYIN RYAN? All they did was decline to take a picture.
I guess I see a difference between refusing to take part in a photo op and refusing to take part in a conversation. In my mind, the photo opp is something you can politely refuse. It is not substantive. If my child refused to listen to what Mr. Ryan had to say, listen respectfully, and really consider his position I would have a problem with said child's behavior. If my child politely declined to take a photo, I would not.
Perhaps I'm just cynical, but there are so many times when politicians of both stripes show up simply to take a photo and then skip out on the part where they are supposed to listen to their constituents. I see the photo as nothing more than a political stunt.
Very seldom do we agree on things, my neighbor to the north, but that's okay - I respect you anyway. And I'd never refuse to have a photo taken with you.
You can be as cynical as you like, and I happen to agree with you about the photo op b.s., but the role of the parent is to guide their children to be decent human beings. Not to enable bad behavior, not to allow them to thumb their noses at authority, or to disrespect others.
Colleges are filled with young people who were raised the way these kids are being raised. They're the same ones crying hysterically and disrupting the speakers they disagree with, or piling on professors and speaking to them like they're peers that they're fed up with.
I'm sorry - that's not something I'd want to contribute to.
Lol...I thought of your silly post today as my fellow employee and I worked with a group of teens today to choose which summer programs they wanted. Top of the list was 3D printing and second was robotics. It's a diverse, intelligent group. Just for the hell of it I asked who Hillary's vice-presidential candidate was. After a couple checked their smartphones they got the right answer. Then I asked who Trump's VP and all I got was blank looks...then they started complaining I sounded like a history teacher.
I suspect in one week I work with more teens than you'll ever know in your life. Do some like politics? I'm sure they do. Do they have the measure of life's wisdom to turn their backs on Paul Ryan? That's all their parent's prejudices, and you just sound ignorant when you pretend otherwise.
You suspect wrong. I work with teens several times per week in my volunteer/mentoring endeavors. You have your experiences, I have mine.
Gee at that age I was more concerned with other things.... obviously I missed out on a manipulation technique to get what I wanted....spouting my parents political beliefs and they would have got it for me.
Me, too. At that age, I was more concerned about what time the ice cream truck would be on my street.
Me, too. At that age, I was more concerned about what time the ice cream truck would be on my street.
At 13/14? No interest in politics or society? Perhaps you were a bit less mentally developed than your age group then.
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