I remember reading Reds (not associated with the Warren Beatty film) and then seeing Good Night and Good Luck a few years ago, and being amazed that so many seemingly intelligent people could be convinced there was a vast Communist conspiracy that was seizing the American government. I got that same feeling of astonishment when I saw this story about parents in Texas not wanting their children to hear President Obama: ” President Obama’s plan to deliver a speech to public school students on Tuesday has set off a revolt among conservative parents, who have accused the president of trying to indoctrinate their children with socialist ideas and are asking school officials to excuse the children from listening. The uproar over the speech, in which Mr. Obama intends to urge students to work hard and stay in school, has been particularly acute in Texas, where several major school districts, under pressure from parents, have laid plans to let children opt out of lending the president an ear.”
God forbid the young’uns hear the President encourage them to stay in school. Clearly, there must be some socialist message underlying all of that (probably also with a dash of secret Muslim stuff). I bet that when he says “work hard” it’s actually code for “bring down civilization — and maybe egg your parents car while you’re at it!” One father was quoted as saying, “The thing that concerned me most about it was it seemed like a direct channel from the president of the United States into the classroom, to my child. I don’t want our schools turned over to some socialist movement” I thought that was disheartening enough, until I kept reading and found even more straightforward idiocy masquerading as concern for children.
Mark Steyn, a Canadian author and political commentator, speaking on the Rush Limbaugh show on Wednesday, accused Mr. Obama of trying to create a cult of personality, comparing him to Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader. . . . And Chris Stigall, a Kansas City talk show host, said, “I wouldn’t let my next-door neighbor talk to my kid alone; I’m sure as hell not letting Barack Obama talk to him alone.”
Usually I can at least try to muster up something to say here, either an attempt at cleverness or an indignant screech of WTF. But this just makes me more sad than it does angry. Steyn has no qualms about comparing the President to condemned dictators, while Stigall paints him as some kind of predator. Clearly, some people are coming unglued because of the fact that President Obama doesn’t stand for — or look like — what they think America is supposed to be. And they’re passing it on to their kids, or at least trying to. This may be born of desperation and fear, but that doesn’t make it any less insidious.
Ugh, that’s depressing. As if people who have different political viewpoints from your own are not worth treating respectfully and listening to?
Although these people would probably know, they seem to be so keen not to venture anywhere near the edge of their comfort zones that they’ve probably never tried it.
I call racism.
In the past, when our President has been a white guy, people would say that they didn’t respect Clinton or Reagan or whomever, but that it was important to show respect for the Office of the President.
Where is that now? Completely trumped by fear and hatred of brown peoples, I think.
@bellacoker: Yes. Racism. And fear. Like I said, they don’t like what the Commander in Chief looks like. So f’ing depressing that this is what our country still grapples with. Post-racial my arse.
I took the day off and just spent two hours going back and forth in comments with someone on Facebook about this. Exhausting. I don’t know why I bother because she is just someone from my high school class, but another h.s. friend and I were chatting about the school address and the other woman chimed in to say something about swearing oaths on bibles and why is he celebrating Muslim holidays blah blah blah.
The conversation then jumped over to HER status, where she said if there is no prayer in school there should be no address from Obama. Naturally I had to argue with her and we (and a group of her conservative friends) went round and round. I asked what they are so afraid of. They are afraid of “what he stands for and his beliefs and plans for the country.” I ask them to stop using unclear language and explain exactly what they mean. They just can’t.
They did tell me to watch Fox News to find out what Obama’s going to do to the education system and I invited them to forward me language from a bill but I would not be watching some fear-monger on Fox to get my political information. They then said the country is moving away from its Christian roots and what the forefathers intended. It just never ends. I was being bombarded with this utter nonsense and tried my best to refute these claims and get them to tell me plainly what they are so afraid of. Eventually one woman called me a bitch so I said “have a nice weekend everyone” and that was that. I am gobsmacked right now.
I was trying to believe the best about people by not thinking it was racism, but I suppose you are probably right. Every time I watch Glenn Beck (because I am a political masochist), I despair about the racist undertones, and I suppose many people are worse…
SarahMC, yes. Exhausting. Honestly, I could have made this post angrier, but I just feel so depressed, too depressed to rant and rave.
Do we care what a CANADIAN with his socialist healthcare thinks of Obama’s “agenda”.
Oh, right… because he’s White, too.
I must say –and this may come out wrong because I’m SO PISSED!– but I am encouraged to see more and more White people/non-Black people acknowledging the blatant racism that I’ve been seeing for YEARS. It really helps “the cause” if non-Blacks are the ones pointing the fingers at their own, ’cause when we do it, it’s called whining.
Proof that we students can be exposed to differing ideas and still come out unscathed: I was forced, in college, to read the above mentioned Mark Steyn’s book America Alone. I still to this day remain a liberal. If I can handle that, surely the kids of America can handle hearing from the president that they should stay in school.
@ceejee: That did not come out wrong at all. The fact is that there are so many people, of all walks of life and backgrounds, who are outraged by this and I don’t want to lose sight of that, and thanks for pointing it out.
Yeah, no worries, ceejee. It’s infuriating and illogical and insupportable. And probably doubly so for those, like you, who have been calling it out long before Obama came on the scene.
Hate leads to anger. Anger leads to fear. Fear leads to ignorance.
These people are what used to be called “the simple folk”; they like their world the way it is, and see any attempt to change it, even for the better, as anathema. They believe in hard work, self-sufficiency, and Christian values, but are not above hypocrisy. And they are irrationally frightened, frightened by the thought that their impressionable children will here things that will lead them to question what their parents have said all their lives.
Sadly, they are legion right now. Those of us who believe in true liberty, equality, and unity, however, are slowly starting to overtake them in numbers. They day will come when they will be a patriarchal anachronism. For now, we must continue to fight them at every turn, and break their grip on American society.
Ok, in the interest of fairness, from the NYT: In 1991, then-President George Bush, a Republican, made a similar nationally broadcast speech from a Washington high school, urging students to study hard, avoid drugs and to ignore peers “who think it’s not cool to be smart.” Democrats in Congress accused him of using taxpayer money — $27,000 to produce the broadcast — for “paid political advertising.”
But since we’re the only ones who attempt to practice fairness these days, I’ll add that that critique is a far, far sight from the hate-filled paranoic ravings of the right these days.
This has nothing to do with the classroom and everything to do with the right being enraged about being out of power. And being kicked out by a black man is, insult to injury in their eyes. (Well, in mine too, but I think it’s great!) There is literally nothing Obama can do or say that will meet with the approval of the wingnuts. I don’t like a lot of what Obama has done or not done up to this point, but it’s still early days. Regardless, he is the man we need, and his being in office is a great and glorious thing for this country.
So my point is, the wingnuts can just suck it. Although, if you look at pictures of Rush with that huge cigar in his face, you have to think that perhaps they already are.
In my Facebook fracas I observed that when former presidents have addressed schoolchildren during previous administrations there was no public outcry (only some protests among the opposing party’s leaders), but they were white so their “propaganda” was not as scary.
Well she did not like that. She and her friends laughed and swore up and down no racism. And as I mentioned, I asked them to explain some of the dog whistles and the fear they expressed. They cannot explain it because it does not come from a rational place. It is racism but as long as they don’t use bigoted slurs they think they are flying under the radar.
If these people were at ALL rational they would take the president’s visit as an opportunity to talk to their kids about how their (the parents) beliefs differ from Obama’s. Open a dialogue with your kids outside of just “I hate that Obama guy! Socialist! Muslim!” Not that I WANT their racist views spread but I would rather argue with someone who understands the issues than someone who can only parrot Fox News.
It’s just like how the smart parents used the sex-ed class at school to open up a dialogue with their kids and the scaredy-pants-closed-minded ones just signed the opt-out form.
Hey–this was on my local news last night! Lubbock ISD has chosen to not view the speech in classrooms and is encouraging parents and students to watch President Obama’s address at home, should they so choose.
Every dissenting parent interviewed–white as Mrs. Baird’s.
Thanks to our local voters and the TABC, however, I’ll be able to buy packaged alcohol in town within a few days! This should make watching local news more fun. Every time I hear “family values” or “socialism” or “ObamaCare” or “Nazi,” I’ll take a drink…
Someone on my street has the greatest bumper sticker: “If only closed minds came with closed mouths.”
I like what John Scalzi said:
“Second, anyone who thinks that school children would watch this upcoming speech with anything more than dutiful, glassy-eyed boredom has forgotten what it’s like to be a schoolkid being forced by adults to do things for incomprehensible reasons. I would be no more concerned about Obama indoctrinating kids with a televised speech aimed at them than I was when Bush did the same thing when he was in office; the kids will find it equally lame regardless of who is president.”
(You may also be interested in the study he links to as the first item in the post.)
IMO, racism is the ONLY explanation for the insanity. That we (and educators!) will allow this ignorance to sway the decision making… I am trying to keep my jaw off the floor and I think my head might pop off!
My son’s school has chosen to show the speech with an opt out for parents, similar to family life or Halloween events “that are not recognized or celebrated by all families” I’m offended that the school is allowing children to sit in another room and do homework while the President of the United States is speaking about education. If as a parent you don’t want your child to hear the speech, keep them home.
He’s OUR president… there’s nothing to believe or not believe about that.
what really pisses me off is that they’re right – the speech IS propaganda – but not in the way they think. It’s just more giving a platitudinous feel-good speechy-speech in order to make it seem like he cares. It’s a cover-up for his despicable horror of an education policy. Let’s not look behind the curtain! Let’s just get mad at the curtain itself! ugh.
Sarah MC – he IS ruining our education system. It’s basically NCLB on steroids. It is getting NO attention in the mainstream press – but I’ve been following it since he appointed corporate lackey Arne Duncan.
But I’m shocked Fox would report it – you’d think they’d be super happy by a corporate buyout of our schools! The right don’t appreciate what a friend they have in Obama!
Try this for starters, there have also been reports on truthdig over the past year:
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/outsource-it-privatize-it-la-school-reform-age-obama
if only he WERE a socialist. They obviously don’t know what the word means. So fricking pathetic.
Uh oh, Madaha. Is that what they were talking about? Why would conservatives be angry about that (because Fox told them to be)? Let me look into it. Ugh.
actually, thinking about it, they’re probably talking about something else, like, science in schools??
I dunno, I don’t watch Fox, but again, I’m sure they’re mad for all the wrong reasons.
argh! it is sooo frustrating! Instead of fighting about what we need to fight about, we end up fighting about specters and shadows – like that fight where someone got their finger bitten off – fighting over something that doesn’t exist: the public option!
*gallows laughter*
I have to ask, though: wouldn’t we be seeing the same insanity if Hillary had won? It wouldn’t be racist but it would be sexist and loaded with Clinton conspiracy theories and God knows what else.
I’m not at all discounting the idea that the motivation of the right-wing behavior is racism. I’m just suggesting that after 8 years of having their pumps primed by King George and his evil minions, these people truly believe that they have no duty to compromise and that they are the only thing standing between their fictitious vision of “my country” and hell itself. It wouldn’t have mattered who it was, they were going to resist with all their foaming-at-the-mouth, one-idea-is-more-insane-than-the-next might.
They don’t begin to deserve democracy.
No matter what, they’d have considered a Democrat in the White House illegitimate. They have racism and sexism in their arsenal. Obama won so racism is what they’re going with.
(So much for my html coding.) This shit is nothing but racism.
Overheard recently: a Republican so fed up with Obama-etc he’s threatening to move to Canada. Which is not socialist at all.
Right, SarahMC, that’s exactly what I’m saying. They may be fitting the arrow to the particular bow that was presented to them, but there was no one on this earth from the Democratic party who would have been immune from some arrow or other. They simply don’t acknowledge that the other side is part of “my country”.
Poor Canada. I suggest Venezuela. Or Iran. They’d feel right at home with those governments.
I’ve never heard of this Mark Steyn guy (I’m Canadian). Wiki says he lives in New Hampshire now. Maybe he didn’t like our “socialist” ways, haha.
I read that article and wow, especially that last quote. You don’t let your neighbour talk to your kid alone? Wow. Do you try to control everyone your kid talks to? What if he makes friends with someone with liberal parents? Oh no!
I’m wondering if these same parents, worried about indoctrination, helped move the coke and pepsi machines into the cafeteria? or the t.v’s that run commercials into the classroom? yeah, it’s all about protecting the children.
I did get an email from father.of.a.lesser.god that kind of sums everything up for me: “I just spent an hour jumping from “news” channel to news channel, and I want to puke. All I hear about is objections to Obama’s planned address to school kids, and the country’s drift into socialism. They wouldn’t know socialism if it bit them in the ass. I used to think that people were fundamentally rational. The events of this month have changed all that.”
@mischief: Re: the Bush 41 kerfluffle in 1991, I think (to me) the big difference is that nobody accused him of actually bringing down the country. Nobody was comparing him to a dictator or a predator. At least, that’s my take on it. As for Hillary, I think you’re right that there would be a similar hysteria. But I don’t think it would be at the same level.
@muchell: Color me completely unsurprised that all the dissenting parents were white.
@SOALG: Precisely. We complained about partisanship. They’re screaming about brainwashing, socialism, manipulation of children, blah blah blah. It’s way, way out of proportion. But that’s what they do-wait for Obama to do or say anything at all, then craft their overreaction. I can only hope that the crying wolf syndrome will catch up to them.
There was an article in the paper this morning about which schools plan to show the broadcast live and which will show it later or not at all. As one might expect, the richer, whiter districts are delaying or refusing to show it, whereas the city schools and the middle-working class and/or more black districts will show it live.
One district will be showing it live and then doing an essay about what they saw and what they think about it. Imagine that-education in a school! But of course, the right believes in critical thinking, only without the thinking part.
Just as they feared, the Obama era has ushered in a time of White slavery… slaves of their own fears and ignorance.
This is particularly ridiculous from my perspective, because I’m someone who is against this sort of thing–but for the same reason I’m against the pledge of allegiance: I’m deeply opposed to the way that states have always used schooling to foment nationalism and normalize hierarchy. Whereas most of the people who are opposed to this are all for more pro-America teaching in school. They’re pretending this is a procedural, politically liberal critique (“anti-indoctrination”), but it’s really substantive, and on top of that, they can’t even articulate what the substance is that they disapprove of. Arrgh.
That’s why he should deliver this thing wearing a Ten Commandment t-shirt. Then these wingnut parents will look like assholes because hey, their kids could have learned the Ten Commandments.
I don’t even have any words for this. Except that yes, its blatantly racist. Also I have also been told by conservatives, when I expressed a lack of fear for the future of our country, that I should watch Fox News. They are so intellectually narrow.
I agree that it is government propaganda, just like EVERYTHING ELSE our children hear in their GOVERNMENT RUN public schools. I agree that the corporate presence in public schools is far more shocking and objectionable.
Send the kids or don’t send them…either way, they will find out what was said…with the media and people talking, it will get out…