So, this Obama speech-to-the-little-ones thing...
This crap irritates me. Seriously. As if there aren't more legitimate things to protest against... Oh no! It's a political figure who wants to make a speech to our children! Holy crap, let it not be so, because we can't have it! Oh, the poison! Come on. Are you mad? I really don't care what your political stance is. Protesting this speech is just ridiculous. Let the man speak, I say. To not allow it would be a tremendous disservice to our youth.
For so long, we have pushed the youth of this country to a higher par than what we as children were held to. Education standards are higher. The rate at which we press our children to become mentally and emotionally mature is greater. We desire for them to be well-informed of their community, of their governing bodies, and of the world at large, so that they are better equipped to be successful and positive contributors to the world and the people they will one day affect. They are made to feel like a part of the process that is society, to be aware of and to feel empathy for the struggles of humanity. And in doing so, our youth have come through to show that they get it. Tender ages are making a difference in all parts of our country and all across the world.
But, they are able to do this because they are connected! They are exposed to the information they need to guide them. They are given insights and the freedom to respond to those insights with their own words and actions. Take away the connectivity, and our children lose their hand in the world, and that all-important feeling of being a part of it.
And you can argue all you want, that keeping the youth from hearing the President's words is not disconnecting them from the world, or the country and their involvement as a whole. Let me ask this of you: Can you complete a puzzle with pieces missing? We want our children to have a broad, comprehensive view of our world. Yet, we want to feed them a narrow band of information? No. Screw that. No one learns from only certain pieces of a situation. They must be aware of ALL of the pieces. This speech? Well, whether or not you agree with President Obama, his speech represents an opportunity to fill in needed pieces.
If parents have a problem with what President Obama represents, then they would better serve their children by letting them hear what he has to say, then discussing with them their own views, their own values in life and society, and how President Obama's views either work with or against those views. They should help their children to make informed, well-rounded decisions about which side of the fence they should stand on. So yes, let them hear what the President has to say. And... whoa! What a crazy idea, but maybe the parents should listen to the speech, too, so they will know what their children have heard, and will be better prepared to talk with their children about it! Jeez, what a left-field thought!
Want something better to speak out against? How about fashion designers who think it's cool to market provocative clothing in pre-teen sizes? Or, how about boy-cotting Hanna Montana after her spectacular stripper-pole-dance!FAIL at this year's Kid's Choice Awards Show? Or, how about petitioning to ban the color magenta from Crayola crayon boxes?