The Kids Aren’t Really Alright

At the risk of mixing metaphors; if you believe the children are our future and that they should lead the way, you’re a fool. Harsh? Perhaps. But this insidious idea that children are our leaders will only make our headlong crash in to the brick wall of cultural suicide even more painful.

The recent shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida were horrific. The impact on those affected or near this shooting cannot be overstated. Losing a friend, losing a child or sibling or even losing someone you casually knew can be soul crushing. For not a single moment should this be forgotten. The reactions of all stripes and the strong opinions that follow from these kids and families should be understood. Should be heard. Should be considered. When all the understandably spirited and emotional debates subside, these people will be dealing with the depths of grief. This is certainly not an easy road.

Yet, in the social media and soundbite society, parents around the United States dressed their kids in protest garb as if they were dressing them in 60’s era regalia for homecoming theme week. Proudly sending their little protestors off to raise their fist and shout down the bad guys. Before you send them to school, be sure you get a picture of your little anarchists to post on Instagram. Be proud as a parent that you can virtue-signal to your family and friends that you’re teaching your children to be some sort of enlightened.

Would little Johnny or Judy have done this on their own?

Consider this terribly unscientific proposition; when, if ever, have you known kids to organize anything on their own? Though times have changed mightily from my youth, and the advent of social media makes organizing stuff easier, social media makes it easy for kids to not get off their duff and connect with others.

From the study ‘Social Media Use and Perceived Social Isolation Among Young Adults in the U.S., the authors suggested, “…increased time spent on social media may displace more-authentic social experiences that might truly decrease social isolation.” Though not specific or conclusive that social media inhibits organizing and gathering, a trend of childhood isolation tendencies doesn’t exactly speak to the awesomeness of en mass and nationwide gatherings either. That is to say, spontaneously.

We do live in a media heavy society and every tragedy is a reason to interrupt cable news programing for breathless reports of events on the scene, whatever scene that may be. The Stoneman Douglas shooting was no different. Since cable news (Fox, CNN et al) are a mix of news and opinion programming, such events tend to take on a life beyond reporting. Cable news runs the risk of being an agenda promoter. Opinion shows are free to do just that, propagate opinions. Breathless reporting and ‘important’ events such as the CNN Townhall on Gun Violence (otherwise know as an ambush on liberty) pretend to be objective while only promoting a single perspective.

I won’t bore with the ‘obvious-but-to-the-most-partisan-liberal’ claims of main stream media (MSM) bias. You know the claims. But CNN went full-on advocacy for only one side of the story; protests. In a post titled ‘Marches, walkouts and sit-ins: Gun control battle heads to the street’, CNN created a virtual guide to #WalkOut activities. Replete with who was organizing and favorable quotes from organizers. Though somewhat promoting an agenda, as it had no other point of view, it was at least reportage of coming events.

Weird thing about how CNN reported the White House listening session in this article. Versus quotes from event organizers, as they did with other the other events reported, CNN opted to quote kids from Stoneman Douglas High. An example from one of the quoted students, “The fact that he (Trump) has organized this just proves that he’s scared of us and that he doesn’t want to have to face us,”

Instead of asking for background from White House Communications folks, as was provided to other event organizers, CNN took the opportunity to bag on the White House and Trump.

How does this factor in to the kids protesting? As with other portions of the above quoted article, it’s adults organizing these things. Generally speaking, it’s not the kids, save for a few of them. The rest are just joining in.

Inasmuch as this all seemed about kids, it was not. It was about agenda at any cost. To a conservative or libertarian, this is not exactly groundbreaking. Kids aren’t going to be walking out of schools if adults determine they should not. Period.

Schools have been a political battlefield for some time now. I think it’s important to note that, as reflective of society in general, most teachers care little about politics. Or, as a teacher close to me rather incisively observed about politics, “It’s all a bunch of crap!” I won’t paint all teachers with a broad of brush of politicization. Nonetheless, teachers are inundated with leftist propaganda from the leviathan of educational institutions.

A few years ago via NPR, study authors Hess and McAvoy discuss politics in the classroom and how to handle these conversations. The authors suggest that schools should be political but not partisan. Unless of course you disagree with them. Though wrapped in the appearance objectivity, author Hess states, “…we suggest that there are some issues that are settled and should be taught as settled and to not do that is being dishonest with young people.” Settled? Need I bother telling you what they think is ‘settled’?

The point being; objective political discussion means leftist perspectives only. If little Judy wants to dissent, Judy can just sit down and shut up.

Which brings us back to the kids. What do adults within the chattering class think of these protesting kids? “Every time you check the news, some elected official or journalist or pundit or reform advocate is publicly marveling at how these teens are a force unlike anything the gun debate has ever before witnessed.” said Michelle Cottle of The Atlantic.

Recall that we should consider and understand the opinions of all stripes from the affected teens and families. I have no doubt that a feeling of being unsafe in school is deep in their psyche and will carry with them for a long time.

Let’s not conflate these very real feelings with the adult observation that these children are a new voice, a new force and if you really want to know, these kids are awesomesauce.

What these kids are is hurting. They’re in need of adults. They’re in need of a parent for guidance. Wherein kids have been told that they ‘changed the debate‘, adults have abdicated to the public at large, the parental role as healer. Not all parents, or even most parents whose kids are dealing with this ordeal are abdicating. Still, not only will these children contend with grief but they’ll now have compounded grief with the harsh reality that things don’t always go your way.

That’s hard enough as an adult.

Where are the adults in all this? As I’d noted, some are abdicating their role to the children. This is a folly. A stone cold mistake. Those Instagram photos and Facebook posts telling the world that you, as a parent, are a social justice rock star, have now just reinforced to your progeny that the way to handle things is to buy a t-shirt, blow off your education for a day and shout stuff. If said shouting is leftist dogma, even more awesomer.

What do you tell your progeny when nothing’s changed? For that matter, that things may not change because of another point of view? And perhaps this other (read: not leftist) point of view has some legitimacy?

Children can’t lead the way. For that matter, with all the skewed media coverage and professional leftist protest organizers, kids didn’t actually lead anyway. They were led. Not by a parent but by someone with a singleminded agenda and little caring about the mental health of these kids or kids in general.

At this moment, as of today, are these children actually the future? Not yet. Parents create their children’s future by the lessons they teach today.

All that to say; has no one ever bothered to read Lord of the Files?