Folks, I need to add some thoughts to the article I posted Saturday about why I believe that President Obama’s speech to school children is a good thing. I also want readers that don’t understand why so many people are concerned about the President’s speech to understand the concerns. The concerns are understandable; I just don’t think they are a big deal here.
As I wrote Saturday, this President is loved and respected by many American children that need to hear positive words about education. Our society is desperate for positive role models for children, and whether you like or dislike President Obama, you have to concede that a man that has achieved the U.S. Presidency, along with a Harvard law degree, is a man with accomplishments. I want him to use those accomplishments to inspire children to learn.
As for the President’s agenda and how it relates to our children; the President wants his healthcare reforms passed. He is not going to ruin his signature issue by saying something to our children that will cause us to vote away his Democratic majority in Congress. He is well aware of the damage he has already caused his party this summer and he is not anxious to continue that mess.
If he does not understand the damage he has caused to the health care issue and his party, please allow me to reframe the problem for him – He has a majority in Congress and should be able to pass anything he wants. And his opponents have the anger and support of the nation needed to throw the members of Congress out of office over the next few election cycles and reverse everything President Obama does, including reforming health care.
There is no Manchurian Candidate thing going on with the President’s speech to school children. Your children are not going to go marching off to some socialist training camp after listening to President Obama’s speech. They are not going to be reporting on your anti-healthcare activities to some secret Obama police force, and if he tries to convince them to help promote his healthcare plan then all you need to do is rationally explain to your children why you disagree with the plan. The very worst ideas this President can put into your children’s heads you can quickly undo with a brief discussion. Just bear in mind that the best he can do is inspire your children toward hard work and accomplishments.
There has been a lot of concern over two specific items related to this speech; the lesson plan that the Department of Education prepared to accompany the President’s speech, and the possibility that the speech would include the Hollywood stars “I Pledge Video.”
Children were going to be asked to think about how they can help this President:
“Teachers can extend learning by having students write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.”
(Note that the lesson plan has been changed to be more innocent).
I understand why the above original lesson plan seems innocent to Obama supporters, and why this same lesson plan threatens his opponents. I write this because I urge you to attempt to see both sides of this issue. If the concerns of opponents don’t jump out at you then switch your view and imagine what you would have thought if it was George W. Bush making this speech before the start of the school year in 2003. Now what do you think? On the other hand, if you are one of those concerned about this lesson plan, view it from the perspective of someone that does not have ideological differences with the President.
Yes, I know Reagan and Bush Sr. gave similar speeches. Ancient history.
Now, go to the Hollywood stars pledge video here: This video is mostly a nice effort in which a bunch of Hollywood folks pledge to actually do good things. Nothing wrong with most of the stuff here until the end (3:56) where a woman, I think Demi Moore, (I don’t know for sure because I am very out of touch with pop-culture) pledges to be “A servant to our President.” Again, if you don’t see why this upsets people, change scenarios and view this as if these folks pledged to be a servant to President Bush. If you do have concerns, try to see this video as though it was the first time you saw it and as if it ends at 3:55, no promise of servitude to the President. Instead of this crazy servant pledge you have a video of celebrities encouraging others to do a variety of good things, some more liberal, some middle of the road, much of it acceptable to liberal and conservative views.
The combination of the lesson plan and the video can be innocent, and it can be of great concern, depending entirely on your political viewpoint.
I don’t believe the reason the original lesson plan was created was to advance some conspiracy to bring our kids to Socialism. Instead, I see another example of this administration’s incompetence and the President followers’ belief in his near deity-like powers. This is the same incompetence that allowed health care reform to blow up, Cash for Clunkers to be a management disaster, and the economic stimulus package to become a pork laden bill that legislators used to buy votes for their next reelection.
Does this President have any top advisors that are critical of his views, people that would have warned him about any of the issues his opponents have raised? Do any of his top advisors have critical thinkers on their staffs? Does anybody remember all the criticisms, many justified, of how George W. Bush surrounded himself with “Yes” men? When do we start to hear the same for Obama?
I don’t believe the video with the Hollywood stars was some socialist conspiracy any more than the lesson plans were a socialist conspiracy. Hollywood stars are famous for a lot of reasons, but intelligence is not one of those reasons. I have no doubt that these folks are clueless as to the significance, unconstitutionality, and utter silliness of a pledge to be a servant to the President of the United States. They see in Obama a person with star powers, which is what they admire, and so they support him. If your children are strongly influenced by this crowd then you have bigger issues to contend with than a video of some ditz pledging allegiance to a president.
Finally, I wrote that one of my children’s schools is not going to show the speech and that I think that is the correct decision for my school. This statement seems to have caused some chagrin. So let me be very clear. The decision as to whether kids see this speech should be up to the parents and the school administration, not part of a national debate. Many parents and school administrators see opportunity in the President’s speech. They should be able to have their children view this speech.
The children in my kid’s school get plenty of guidance about the value of education; that is proven by our test scores. Showing the speech during school will take away valuable classroom time. That is what this group of kids needs most, not words from President Obama. Further, due to the political makeup of this school district, very few kids in the area are among those that will value what this President has to say to them. Therefore, these kids will get little if any value from watching this speech.
The speech will be available through a variety of outlets for later viewing for any parents that want their children to see it. That decision is for the parents and our school administrators and teachers. Other parents and schools have the right to make their own decision
So the ultimate point here is that if you are concerned about the affect of this speech on children other than your own, stop. Mind Your Own Damn Business. Let parents and schools decide whether their children listen, or do not to listen to the President. That is their business and only theirs. If you are bothered because your children will see the speech, talk to them. If you’re upset that your kids won’t see the speech at school, have them watch it at another time; with you. That is family values.
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I understand your logic regarding the President’s address and the Hollywood players video: what if another President had presented it, do the Hollywood participants present an antagonistic point of view. I applaud your evenhanded approach. However, a vocal minority should not be able to block an initiative that holds value for the greater good. There needs to be compromise on both sides.
What if the argument were not about a healthcare plan; but integration of a Little Rock school? Should parents and local values prevail in support of segregation overrule the President’s message that integration should be the rule of the day?
In healthcare, even major corporations are coming to the view that healthcare reform is desperately needed. Whether it’s to increase public access or to increase industrial competitiveness, the status quo must be changed.
Gregg,
Great comment. But please note, I do not oppose his speaking. I want parents and schools to be able to decide how to utilize this opportunity.
Bottom line, if parents are so concerned about the content of the speech, which I doubt is the real reason the oppose, then maybe they should take the time to go sit in the classroom and watch with their students. I’m positive that there is a very small percentage of parents who actually spend ANY time at their kids’ schools without being summoned by a parent/teach meeting or disciplinary action. That very simple action will achieve a few things:
1. they are right there with the kids, and able to answer any questions they may have
2. they send a message to their kids and the teachers that they are actively involved in their kids’ education/well-being
3. they will actually hear the content for themselves, which they otherwise won’t and will continue to live in ignorance and speak about something they don’t know anything about.
I believe the bulk of the problem at this point lies a little more in Obamas performance and idea’s.
1. I believe Obama won this presidency only because the republican candidate was a bad choice, not because republicans though that highly of Obama.
2. He attended a church known to preach racism and hatred for 20 years.
3. Obama has started a ‘path’ to socialism by buying into so many facets of american businesses. (intentionally or not) and is pushing social medicine as hard as anyone has in prior history.
4. He selected a candidate for our supreme court that made a very ignorant statement.
5. He displayed very bad judgment in handling a highly racial event in which he himself may have shown some racial overtone.
6. He selected a man known to carry communistic values as one of his czars.
7. Although this has nothing to do with Obama, the I pledge video has contributed very negative connotations.
I’m not claiming to speak factual truth in any of this. However it’s indicative that’s it all taken hold by the fact that his approval rating has plummeted further, and faster than any other president in history. The republican politicians will of course jump on anything they see to berate him, the people however are also seeing the jist of this and I’m certain that right now they actually see him as a threat to this country. I can completely understand the fear that many have, adding to the list that the classroom outline contained verbage referring to helping Obama (viewed as in, helping his agenda). However I believe with the release of his speech a day prior to his actually talking to the schools, should calm the more intelligent people down.
I expect to see Obama’s picture 50 feet high on the side of government buildings soon. I don’t think it is about brain washing my kids but rather part of the growing Obama cult of personality.
I am not going to give him unfiltered access to my kids.
I do not oppose change, change is good when done in the appropriate manner. The problem most of us have is the fact that the president is to serve us not us serve him. If you have any belief system in place you should already be doing the things that these stars are pledging to do and we should never allow our children to pledge support to ANY one man. Yes I am a Christian and I pledge to be a follower of Jesus Christ for life and follow the change that He has told us to do. Not what any government tells me to do. Change is good but do it right and don’t make my children pledge to you. The change has to be in us first and foremost before we can make any change to our world. All change without Christ in the center will be change that will be undone by the world.
The problem is that both sides will find ways to defend their agendas no matter what the issue. You enter this issue with a slant toward Obama and then work from that as your starting and ending point, as well as everything in the middle.
Please tell me how you can defend a speech that you haven’t even read? You’re telling me it’s innocuous and it will be good for my 6 year old to hear this speech, and yet you don’t even know what will be said. Would that be called ‘slanted’? Given the short track history of this administration and their appointments, I do not trust anything that they say will be in this speech. 20 minutes to say “Stay in School”???
My main problem is that he has a captive impressionable audience that will not have a choice in watching his speech. That is truly cowardly and taking advantage. He could play this on any network that is in his back pocket at 8:00 PM and we could choose to let our children watch. What would be the problem there?
And speaking of scary, go to YouTube and search ‘Pledge to Obama’, and watch a video that was shown in some schools. THAT is what you should be scared of.
I’ve just read the speech that Obama will be giving tomorrow. I find nothing (personally or politically) offensive. In fact, the only thing I believe anyone could be offended by would be atheists who will object to his ending, of which he references God.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/
I applaud your attempt at writing an unbiased article of this very explosive issue. But I believe that people, including yourself, have underestimated his abilities to create a cult-like following. If we all remember the following he garnered during his campaign. People were ignorantly following him eventhough there wasn’t much known about him. And the rhetoric and inferences to a more socialistic country in his speeches and in the way he allowed himself to be promoted (i.e., the Hollywood video and the “Obama kids” video” showing children who you know cannot fully understand the meaning of what they are singing). I believe this is what concerns parents. I tend to agree with you that it is probably harmless. But the lack of communication and promote his own ideas effectively – and that always gives people an uneasiness, whether Republican or Democrat.
For technical reasons having to do with my computer being made of stone knives and bearskins, I can’t watch the clip in which maybe-Demi-Moore pledges to be “a servant to our President.” But if it’s at the end — if it’s the last thing echoing in the viewer’s freshly-washed brain — then it’s an example of something that looks innocuous as a written transcript but can have deep, subtle, and lasting effects on the viewer.
A LOT of money and talent have gone into refining the art of motivational manipulation. Madison Avenue buys its caviar with the proceeds of this art. The President is no dummy, his taste in pastors and czars notwithstanding. Very little of the content of interpersonal communication — approximately 7%, according to a study I read about 20 years ago — is in the words themselves. Body language, cadence, inflection, all have more unconscious effect on the listener/wiewer than the bare words of a written transcript would show.
It is important to point out that in “ancient history” similar speeches have been made by presidents to put into context the paranoia about Obama. You point out that we should imagine how we’d feel in the other side’s shoes. This is as close to direct evidence as you can get. REALLY, how dare he want to tell our students to stay in school! Were we worried that Regan’s face would end up on the side of a building? How about all the allegiance we were told we owed to GWB because we were a country at war? It shows bias against Obama, personally, because he’s not going to the schools to pitch healthcare or anything else that could be considered socialist.
I am saddened by a vocal minority who are up in arms because the President wants to given our children a message to stay in school and try hard. Our school district in Texas chose not to show the President’s speech, and I found myself trying to explain to my 13 yr old why other people in the national got to see the speach by the President, but she couldn’t. If the schools were to note that it was due to a lack of time in the curriculum, then I’d support that. (Assuming we also had a lack of time for the football rallies during school hours.) But, this came down to people being afraid of the President. I’m not sure what drives such fear, but it’s so strong that people don’t want the President around their children. Reagan was equally popular, but I’m sure no one would have tried to stop him giving a positive message to students even though there were many who disagreed with his policies. Bush I gave a speach – and I don’t remember people fearing him. The far right minority has really become a hateful institution and is driving insanity. I’d like my children to be able to hear a speach from an influencial and successful individual. Unfortunately, a few vocal individual have made enough hateful noise around the President that they’ve chosen fear over inspiration, and politics over education. They are a sad bunch.
the only Mr. President is trying to do is to encourage the kids to staying in school and getting up with more education.