One important facet of anti-bias education is teaching children about bullying. In anti-bullying lessons, students are taught to identify bullies, targets, bystanders, and allies. Kids are encouraged to be allies who stand up to bullies and aid the target. It's a nice idea, but look around at the grown-ups you see in the world, both the famous and the unknown, and how many allies do you see? Most of us are bystanders. It is easier than engaging in the conflict, and sometimes, the bullying can be good entertainment.
Take the presidential campaign, for example. Hillary and Barack are taking turns being both bully and target. The constant cries of "You called me a name," and the volleys of "Did not!" and "Did so!" tear both of them down, just as a playground bully secures negative reputations for both himself and his victim.
McCain is not engaging in this behavior, but he isn't denouncing it either. This makes him a bystander. He's like the group of popular girls on the periphery, applying lip gloss and laughing at the spectacle. To his credit, he did fire the staffer who released an incendiary remix of Wright's and Obama's speeches, but that is a far cry from standing up and saying to Hillary and Barack, "I don't like want you're doing and I want you to stop." I can't blame him, really. If the Dems want to tear each other down before the general election, that just means he won't have to.
My five-year-old charge rides the bus with a bully. For the first semester of school, he reported daily that "Ricky was mean," or "Ricky called me a hymocrip (hypocrite)," which has apparently become the worst insult in his kindergarten class. This semester, he's stopped complaining. I discovered recently that my charge has become the John McCain of Bus 2. Ricky is the Hillary and another friend is the Barack, constantly on the defensive. We had a long talk today about sticking up for your friends and challenging bullies. Then we got in the car and the "He said, she said" campaign drama unfolded on NPR.
When the people vying to run our nation behave like petulant children, how can we expect actual children to be bigger people?
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"Take the presidential campaign, for example. Hillary and Barack are taking turns being both bully and target."
Sure, that's the result. But this is the inevitable when you have a 24-hour national media that ignores the issues-- that won't let a 3rd party candidate into the debate, they've made up their mind so much. A media that poses questions like, "did you actually say this?" and "what are the implications of what she said?", and a struggling campaign that has had success in putting issues like NAFTA under the radar and bringing out racial tensions.
Honestly I'm not surprised. What does inspire me is that Obama defends himself. My knowledge of his campaign may be a simple one, but I haven't seen much to provoke a change in my thinking of his character.
SORRY FOR THE RANT. dug the post
"If the Dems want to tear each other down before the general election, that just means he won't have to."
Rush Limbaugh calls it a soap opera. Here's my personal perspective:
http://www.progressiveu.org/190445-nasty-campaign-rhetoric-some-history-...
Sustainably yers, http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/green-underbelly
Completely agreed.
And again, driving today, which is when I listen to the radio, it was more of the same! Now Hillary's saying the Wright debacle has made her the undeniable frontrunner. I'm so over it. I wish the Democrats would stop eating their own.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
Im a democrat, though I used to be an imperialist dog according to a friend. These hate campaigns are turning my stomach, though. Mostly because its making the Republicans look like theyre more stable.
it seems that as long as our society is as jacked up as it is, things are n't going to get better like they should, because no one is holding the candidates accountable. it's sad. hopefully someone will get elected to prove me wrong.
The media does play a huge part in the presidential elections. If you ask me, they basically decide. Obama stands up for himself, but sometimes he just makes me sick. Hillary also stands up for herself and gets called a cold hearted well you know. Mudslinging has always been a issue in campaign and it's human nature to defend yourself when something gets said about you that isn't true. I must say McCain did a lot of mudslinging early in his run. The majority of the republicans were attacking Hillary like crazy and their platform was who could best defeat her in the election. And he sure will be doing some more of it when the November election roles arounds.
And given some of the recent behaviour of people on this site, it doesn't much seem like we're going to be growing up any time soon, does it?
There's a difference between mudslinging and issue dissection. I've seen mostly the latter at ProU.
Every organism's heartbeat holds a universe of beauty at http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/green-underbelly
It's true, but given the time of her response, I think she's referring to a specific blog that was very much a whiny, borderline personal attack on two people. And if she's reading my blogs, many of the comments have become less than constructive of late. Not all, but a fair smattering.
. It happens.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
"Even you, yesterday you had to ask me where it was at"
-Bob Dylan
Every organism's heartbeat holds a universe of beauty at http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/green-underbelly
I am so horribly ill of seeing Barack and Hilary nonstop. The media is obsessed with this soap opera. (I absolutely love Rush Limbaugh, green underbelly) Back and forth over the dumbest things really. Of course the Republicans hate Hilary, thats just a fact. We hate Hilary. Ever since this Obama vs. Clinton feud has gone on, why not take a backseat? If I was running I'd let these two dog it out untill they're exhausted of it and one drops out.
Thanks for weighing in from the other side of the aisle!
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
It seems that as a general rule, the democratic party has difficulty putting up a unified front. i guess with so many different interest groups, like the environmentalists and the universal healthcare-ers then that's bound to be a problem.
Is spanking making a comeback in the thinking of our educational establishment?
I do hope so! That would do more for the quality of education and the order and safety of our schools then anything that has been thought of in the last three decades.