You've got to be carefully taught

[trof]

Watching PBS this afternoon.
A celebration of the hit Broadway musicals.
South Pacific is one of the all time greats.
Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein were rich enough, or brave enough, or both, to be able to put this song into their production.

Given the state of our current politics, it seems appropriate to think about the lyrics today.

Hate and fear. Now who could THAT be?

You've got to be taught to hate and fear
You've got to be taught from year to year
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught

You've got to be taught before it's too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught
You've got to be carefully taught

[NMDemDist2]

1. yes that songs runs thru my mind now and again

good men, both

[DrBB]

2. Yeah, only I think this song is actually wrong

Not to obnoxiously weigh in negatively right off the bat, but this song has always been a pet peeve of mine.

I think it's actually the other way around. Left to their own devices, groups of kids--especially adolescents--are vicious little tribalists desperately trying to reassure themselves of their own normality by excluding anyone odd, nerdy, or otherwise different. I can think of at least two specific occasions in my own life that were absolutely transformative for me: both were occasions during my youth when I'd given voice to some unthinking prejudice as a way of signaling my adherence to the group rule of this kind of tribalism, and was brought up short for it--for which I'm eternally grateful.

I was never one of the kewl kids, but that kind of mentality is a pervasive given in youth culture if it isn't actively discouraged.

It's TOLERANCE that has to be carefully taught. In the absence of such teaching you get gay kids committing suicide and schools where bullying runs wild.

[trof]

3. I don't like "tolerance".

I would prefer acceptance.
To me, "tolerance" says "I don't like this at all, but I won't make a fuss about it.
I cannot accept it, but I will tolerate it."

I grew up in Birmingham in the bad ol' days when "tolerance" was preached.
"Tolerance" doesn't hack it. It might keep folks from getting killed, but it's not the ultimate answer.

Acceptance says "You have just as much right to your politics/beliefs/lifestyle/whatever as I do. Your ideas are valid, even though I might not agree with them."

Put a bunch of two year olds on a playground and they play. They don't choose up sides based on ethnicity.

[Karenina]

4. DrBB, I think you've missed a fine point

"BEFORE" you are 6 or 7 or 8... Toddlers and kids under 5 or so, simply PLAY with whoever wants to engage.

[KittyWampus]

5. Please Provide Some Empirical Evidence To Back Up Your Assertion

"that kind of mentality is a pervasive given in youth culture if it isn't actively discouraged."

I studied some traditional cultures in Africa & America where kids got along well.

The kids who torture other kids have been taught to act that way... that it's acceptable and/or desirable behavior.

I don't recall any stories about childhood behavior of kids brought up in a total vacuum of parental involvement.

[Disturbed]

6. A beautiful song.

I heard it yesterday. ;)

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. I love this song....

Great musical altogether.