The uproar over the school speech, was meant to divide children against each other

[G_j]

IMHO.

[Brickbat]

1. I think any division was made pretty obvious in the weeks before the election last year. At least,

it certainly was made obvious to my kids.

[omega minimo]

4. This brings it into their turf, their territory and identifies "who's who" at school.

[Brickbat]

9. What does, the speech hoopla?

"Who's who" was identified last October -- at least, as I say, at my kids' school.

[omega minimo]

10. Not by a BS controversy, used as an excuse to challenge school authorities and keep students home

not to mention the big FUCK YOU to our president.

Taking sides in the campaign is normal. Taking sides against a sitting president and manipulating schoolchildren to do so is unprecedented.

[FLDCVADem]

5. At my son's school as well

They had to shut down all discussion of the Presidential election because it became so contentious and personal, on both sides.

[omega minimo]

2. Yup.

"Who wants to be the Brownshirt Team?"

[G_j]

3. with kids staying home to either opt out of seeing the speech,

or staying home to watch it because the school. opted out of showing it, lines are drawn and the children are segregated into distinct groups. i find that to be the most disturbing aspect of this whole thing.

[SIMPLYB1980]

6. Don't people form cliques naturally?

Kids and adults find ways to do that all the time. I think that the speech was designed to get the kids that could be inspired to do something with their life, and to maybe get those kids that don't have much hope to take a different look at their situations and see how they can make their lives better.

[G_j]

18. not what the speech was designed to do,

but what the outrage was designed to do (in part)

is what the OP referred to

[SIMPLYB1980]

19. Yeah I see what you are saying.

I believe you are correct, but I also think that most kids that are pro or anti Obama don't like each other much to begin with. I remember when I was in school. Most of the smart, artful, creative kids were in one clique and the macho, conceited, fundies were in the other. Then you had the kids that could float between those two groups. Lastly you had the emo kids or the people we called "loners" at the time who hated all the other groups equally.

[G_j]

20. that tendency is precisely why

making a huge stink about the Obama speech exasperates divisions.

[Hannah Bell]

7. Which is why I think presidents shouldn't make speeches directed

specifically at "all schoolchildren."

[xultar]

8. Nope. It was never about the children. It was about racist white peope not wanting

a black man to talk to their children from a position of power. They didn't want the children to identify with, like, or be persuaded by a popular black president.

[omega minimo]

12. Why are you disagreeing when you're making the OP's point?

Number 1, it's not Either/Or.

Second, it serves to indoctrinate the children, as you both point out.

It's Repuke hatred and hypocrisy, which includes bigotry. Look at the big picture.

[xultar]

14. Repubicans only care about fetuses once the thing is out and breathing they don't want

to feed it,
insure it,
care for it,
inoculate it,
shelter it,

nothing.

If Obama was going to give a speech to old people in nursing homes they'd bitch about that too. What I'm saying is that
it is just cause Obama is an intelligent, articulate, handsome, black man speaking unopposed, that is what they have an issue with. A black man in power scares them more than they are afraid to admit so their actions speak for them.

They don't want any black man to speak to an audience they don't have access too @ the same time.

Saxby Chambliss and his shit proves that. They want Obama on his knees beggin massa for some time to shuck and jive.

[Raschel]

15. That's exactly what it was about.

My grandchild's district did NOT air the speech. I was so looking forward to him hearing a speech from THE FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

I was so excited when Pres. Obama was elected. I wished that my Black children could have had the opportunity to see a Black family in the White House, to see children who looked like them, but here I had hope for my grandchildren.

My grandson would have been able to sit in class with his peers, and listen to Pres. Obama. It definitely was a moment that would have been an equalizer. A very important moment.

But racists were able to take that moment away. The bastards.

[G_j]

21. I agree

pure racism

[Obamanaut]

11. It was devised to make a whole bunch of anti Obama-ists look like

chumps.

Announce ahead of time that there will be a presentation to the school kids.

Heads begin to spin. The anti groups begin to protest, fume, and sputter.

When there is enough fuming, sputtering, and protesting then make the presentation. It is a nice presentation along the line of "stay in school, grow up, study, make something of yourselves."

Next time the fumers, protesters, and sputterers will do their activities to a lesser degree because this time wasn't so bad. And if the insist on those fumings etc they will look like chumps.

That's what I think.

[Javaman]

13. Oh for the love of pete.

:banghead:

[barbiegeek]

16. I'm voting them All OFF the School Board

next time for not showing the speech. Get out and Run against these bastards!

[Odin2005]

17. Thr kids are victims of their neurotic parents.