For one reason or another, a speech delivered by President Barack Obama has once again outraged the Republican Party.
As Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer put it, he didn’t want Obama to spread his “socialist ideology” to the youth of America.
That does sound a little crazy to me, but on second glance, Greer does have a point. Should we be exposing our impressionable children to the world of politics at such a young age?
People definitely hyped up Obama’s televised speech to students on Tuesday much more than necessary. I mean, the way parents were making their children stay home so they wouldn’t be able to see it, you’d think he was reading an excerpt from the “Communist Manifesto” or something.
But he didn’t.
What was made out to be some huge, life-altering speech turned out to be nothing more than a well-meaning pep talk to children on continuing their education.
Had he started to talk about health care reform, something they wouldn’t have even been able to fully understand, then I would have been on the Republican side of the argument.
I remember I was amazed at how bad the American health care system was when I first saw Michael Moore’s documentary “Sicko.” I had never really looked into politics, and since this was the first discussion I’d heard on the subject, it stuck in my head for a really long time.
I thought to myself, “Why can’t our system be like the one in France? Or even the one in Cuba?” I now realize the entire subject is much more complex than meets the eye.
And after seeing both sides of the debate, I feel like there’s barely anything wrong with our health care system at all. But what if I had watched Moore’s “completely unbiased” documentary when I was 10 years old? It would have taken me a lot longer, if not forever, to leave the beliefs I’d been taught to uphold even if I found fault in them.
But what do I think about Obama’s speech to the students? I thought it was great. The things he said can’t really be opposed. He talked about topics that all parties can enjoy. The responsibility we have to ourselves. How you may never know what you’re good at until you’re given a random project in school at which you can excel.
By telling students that he knows how they feel to be nervous in a new environment, he allows them to feel comfortable and safe, igniting a little spark that will one day light their way to a happy future.
I appreciate the dream for a better life that Obama is instilling into these kids’ minds, and hopefully one day they’ll transcend that idea into life on their own terms. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Reach Brian at brian.p.anderson@asu.edu.
