The behavior displayed by the crowd in the video above brought me to tears. And people wonder why it’s so easy to taint the immigration debate with accusations of xenophobia. Why it’s so easy to assume many Obama haters are racists. No, it isn’t fair -- but it’s what happens, because of people who react to a bilingual man asking a question in Spanish, to another bilingual man in this disgusting manner.
Now I hate it when you call a place and they tell you to push 2 for English. That should be push two for Spanish dammit. English is our language, officially or no. I understand people wanting to be able to understand what the Bishop was saying -- of course I do. But to heckle him? To chant ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH… wow. Just wow.
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This morning I specifically requested that Isabella be allowed to watch the Presidential address at school today. At her school they were leaving it up to the teachers. Her teacher said that she’d try to find out what time it was on and have the kids watch it. I’ll find out at the end of the day if she did, and if not, we’ll watch it when she gets home.
I find the people that have caused such an uproar about this to be completely irrational and stupid. There is not one -- NOT ONE -- logical reason behind not wanting The President of The United States -- one of the most shining examples of how a good education can catapult you beyond your wildest dreams -- to encourage our kids to do well in school. If it had been Bush, I would have still wanted her to listen, without a doubt. If it was McCain, same deal.
The White House released a copy of his prepared remarks and you can view it here. Nothing about healthcare or politics. No subliminal messages about becoming a part of his socialist army. Nothing except encouragement and good words that should and could come from any side of the political arena.
I posted this on Facebook: “If you are so stupid that you will (or would) not let your child attend school Tuesday because of the President’s address to our children about working hard and staying in school, kindly delete me from your friend’s list. No need to debate, or explain your opinion -- just go far, far away. Because you are an idiot. And I’m not being close minded -- I’m being intolerant of idiocy.”
And in a comment, Dawn made a great point: “The whole “you don’t have to listen to the authority figure b/c mommy and daddy disagree” may come back to bite them … with every teacher, administrator … etc.”
How true is that?
Sasha, who is a teacher, said: “I totally agree! We say the pledge everyday at my school. how damn UNAMERICAN not to let your kid listen to the president of the United States address them about education.”
Remember the people throwing a fit because Obama didn’t put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance a while back? Same people that are pulling their children out of school to avoid this speech. Hypocritical, eh?
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Listening to: Rufus Wainwright -- Hallelujah
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That video disgusts me.
I grew up in California where it’s normal to hear people speak in both Spanish and English. I just cannot imagine heckling and booing someone for wanting to speak in his native language. That type of behavior is just NOT okay in any way shape or form. No wonder it brought you to tears. Geez.
This is so upsetting I can’t even formulate a coherent thought in response. There are forces, people and organizations, working against the President – not because his policies and views are wrong – but because he is the President and they don’t WANT him to be President. Because of who he is. Not because he goals are wrong. Not because his vision of the future is faulty. No. But because they got spanked in the last election and now they are the party in opposition. And the new god of politics is Karl rove and his playbook.
September 8, 2009 at 9:58 am
No, not too sensitive.
As a person who does not speak a language other than English, I admire those who can. It is a higher level of intelligence to have the ability to speak two or more languages.
The outrage the right (and a few left) has fostered is enraging, and as you said, completely unAmerican. I HATE when people intimate that if you disagree, you are unAmerican. That’s completely false. When you foster dissension thinking against your President, THAT is unAmerican.
i have been obsessing about the stupidity of the american people for days now. on facebook. on twitter. on my blog.
i am disgusted by my school district for even making this an option.
i am disturbed on so many levels.
and i am thinking of taking my kids out of school at noon, just to make sure that they hear our president speak of something he knows so much about…EDUCATION!!
I heard a woman on the radio this morning whose voice was literally quivering with fury about the fact that schools were going to air the president’s speech. She said she would rather pull her child out and sit in the car with her than let her listen to the president because “I didn’t vote for him.”
It disappoints me to see parents, of all people, encouraging an attitude of disrespect in their children. Disagreement is one thing, disrespect another. I have a feeling many of these kids whose parents are doing this will have no problem disrespecting all kinds of authority in the future, and their clueless parents will wring their hands, helplessly wondering why.
I wish I was as brave as you to ask my Facebook followers to delete me if they are pulling their kids today. I live in the south (I am a NY transplant) and I would easily lose all of my friends… except for my Dad and my crazy Aunt. This whole thing makes me want to cry.
I could honestly care less. I don’t vote ’cause I don’t care. It’s just one more moron fucking up our country in one way or another. My son is in kindergarten so I doubt he’ll be watching it. And even if they did, he wouldn’t know what hell was going on, so why should it matter.
September 8, 2009 at 10:31 am
“The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.”
– Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu
WOW! Even if you don’t agree with Obama he is not trying to impose any sort of politics in that speech, I agree it is just ignorance to keep your children out Today!
After reading the speech, I didn’t really see anything worth causing an uproar about (and you know I didn’t vote for him). But I do have an issue with my sister’s high school saying that if they didn’t watch the speech, they would get an assignment. Punishing the kids whose parents aren’t letting them watch it isn’t very fair.
Damn it, I’m ashamed that this happened in CT where I live…I have much more to say on this issue but can’t even put it into words right now.
I’m jealous, as a Canadian, that you have this fabulous man as a president who WANTS to encourage children to push themselves in school, and in their own endeavors. It’s AWESOME! and I wish our PM did something similar. Someone like Obama reading that speech, knowing his background-it means something, because he’s been there.
Since when is inspirational a bad thing, regardless of the political party?
And we’re all french/english everything. It can be annoying, but the world doesn’t end. Not sure why everyone has a shit about english/spanish. At least a relatively large % of the country speaks it.
Not too sensitive. Not one bit.
I don’t get the whole uproar. It’s just a bunch of narrow minded idiocy. I had someone explain to me that their kid didn’t want to see it because in an early version of this presentation (I think it was in Ohio) the whole thing closed with a bunch of actors saying “I pledge allegiance to Obama.” Well, I watched that early version and it did say that but, I NEVER got the sense that he was asking people to pledge themselves to him before our country or our God. I think it was a poor choice of words to show support for Obama’s message and nothing more. People need to get over it and, if they have a problem with it or more specifically what they think it might say, watch the speech and discuss it with your children when they get home. That is good parenting. My kids know I haven’t been happy with a few things Obama has done as president but they are watching the speech because he IS the president and it is important to know what is going on.
I really couldn’t finish listening to this. It just made me want to vomit.
What kills me is that the MAIN thing this stupid country has going for it is the wonderful cultural diversity and the fact that we’ve had brilliant and hardworking people come here to live better lives and make things better as well as the native peoples who lived here originally (without whom, our English speakers would have perished), and more brilliance and incredibly hard work from those who didn’t want to be here in the first place and were dragged here.
We wouldn’t be a country today without everyone. And that includes a mix of languages and opinions.
I. am. so. sick. of the haters.
Good FB message.
My teen was home sick today. He had no idea if the speech was being aired at his school or not. We watched it together.
It was nothing more than what his father and I have been telling him since he started school. How could I have any objection to that? Why would I not want my child to hear a speech from the President, regardless of my own political leaning… it was the PRESIDENT!!
September 9, 2009 at 4:01 am
Yes, THANK YOU, Tara R. Since I read the speech, and started hearing about the parents pulling their kids out of school so they wouldn’t witness it? I’ve been completely fucking confused, because, like…isn’t this the message PARENTS should be telling their kids in the first place? I’m sorry, if a big, famous dood like the President wants to do it, too, all the power to him. Whatever it takes to keep her off the pole.
I am shocked by the video. I suppose given the current climate in this country I shouldn’t be but I am. I just don’t understand the level of intolerance in the U.S. at all. When we are on the brink of what could be a shining moment in history people are clouding that with demonstrations of ignorance.
And the speech? He is the President of the US providing an encouraging message to children. I remember writing a letter to the President, in class, it was an assignment – was that wrong? He answered all of us. And let us not forget that Bush addressed students and his speech was about his political agenda.
Seriously? This country has a lot of work to do.
I thought the speech was awesome and focuses on personal responsibility which you’d think the Republicans would love. Not only do I hope my nine year old watches it, but I will have him read it when he gets home tonight and we’ll talk about it.
I disagreed with most of the decisions and ideologies of the Bush administration but I always upheld the idea that the leader of our country deserves a certain respect even if Ioppose their policies. In part, because even if you did not vote for them, they were democratically elected(which we could argue was not the case with Bush, term 1).
I understand people being concerned if they disagree with the policies of the current administration but why not do the research and check the facts before you fly off the handle and threaten to pull your kid out of school.
When Bush would address the nation, my husband and I frequently used it as an opportunity to explain the political process to our kids, how things work and how a great number of people disagree about what they want for the country. I really think so many of us want the same things and unfortunately, the zealots on both sides are the only ones who get talked about. Now the zealots have their place too, but I think it’s important for people to realize there is probably not as much disparity between us as the pundits would have us believe.
I read the speech, I loved the speech and with today’s generation, and every generation in general, I do not think they can hear that they are worthy, capable and responsible for the path of their lives, too many times. Thanks Maria for linking this.
Wish I could say that ignorance and hatred were endangered in America. But clearly, they’re not. I can imagine that kind of behavior in my area. Crowd dynamics are strange and often ugly. One-on-one, most of those people would likely be ashamed to admit their hatred, especially to the Bishop himself. But in a crowd, these morons are emboldened. Am surprised how calmly the Rep was able to get them back on track, yet disappointed he didn’t acknowledge that their behavior was totally unacceptable.
I didn’t even bother to find out if my kids school would be watching the Presindent or not. In a situation like this it doesn’t matter who it is. He is still the President. If he happends to say something I don’t agree with then we’ll talk about it. To do otherwise is to degrade the office in my childrens eyes.
Teenagers told not to view it will certainly view it. They will see that he didn’t have an agenda other than talking straight to them.
Heck of a job, Hatriots! Another “political” mission not accomplished!
Where I live Spanish is really the first language and English second. That angers me from time to time, I admit it. I hate walking into a store and having the clerks ignore me because I can’t speak Spanish. I find that sort of behavior rude as hell.
Having said that, why on earth would anyone give anyone else a hard time for speaking in a language that comes more naturally to them? My irritation is personal and private and if I bothered to get off my ass and learn Spanish, would be greatly reduced.
As for the uproar about the speech… I’m honestly so sick of talking about it by this point. The man is the legally and democratically elected president of our country. Anyone who refused to allow their children to watch him because they didn’t vote for him is doing nothing but spitting in the face of democracy. As for the comments about indoctrination… please. I mean, seriously, pleease. When did emphasizing the importance of education become synonymous with indoctrination?
I found comments on Facebook today ranging from idiotic remarks about how since the author lives 190 miles from Cuba they don’t approve of indoctrination. To which I replied, “if you are comparing our president’s discussion of personal responsibility to the Cuban Dictatorial regime you either know nothing about dictatorships or Obama. I suggest you educate yourself before making idiotic replies.”
Another one that drove me nuts was a person who decided to sound off on how it is not unAmerican to drop out of school since her father did it and was a successful man. *eye roll* Really? Grasping at straws much?
I’m sick to death of the hatred of the man being disguised as political opposition. At least when I complained about Bush I separated my disapproval of his policies from my opinion of his limited intelligence.
I fucking hate people.
That is all.
Well, wait – I hate STUPID people.
:)
I wonder what certain people would think of me, a quad-lingual white girl? If I just busted out in a foreign language?
Dawn makes a great point. I totally agree with you re: his speech. People are strange, that’s for sure.
Apparently most of those folks’ first language is Stupidity.
As for the Obama speech, even if he is indoctrinating our children with his Socialist message of setting goals and working hard in school, can’t educators find a way to make it a learning experience. What ever happen to discussion and encouraging “deep thinking” with students?
I posted a very similar post this morning….
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