Hating Obama
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
My third-grade grand-nephew was sitting on the couch with me and asked, “Uncle Ted, why do the kids at school say they hate Obama?” I was not surprised to hear this but when I tried to tell him why I really couldn’t come up with an answer simple enough for a third-grader's mind to understand, at least one that was based on fact. Sure it would have been easy enough to explain why someone would disagree with Obama, but to hate him?
I could have tried to explain how he is trying to help people who make $7 an hour afford a $200 doctor visit, but that wouldn’t work. I could have tried to explain how he continued the process of bailing out the auto industry, started under the Bush administration and succeeded in saving American workers jobs, but that would have confused him also. I could have tried to explain the difference between social responsibilities in a Democratic society versus Socialism versus Marxism versus a Communist dictatorship, but that would just get me a blank stare. I did tell him that these kids were just repeating what their parent were saying but couldn’t really explain why the parents felt that way. What shocks me the most is when I was that age to say you hate the president was unheard of. We were taught to respect our leaders and hold the office of the president on the United States in high regard.
I could have tried to go back through history and explain how politicians all over the world are reviled for being corrupt and here in the U.S. we have had to deal with Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Star Wars, Monica Lewinsky and non-existent WMD’s, and that since JFK, the American population has been conditioned to be disappointed in their leadership and expect to be lied to at every given step. Then gone on to explain how even with the miracle of the Internet, that people are too lazy to dig a little harder to find the truth and would rather have opinions and lies served up to them on a silver platter.
But, that is a lot for a little third-grade mind to comprehend.
Sincerely, Ted Carter
Leesburg, via email[[In-content Ad]]
My third-grade grand-nephew was sitting on the couch with me and asked, “Uncle Ted, why do the kids at school say they hate Obama?” I was not surprised to hear this but when I tried to tell him why I really couldn’t come up with an answer simple enough for a third-grader's mind to understand, at least one that was based on fact. Sure it would have been easy enough to explain why someone would disagree with Obama, but to hate him?
I could have tried to explain how he is trying to help people who make $7 an hour afford a $200 doctor visit, but that wouldn’t work. I could have tried to explain how he continued the process of bailing out the auto industry, started under the Bush administration and succeeded in saving American workers jobs, but that would have confused him also. I could have tried to explain the difference between social responsibilities in a Democratic society versus Socialism versus Marxism versus a Communist dictatorship, but that would just get me a blank stare. I did tell him that these kids were just repeating what their parent were saying but couldn’t really explain why the parents felt that way. What shocks me the most is when I was that age to say you hate the president was unheard of. We were taught to respect our leaders and hold the office of the president on the United States in high regard.
I could have tried to go back through history and explain how politicians all over the world are reviled for being corrupt and here in the U.S. we have had to deal with Vietnam, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Star Wars, Monica Lewinsky and non-existent WMD’s, and that since JFK, the American population has been conditioned to be disappointed in their leadership and expect to be lied to at every given step. Then gone on to explain how even with the miracle of the Internet, that people are too lazy to dig a little harder to find the truth and would rather have opinions and lies served up to them on a silver platter.
But, that is a lot for a little third-grade mind to comprehend.
Sincerely, Ted Carter
Leesburg, via email[[In-content Ad]]
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