From the Mouths of Babes

An excerpt that could have come from many an on-line forum during the elections:

Immediately, Catherine learned she was stupid for wearing a shirt with Republican John McCain's name. Not merely stupid. Very stupid.

"People were upset. But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn't be wearing it," Catherine said.

Then it got worse.

"One person told me to go die. It was a lot of dying. A lot of comments about how I should be killed," Catherine said, of the tolerance in Oak Park.

...

"He said, 'You should be crucifixed.' It was kind of funny because, I was like, don't you mean 'crucified?' " Catherine said.

Other entries in her notebook involved suggestions by classmates that she be "burned with her shirt on" for "being a filthy-rich Republican."

Some said that because she supported McCain, by extension she supported a plan by deranged skinheads to kill Obama before the election.

Sound similar to any blog, forum, or chat channel conversations witnessed in the last few months?

And who was this diabolical racist and uncaring oppressor?



A kid doing a class project on her school's environment. The Chicago Tribune has the full story here.

Sadly, this childish behavior was seen, though sometimes more or even less restrained by adults across the nation... usually more dramatically as anonymous chatters on the internet, where the inhibitions that normally promote their civility left them as ruthless as a schoolyard bully.

Only a few times did anyone say anything remotely positive about her McCain shirt. One girl pulled her aside in a corner, out of earshot of other students, and whispered, "I really like your shirt."

That's when you know America is truly supportive of diversity of opinion, when children must whisper for fear of being ostracized, heckled and crucifixed.

Unlike their adult counterparts though, there was a lesson involved where their behavior was put on the spot. Even one of the teachers that talked down to her for a political opinion was forced to face her embarrassing and unprofessional behavior. After completing the second part of her study, wearing the Obama t-shirt, she had the opportunity, along with her teacher to make the students reflect on the hypocrisy of their actions:

We asked the teacher, Norma Cassin-Pountney, whether it was ironic that Catherine would be subject to such intolerance from pro-Obama supporters in a community that prides itself on its liberal outlook.

"That's what we discussed," Cassin-Pountney said about the debate in the classroom when the experiment was revealed. "I said, here you are, promoting this person [Obama] that believes we are all equal and included, and look what you've done? The students were kind of like, 'Oh, yeah.' I think they got it."

I fear that many adults who behaved in much the same way or worse, will never 'get it,' regardless of which candidate or party or ideology or religion, etc they happen to be doing it over. Sadly, the behavior of the children may be a reflection of the behaviors they're learning at home.