World Views and Kids in Cages

I saw someone'd posted this on Facebook earlier today.

I read over it a few times. It sounded like something the good scientist says and I thought it all too true; I liked it and wished it to be true but the "pundits tells" grammatical error was enough to get me to wondering about it. I clicked to see the original post but still wasn't satisfied so off to the googles. First hit was Tyson's Twitter feed and okay, there it is. It's real.

So there ya go. I went back to where I saw it on FB and showed my agreement by clicking like. For reasons I wont' go into I'm just funny that way. I can't click like and certainly can't bring myself to share something unless danged sure that it's true. So I found proof that this'ns real, that Tyson actually wrote the words, only to start wondering something else about it.  

He writes "and you don't have the critical thinking skills", but I think the root of the problem goes far deeper. Not having the critical thinking skills is one thing, being too lazy or biased or both to check lest the Truth disprove your preconceived notions is another. No doubt some pundits know this and use that to their advantage. They keep telling their audience what they want to hear "you good, them evil" fully aware that by doing so they'll keep coming back for more. More viewers means more advertising bucks. Ah there it is. Funny how it always comes back to worshipping that golden calf though isn't it.

Worse yet is those who purposely set aside their critical thinking skills because they're so biased, so terrified with the thought that beliefs they've held for years if not decades might be wrong, that they won't even allow the possibility of being wrong to enter their minds. You can supply them with incontrovertible proof, you can beat them over the head with it, and still they remain seemingly incapable of accepting something other than that which they wish to be true. 

This is exactly why debating politics with some people's about as productive as screaming at the wall. This is especially true of debating politics online. They're safe in their bubble. No amount of proof or logical argument will get them to change.

So this is where we're at. Millions upon millions of people are putty in pundits' hands. Their world views are being collectively shaped accordingly and it's gone from bad to worse to un-freak'n-believably disgusting.

"Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"

We've arrived at a point at which the racist so-called leader of the USA is tearing apart families. And if this is Clinton or Obama's fault then how come President Obama, Clinton or even Bush never tore apart families? This is Trump's policy and he's the one doing it. He could stop it if he wanted to but hey, it's not like they're white people with money is it! Remember these are animals to him. He started it and he doesn't want to stop it. And the pundits who control the minority of Americans who support him are doing all they can to get them to rationalize it. Fox news tells them that children locked up and sleeping alone in a strange place after being forcibly removed from their mothers--children with no idea if or when they'll ever see their families again--are just like kids at summer camp. I wonder what it takes to believe such heartless blather? I wonder if it even possible to believe while listening to the cries of those children?

How anyone can rationalize taking babies, toddlers, or kids of any age from their mothers' arms is beyond me. Again, this never was and is not because of any previous presidents, their policies or administrations. This is the decision and actions and policy of the current administration. Trump is tearing apart families and locking up children in internment camps. Every single living First Lady has spoken out against it. There's a certain air of Executive Order 9066 to it all, only "illegals" somehow makes it okay now I guess. It's being compared to just that only one actually locked up in a Japanese internment camp makes a pretty solid argument for why this is even worse.

As the father of three and teacher of a good hundred kids ranging from toddlers to middle school age on any given week I've learned a bit about kids. Over nearly two decades of teaching I've gotten pretty good at spotting a kid with emotional problems. I've nailed it more than a few times--I've told my wife "Something's going on with that kid" after seeing a big swing in behavior only to later learn of an abusive father in once instance or divorce or other problems in a more than a few others. Kids are resilient but some things scar for life. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of emotional scars this policy is purposely leaving on those kids. It's child abuse being inflicted on a broad scale by my government. Period.

Thus once again, with Dr. MLK's "There comes a time when silence is betrayal" comes forefront in my mind.

I've got kids. I teach kids. I like kids. I can make friends with a kid in a skinny second. I just walk up and start playing whatever they're playing or doing what they're doing. Say something. Laugh. It's easy. 

 

The champion of human rights also said:

"In the end we'll remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends."

Kids are my friends. 

I can't be silent on this one. This shit's gotta end yesterday!