Whatever happened to basic respect?

I've been thinking about this since it all happened a while ago. At the time, I didn't say much about it to anyone because I was so floored by it that I could hardly believe it was true. I didn't want to believe that I'd seen what I had.

In addition, I chose not to say anything then because I know that a lot of people both here locally and in general are going to disagree with me, probably vocally and angrily. Which is fine, but it still bothers me.

The fact that it's still bothering me now tells me I just need to write about it.

So, here we are.

I live in a very politically divided city in an otherwise very liberal county. We're the furthest right that anyone gets in this county full of hippies, environmentalists, organic food growers and triathletes.

I have close friends on both sides of the spectrum, and for the most part we manage to get along just fine so long as no one brings up certain topics. I gave up thinking I could change anyone else's mind a very long time ago and I know that it would take a lot more than a passionate argument from someone else to change mine.

For the most part, we just collectively agree not to talk about things. Unless we happen to be among friends that share our political persuasion, then we're all for it. You learn quickly to censor yourself in these parts depending on who you're with.

Anyway, it's with that general background that this story takes place.

A while back, I was at my daughters' school for an assembly. At this particular assembly, some of the kids were selected to share their work. That month they had been charged with the task of preparing a report on an "important person". The kids were left to their own devices to choose the people they wanted. Some chose athletes, some chose musicians, some chose historical figures.

When it was her turn to give her presentation, she stepped to the microphone and announced who her important person was. The gym, filled with over 500 elementary school children.

Some of them booed her. Then more and more and more. It was subtle, but it was there.

Kids, booing a classmate because she chose the President as her important person.

It made my stomach turn.

At what point did it become acceptable to teach our children to boo the President?  When did it suddenly become okay for people, children especially, to so blatantly disrespect the office? Aren't kids supposed to look up to the President?

When did it become okay to boo a classmate?

I don't care which party you belong to. It doesn't matter what your political persuasion is. I don't care if you disagree with the outcome of the election. It doesn't even matter if you happen to personally like the man or woman occupying any given political office at the time.

They are still your elected leader.

The office itself demands respect, even if you happen to think the person occupying it doesn't.

Teaching kids that it's acceptable to disrespect our highest office, to boo the mere mention of the President's name bothers me tremendously. I fear what may become of our country when these kids grow up, bringing their flippant disregard and their blatant lack of respect for authority with them.

When I was a child, such disrespect would never have been tolerated. Then again, children were taught to respect authority on a different level then. Children were not catered to or led to believe that their naive impressions of things were equivalent to adults. Children were not adults yet, and they were treated accordingly.

Back then, adults didn't discuss politics with children. The President was the President, and when the President spoke, we were supposed to be respectful and pay attention. Permission slips sent home just to listen to the leader of the nation give a speech weren't even a consideration. Politics weren't important. Government was.

The President was an important person just by virtue of the fact that they were the President, regardless of which party occupied the office.

Elementary school kids can barely even begin to comprehend the structure of our system. They can't yet understand the intent of the framers or the checks and balances put into place. Even still, they are clearly being swayed now by the political views of their parents, and being led to believe that it's perfectly acceptable to be dismissive of the President just because mom and dad say it's okay.

Think about how you talk in front of your kids. Realize that they are sponges who absorb and repeat what you say and do. They model your behavior. Understand that they pick up on the comments you may make about elected officials. If you show disrespect, so will they.

We have to teach our children to respect the system, to respect the offices, to be willing to work with people who don't share our views. To respect authority.

Shouldn't we be teaching kids to be critical thinkers, to be civic minded, to be able to see different sides of issues?

The most ironic part of it all is that the school my girls attend prides itself on being an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.  The teachers spend an endless amount of energy on teaching kids to be open minded, principled, cooperative, respectful.  They focus on teaching them to be tolerant citizens of the world, even if they may be taught otherwise at home.

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