Do we listen more to the Press, the Politician, and the Professor than we do to the Preacher? I’ve got this question rolling around in my head all day as I try to apply Common Sense Civics and Citizenship to a recent incident that happened in Florida. A 14 year -old boy gets beaten up on his school bus for wearing a MAGA hat. Now, I’m not interested in the most popular comments that we all see on social media. I’m interested in common sense. Let’s have a go at it, k?
Is it wrong to wear a MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat anywhere in America? No, it is not.
Well, isn’t it unlawful to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater when there is none? Yes, it is wrong.
Well, MAGA is “fighting words.” No, they are not. Making our country great again is a campaign slogan that doesn’t involve a threat to anyone.
Yes, it does. The country was greater before 2016 than it is now.
That’s a matter of opinion. Are Americans entitled to differing opinions? Yes, they are.
Well, that MAGA slogan represents Donald J. Trump. Yes, it does.
People intensely dislike Trump because he will take away everything we stand for.
What do you stand for? The Constitution. Freedom and free stuff.
How has Donald Trump taken away your freedom?
Well, he is ruining all the progress we’ve made. He will try to make us “great” while all the other nations of the world suffer. I want a level playing field in the world.
Do you play on a level playing field in your neighborhood? Do you and your neighbors have the exact same house, same groceries, same jobs?
No, and that’s what’s wrong. We will never stop having wars until we make other nations great again, not us. (Notice the change of subject from neighborhoods to the world at large).
Ok, so who helped win WWII?
Well, that was different. I’m talking about now.
There has never been as bad a person leading in the world as Trump. He is unskilled, uncouth, and he is immoral.
Have you ever heard of Nikita Khrushchev, Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Mussolini, or Lenin?
Well, I don’t know about those other guys, but Socialism will make America great again.
Where do you get these ideas?
I get these ideas from the news, my teachers, and my friends.
Ever hear of the word “slander”? No.
Ever hear of lying? Well, people do it all the time.
Ever read the US Constitution? Not really. The Constitution lets people have guns. It needs to be updated.
Ever taken a civics class? No. What’s that?
And so it goes. I’m wondering if children would bully and harm a kid because of what they have been told by other adults, namely Parents, Press, Politicians, and the Professor. I submit that children were better off when they learned to place a Higher Power above themselves. Where did kids use to learn this? We used to teach children at home, in church, and at school that they were personally responsible and accountable for their own actions. It’s part of the legacy our Forefathers and Founders gave to us.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship.??