- This topic has 14 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 10 months ago by
paramount.
-
AuthorPosts
-
October 19, 2012 at 9:38 PM #20207October 19, 2012 at 9:49 PM #752889
NotCranky
ParticipantShut up and eat your green beans…
October 19, 2012 at 9:59 PM #752890CDMA ENG
ParticipantI was going to say that the Birds and the Bees conversation might be easier than politics. At least that one is easy to answer.
😛
CE
October 19, 2012 at 10:46 PM #752891spdrun
Participant…So… what do you folks tell your kid when they ask you about politics…I mean, the last thing I want is for my kid to go to school and say, Daddy thinks Obama is a moron and Romney is a liar, and he thinks we are all doomed either way…
Who gives a aerial copulation if they do?
Last I checked, it’s not a crime to criticize candidates for the orifice of scumbag-in-chief in this country, nor is cynicism verboten. Maybe it would give some of the Pollyanna teachers a hard slap back to reality.
In short: gently caress what small-minded idiots may think about your family. They’re not worth the saliva you’d expend spitting in their faces.
October 20, 2012 at 1:12 AM #752895CA renter
ParticipantNeedless to say, we’re politically opinionated in our household and we encourage our kids to watch the debates and discuss the topics. We regularly discuss politics and economics (and the deep history of each), and describe how psychology and marketing techniques are used to control “group think,” in an effort to keep people in the dark about the issues that really matter…like the allocation/control of resources and how that’s divided between labor and capital.
Believe it or not, I do tell them that both sides of the two-party system tend to be corrupt, and we discuss how representative government tends to be the most efficient, but also most vulnerable to corruption. We discuss corruption, how and why it happens, whether or not everything that comes about as a result of corruption is good or bad, who benefits/suffers and why, etc., etc.
We discuss how people in power (those who control the politicians) try to steer the debates and political discourse in certain directions and how they use emotionally charged issues to get people to often vote against their own best interests.
IMHO, they are never too young to learn about the real world. If she is showing an interest, that’s an awesome learning opportunity. There is so much you can begin to teach her about history, psychology, nationalism/patriotism, natural resources, wars, etc. and how these are the lifeblood of politics and economics. You can spend almost all of your time talking about these topics and never run out of new material to discuss.
IOW, don’t worry about what others think about you and your kid. You can even steer the topic away from specific individuals (because they really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things) and redirect the conversation toward a more productive discussion about how the world’s population has to share space and resources, and how different people intend to go about doing that…or not.
Good luck!
October 20, 2012 at 8:03 AM #752902
svelteParticipantI think you did a good job flu.
I don’t remember the topic coming up too much in our house, but I’m sure I let them know that I evaluate each candidate on their own merits, not by which party they belong to.
It’s getting harder and harder in the current political climate to find a candidate who doesn’t stick to the party line like glue, though.
I’m leaving more and more fields on my ballot blank.
October 20, 2012 at 11:33 AM #752919Participant[quote=CA renter]
IMHO, they are never too young to learn about the real world. If she is showing an interest, that’s an awesome learning opportunity. There is so much you can begin to teach her about history, psychology, nationalism/patriotism, natural resources, wars, etc. and how these are the lifeblood of politics and economics. You can spend almost all of your time talking about these topics and never run out of new material to discuss.
IOW, don’t worry about what others think about you and your kid. You can even steer the topic away from specific individuals (because they really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things) and redirect the conversation toward a more productive discussion about how the world’s population has to share space and resources, and how different people intend to go about doing that…or not.
Good luck![/quote]
I like this part best.
BTW, Flu, Call it a nitpick or friendly reminder, your kid is not a toddler anymore.
October 20, 2012 at 2:32 PM #752924CAwireman
ParticipantJust tell him/her that politicians are hard to pick because most of them lie.
October 20, 2012 at 3:35 PM #752926Diego Mamani
Participant[quote=Blogstar]BTW, Flu, Call it a nitpick or friendly reminder, your kid is not a toddler anymore.[/quote]Unless she’s a gifted 2- or 3-year old already in 1st grade.
October 20, 2012 at 4:39 PM #752931ParticipantWe can’t teach kids to be so cynical and pessimistic as we are…
If I were you, I’d just say something neutral, like “these are two smart, accomplished individuals who have slightly different proposals for taking the country forward.” You can add that you don’t find any of the two candidates convincing enough, and that you may vote for a third party or independent candidate.
N.B.: I know, folks who are committed to one party or the other won’t agree with the use of the word “slightly” above. The politically aligned would want us to believe that their guy is not only the best, but the only viable choice, and that if we elect the other guy, our country would surely collapse. But I digress…
October 20, 2012 at 6:17 PM #752933
CoronitaParticipant[quote=Diego Mamani]We can’t teach kids to be so cynical and pessimistic as we are…
If I were you, I’d just say something neutral, like “these are two smart, accomplished individuals who have slightly different proposals for taking the country forward.”
[/quote]So, basically, you’re suggesting that I lie… 🙂
[quote]
You can add that you don’t find any of the two candidates convincing enough, and that you may vote for a third party or independent candidate.
[/quote]Hmmmm… I like this idea. I’m exercising my constitutional right not like anyone, just like some people don’t like broccoli… That might work…
[quote]
N.B.: I know, folks who are committed to one party or the other won’t agree with the use of the word “slightly” above. The politically aligned would want us to believe that their guy is not only the best, but the only viable choice, and that if we elect the other guy, our country would surely collapse. But I digress…[/quote]You know, I would never stick a bumper sticker on my car from any candidate/party…Aside from the tacky aesthetic reasons of trashing a car with stickers, I just can really be so in-enamored with any politicians. Kinda sucks to be so cynical sometimes when you have a kid… Gotta really tone it down.
October 20, 2012 at 10:25 PM #752941svelteParticipantDon’t blame me. I voted for Bill and Opus.
October 22, 2012 at 10:35 AM #753014Ren
ParticipantI think I will just try my best to make sure they know enough that they can’t be steered in one direction (or the other) by a teacher, without showing the disgust I have for our government. That can wait for junior high.
Right now my boy is obsessed with earthquakes – a much scarier thing for a 4.5yo than Obama or Romney.
October 23, 2012 at 12:58 PM #753078sdduuuude
ParticipantJust last night there was a comment about the debates being on TV and my 10-year old said “who cares?”
I said “you care because either of them is going to put you deeply in debt.”
All he could muster was “huh?”
I think 8th grade is a better time to explain the evils of government.
October 23, 2012 at 11:19 PM #753098paramount
ParticipantI have Alex Jones on around the clock to undo the public school programming.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.