Kids Say the Darndest, Most Stalinist Things (Bill Maher)

[NYCGirl]

Good stuff...

Full article at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-oe-maher18feb18.story

A new survey found that a majority of high schoolers think newspapers should not be allowed to publish without government approval. And almost one in five said that Americans should be prohibited from expressing unpopular opinions.

Lemme tell you little darlings something: This is my livelihood you're messing with, so either learn the Bill of Rights or you don't deserve Social Security.

(snip)

And what's so frightening is that we're seeing the beginnings of the first post-9/11 generation — the kids who first became aware of the news under an "Americans need to watch what they say" administration, the kids who've been told that dissent is un-American and therefore justifiably punished by a fine, imprisonment — or the loss of your show on ABC.

President Bush once asked, "Is our children learning?" No — they isn't. A more appropriate question might be, "Is our teachers teaching?" In four years, you can teach a gorilla sign language. Is it too much to ask that in the same amount of time a kid be taught what those crazy hippies who founded this country had in mind?

[On the Road]

1. High Schools are Pretty Stalinist Institutions

They're just reflecting their environment.

[demwing]

11. And their level of maturity

It's not frightening that some children can be as thick as a freaking brick, but it is frightening that some adults will read these fascism-born-from-ignorance remarks and positively glow, proudly revealing their personal fascism-born-from-hate.

[On the Road]

16. I Think It's Something Else

Students are trained, while they're in school, to give the "official" answer, the one the teacher or principal wants to hear. It's often the answer that supports the "good" authority figure. It may have no relation to their actual feelings.

Also, students do not have freedom of speech. They are very tightly controlled while in school, including what they say. Most of us would chafe under the same rules. So it's not surprising that they would see restrictions on the press as natural.

So this is not as troubling to me as it would be if adults were polled.

[demwing]

26. I agree

Whatever the reason, I don't get the shivers thinking about these students.

Adults, yes.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Frightning. I am young an I oppose censorship.

This country is in trouble!

[bigendian]

3. Not surprising.

Students have been acclimated to having a uniformed "resource" officer in their midst for at least a decade. Random locker searches are the norm.
We have a generation ripe for a totalitarian state because civil rights are an alien concept to them. Throw in all the mind-numbing toys and drugs that our society offers and.... well, the rest is history. Maybe in another generation the spirit of liberty will be rekindled.

[Mojambo]

4. These kids almost deserve the world they are going to get. n/t

[Emboldened Chimp]

8. Well, we live in that world too, you know...

...do we deserve it?

[Mojambo]

9. No. And neither do they.

Please note, I said ALMOST deserve.

[beyurslf]

5. I don't think that is surprising. I would say many of those kids will

change their view if they go to college. Scary for those who don't though...

[GOPBasher]

6. That's unreal. They should make every kid read Orwell's 1984.

Maybe that'll help.

[NYCGirl]

7. "1984" and "Brave New World" were both required reading when I was

in high school.

[GOPBasher]

12. That's cool. They weren't for me.

We did read Animal Farm, however. But that's nowhere near as powerful as 1984.

[NYCGirl]

13. But then I grew up in San Francisco, the bluest of the blue! NT

[Celeborn Skywalker]

30. I read those books also

in high school and I graduated in 2002. So at least some schools are still requiring this.

[TwentyFive]

10. RW Christianity is VERY Stalinist

The religious right teaches kids not to question authority - just obey biblical laws.

Kids get rewarded for good behavior - not for learning to think. This is a huge difference! It turns them into robots that take in information and react...but never to question the validity of the information.

[DivinBreuvage]

14. We'll need kids like this when the balloon goes up

And what beautiful blond beasts they will be, whether smashing Asiatic Islamicism, punishing traitors here at home, or, at the last, dying bravely in our streets in the futile last gasp against the onslaught of the East.

I have read that indoctrinated youth fight with a tenacity and resilience that cannot be found in older men who have families to support and remember what life was like before the glory of the National Awakening.

Go get 'em, kids. Your bleeding corpses are the manure from which a greater American will arise!

[KissMeKate]

15. "is our children learning? no, they isnt."

LOL! I love Bush's idiocies and the people who point them out!

[info being]

17. Smart kids. They say what the need to in order to get by.

Let's just hope they don't really believe it.

[Lexingtonian]

18. they're Other Peoples' children

Yes, even high schoolers basically just reflect their parents' opinions.

What this poll tells us is about the frightening stupidity of the average set of parents.

[Zynx]

19. Most Americans have an authoritarian side to them.

This isn't surprising.

[ArkDem]

20. All life is about to end.

[LinuxInsurgent]

21. Kudos to Maher

always funny...always insightful...and respectful of a lot of different viewpoints.

His show is a model of democracy.

[DrWeird]

22. Maher's one to talk.

He was quite the little islamophobic fascist after he got in trouble for remarks after 9-11.

[NYCGirl]

23. Huh? He got in trouble (and his show cancelled) because the right

wing thought he was complimenting the 9/11 highjackers. The quote was misrepresented, of course.

[DrWeird]

24. Indeed.

And then after that he became all apologetic and started spewing a bunch of hate-mongering Islamophobic bullshit.

[NYCGirl]

25. I don't remember that...he's still angry about the treatment he received.

He's far, far away from being a shill for the WH. I don't agree with him on everything he says, but I think he's got a pretty good grasp on what's going on.

[XemaSab]

27. I strongly suspect

that Columbine had a greater affect on the mentality of high schoolers than the terrorist attacks.

Last weekend I was watching "The Breakfast Club." It's a bunch of high schoolers who are on Saturday detention. One of them is there because he had a flare gun in his locker. That wouldn't get someone Saturday detention these days, oh no... he'd be out on his ass so fast your head would spin.

[DemocracyInaction]

28. Kinda wierd--I think we are on some sort of "same page" tonight

I just did a post about what's killing the Dems and this country---television. Think if you read it, it might explain a bit about what you just wrote about.

[DemocracyInaction]

29. Just read all these replies: And a hardy "fuck you" to all

Ever been a teacher??..........no. Just an asshole who thought they got educated from osmosis...correct?? If there is anyting left in this fucking country that even resembles trying to make you think all that fucking liberal shit IT'S US..teachers. Stop blaming us for your never at home, money grubbing parents. Stop blaming us for your fucking laziness. You never (even those in honors classes) have a clue what study and reseach are. It's so nice to be retired. I and all my fellow teachers, taught you to think and to look at this world without the "Christian Right" blinders on (unless you went to Christian school or lived in the Southland). Keep it up, assholes. Get rid of us. And get rid, then, of any last chance this country has of fighting this right wing blight. Do you think the various teacher's association's support the Dems because they are reactionary blobs?? Actually, today most teachers could easily be republicans in that it's bascially become a "all woman's club" and we are basically married to men who make some good money. But we prefer to keep your minds open. You prefer to close them through the same apathy, laziness and lack of being entertained every minute. Go use your nifty cell phone and your 400 channel tv and see how well you compete with the rest of the world who is trying to take away your job. Like I said...glad to be retired and don't know why anyone bothers trying to teach anymore in this country. Let those great parents do the job. Hell they would kill their youngins' before they reached the age of 10 if they had to spend all day with them..........

[Spirochete]

31. "it's not like priests are dating them for their brains."

Hmmm... methinks Bill's a little bit pissed off.