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Friday, October 1, 2010

Teaching our kids incivility

A former student of mine posted this on Facebook:

My New Year's Resolution: I will no longer go to CNN, MSNBC or FOX. I am tired of the negativity. I demand more positive news. Good things happen every day. Inspiration happens every day. Why focus on all the bad? Life has given me a lot more good than bad (by far). I am blessed. OK, I shall officially stop ranting now."


My Response:






Couldn't agree more. I dumped the shouting heads "news" model a few years ago. Take a topic which deserves an hour of in-depth objective treatment and hand it to two heads in boxes with one minute each to shout each other down. Interrupt, use ad hominem attacks, then cut to a commercial. This lacks civility and is equivalent to yelling "fight!" on the playground - with the only purpose being to draw a crowd and boost ratings so you can charge more for commercials. The ultimate affect is to normalize incivility and teach our kids barbarism. 

"Okay Grady, tell us what you really think..." Babur - You pushed my button. This is why I teach an entire quarter to my seventh-graders about how to run a public meeting in a civil manner.


 

 

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