Can we all just settle down a bit? Frankly, this is bordering on the absurd.
Liberals are running around in the streets with their hair on fire, going on news programs claiming outrageous things and clogging the internet with ludicrous rants.
Yes, your candidate lost. Eight years ago, my candidate lost. So what? We are still here. We are still all Americans. And we are still the envy of the world.
Our nation is bigger than you and me. Our ideas and principles remain the same and will continue to be so as we move into the future. We must not descend into useless bitterness, anger and protests.
A recent protest in Los Angeles had high school students leaving class to march on City Hall. Some teachers were observed escorting students and actively participating in the walk-out.
We’ve got a few problems here. High school students don’t vote. They have no say in our political system until they are of legal age. To allow such a protest by underage students is irresponsible.
Next, some teachers appear to be aiding and abetting the truancy of their students. While I believe that most teachers are professional and look after their pupils’ best interests, to take these actions is harmful.
They should be identified and severely disciplined. Translation: terminated.
Young teenage kids are prone to emotional overreaction. For a teacher to play into this is damaging to our society. There are better ways of handling these emotions.
The schools and districts involved should also lose funding for the day. Those students should not count in daily totals for state educational reimbursement.
Let’s see how willing school administrations are to stage protests when the action is not being underwritten by taxpayer dollars.
The protests can also take a violent turn. One news report showed a terrorized woman sitting in her car after protesters broke her windshield with a baseball bat.
Does a responsible educator allow students to be in such a situation? I think not.
So what can we do about this? In this age of communication technology, it is easy to see that people get their news and views from one or two like-minded sources.
I would like to see these “radical teachers” hand out a new set of assignments to their students. How about asking the students to argue the opposite side?
Instead of simply writing off Trump followers as “racists” or “bigots,” ask the kids to delve into the reasons behind the Trump following.
This would require students to look beyond CNN, Redit and Twitter to get more information. Students (and all of us, really) need to break down our silos and hear the other side.
I am no paragon of virtue but I watched both Fox and CNN during the election. Yes, there was a difference and it was good to understand both points of view.
For example, I was very skeptical of Sean Hannity when he was discussing the impact of Obamacare three weeks ago, but then the White House issued a report that essentially verified what Hannity was saying. Sometimes, we learn from those who have differing viewpoints.
I also listen to podcasts that originate in New York and Chicago such as This American Life, Freakonomics, and Stuff You Should Know. Most have a fairly liberal bent and I often wind up yelling at my cell phone.
Which is really odd but rather cathartic in a way.
For example, a podcast this week dealt with a school teacher who was doing parent conferences the day after the election and she cried with nearly every set of parents who came to see her.
This is wrong. If this teacher showed professionalism, she would have assured these parents that they would be fine, that America is still America, and that the education their children receive will still be excellent.
Besides, the topic is a parent-teacher conference and not national politics. Hair on fire.
Let’s make this a challenge. I challenge all liberals to listen to a news source with a decidedly conservative bent (Fox?). And I challenge conservatives to listen to more liberal news sources.
After a few days, write a column about what you learned and send it to The Signal (see https://signalscv.com/send-us-a-column/).
Or just send it to me and I’ll summarize a few experiences into a column for Right About Now.
Let’s see what we can learn about the other side and maybe douse a few coiffures in the process.
Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and is not worried about Uncle Earl’s hair. He has none. Steve can be reached at [email protected].
