By Dick Miller
This is not an adult movie, but rather warnings that should be displayed before any debates among candidates for President of the United States or news events in regards to the campaign of 2016 are televised.
Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party for POTUS, gets dubious credit for such a notice. His speeches and debate responses have been laced with off-color, bar room quips unlike any other candidate for the highest office in the world in recent times.
Other battles for POTUS may have been equally nasty but such character lobs were tossed when there were no 24-hour news channels justifying their existence. Today internet, Facebook, social media, twitter, YouTube and other electronic methods get a message to the highest number of people in very short time.
Mr. Trump is no ordinary candidate. He shows the least concern for the GOP, perhaps because he has only been a member since 2012.
Political parties have never been weaker. Bernie Sanders will not win the Democrat nomination, but successfully makes demands of the party that – in better times – would have been laughed off. He is a registered independent.
Mr. Trump destroyed 16 Republican opponents in a vicious campaign. According to the Washington Post, his public discourse included attacking or ridiculing a multitude of sects – Spanish, Afro-Americans, Muslims, Arabs, women, immigrants, refugees. He said these groups’ very existences were detrimental to American “regular people.” Further, he preached, “our kind” must elect Trump, who would promptly come down on outliers. Anything less and our country will grow worse.
Of concern here is the impact of the presidential campaign on our nation’s schools. Maureen B. Costello penned a special report on this subject on behalf of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“Every four years, teachers in the United States use the presidential election to impart valuable lessons to students about the electoral process, democracy, government and the responsibilities of citizenship.
The SPLC’s online survey suggests the presidential campaign of 2016 “is having a profoundly negative effect on children and classrooms.”
“(Educators) report being stymied by the need to remain nonpartisan, but disturbed by the anxiety in their classrooms and the lessons that children may be absorbing from this campaign,” Costello noted.
The survey of about 2,000 K-12 teachers is not scientific but, disturbingly, draws these conclusions:
More than two-thirds of teachers reporting said their students expressed fears about what could happen to them and their families after the election. These children are mainly immigrants and/or Muslims.
More than half of these teachers noted an increase in uncivil political discourse. More than a third witnessed an increase in anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant sentiment.
More than 40 percent are hesitant to teach about the election. Some are doing what is required to keep their jobs at schools where the administration has ordered a specific response.
Some teachers reported an increase in bullying incidents where white students threaten Muslims and/or immigrants.
Trump may have either laid down new rules on political discourse or decided to bend existing ones. His pronouncements have spawned additional dialog similar in tone. Name calling escalated among Trump’s primary challengers as those primary battles proceeded.
Now it seems Trump’s insults against Hillary Clinton have provoked a new level of discourse between her and Bernie Sanders.
Bottom Line: The Republican establishment has collectively decided to fall in line. Only the Bush family, Mitt Romney, Tom Ridge and a handful more have announced their intentions to repudiate Trump’s candidacy. Somehow the lines of concern of country (including our children) over party have become blurred.
Expect the campaign to become more caustic and, thus, cause even more harm to children.
Former Republican leaders of some influence believe knocking Clinton is more productive than promoting Trump.
