Molly Deaton
Staff Writer
mmdeaton@valdosta.edu

Last week on Tuesday September 8th, President Barack Obama gave a speech at 12 noon that was addressed to America’s schoolchildren (or was supposed to be, anyway). It came as a shock to find out that parents were contacting their children’s principals’ saying they did not want their children to participate in the viewing of Obama’s speech. It came as even bigger shock to find out that some schools were not showing the speech to their students because of parents’ complaints and were forbidding teachers to use the supplementary materials that the White House provided on their Web site.
There was no clear answer as to why parents were so up in arms about this speech, which was simply talking to kids about being committed to their education and overcoming obstacles at home. It was then stated that parents and conservative groups thought Obama’s speech was “brainwashing” America’s children…by encouraging them to do well in school? It seems that one of the president’s jobs is to help younger generations understand how important dedication and a work ethic is.
What is even more important to instill in America’s youth is to support the president of the United States. Whether you voted for him or not, he is in office and is our president. Kids pick up on much more than people realize, so they should be taught a good example, which coincidentally does not include boycotting Obama’s encouraging words about a child’s success in life.
The most upsetting factor in this particular situation is that the controversy is much bigger than parents actually thinking their child is being brainwashed by President Obama. The underlying issue goes to the fact that he is a liberal Democrat, and most of the parents and groups who had an issue with his speech are very conservative.
Instead of having a chip on their shoulder, people should be embracing the fact that the president of our nation was trying to take time out of his schedule to speak to their children and let them in on a little advice. Everyone does have the right to question authority, especially when it comes to their children. People should also remember to pick and choose their battles as well, and it looks as if the wrong one was chosen in this, for a lack of a better word, ridiculous situation.