My Talk With The Superintendent

So I talked to the Superintendent today. He was such a nice man. He ended up returning my call right while I was walking around some random street in Holladay trying to find Maxwell's new piano teacher. But I talked to him. Yesiree.

"What was your thinking behind deciding not to show the Obama speech?"

Well there was such an outcry from parents who didn't want students to watch the speech that I decided that since there were so many other mediums for the students to watch, I felt that it would be okay to not have students watch it at school.

"Well, I see your point, that there are many other ways for students to watch the speech, but I think you missed a great opportunity for students to come together with American students from all across the country to listen to the president. I remember watching Ronald Reagan when I was in elementary school and thought that it was cool that I was watching it with kids all over America. I think you made a decision out of fear, instead of doing what is right. I think you could have more backbone.

I didn't make the decision out of fear. When I have 9,000 kids to represent I have to do what I think is best for the whole group. I wouldn't have minded if my own kids had watched the speech at school, but there was such an outcry against showing it that I had to do what I thought was best for everyone.

"What were the numbers really like? Are you sure that there were not just a few mouthy people? Were there real numbers to support this?"

I don't have real numbers. But if I had to guess I would say that there were 50 callers opposed to the speech for every 1 caller in support of the speech.
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At that point the conversation was pretty much over, because what do I say then? I think I said that my community scares me, and that I wanted to move. I know I told him how much I appreciated his call and his time.

I saw how his hands were tied. How difficult doing what is right became.

Once Professor Perry drew something on the board, I'll see if I can re-create it.

He said that in the 50's the political spectrum looked like this.

--------------------------Liberal\Conservative---------------------

He was basically saying that in the fifties, the political spectrum on both sides were closer to the center. That the distance between liberal and conservative wasn't so far apart. Then he drew this.

Liberal---------------------------\--------------------Conservative

He said that now the gap between liberals and conservative is growing. Becoming more polarized. He said that if we don't come closer together there will be only one way to resolve our differences, to narrow the gap. That one way would be war. Civil war. The further we get from each other, the closer we move to civil war.

So the fact that thousands of American's wouldn't let their kids watch the speech isn't so bad. It is just a speech. But, what IS really bad is the fact that these parents won't let their kids listen, hear, or see a president that does not fall on their side of the political spectrum. When we can't even listen to each other, have basic respect for a varying point of view. We are in trouble. Big trouble. So while I see everyone's point in saying that we can all just watch this at home, why is it necessary for kids to watch it at school? My answer is this. We are raising a generation that can't even sit in the same room with one another and watch a speech. We are raising a generation where the liberal's have to go to the media room and the conservatives go to recess because we can't stand each other. We are raising a generation that moves further and further from each other.

Every person who called in opposition to the speech just told their kids that it's okay not to listen to anyone who thinks differently than themselves.

And that is shameful.