Discouraging political trashtalk in kids

Katie Allison Granju:

As a parent, I am very bothered when I hear other parents teach their children that it's acceptable or useful to mock or insult candidates or the President in ways that aren't directly related to issues. I hate hearing children spout nasty, ad hominem stuff like "Bush is stupid." When I hear that from a child or teenager, I challenge him or her to clearly articulate at least three substantive policy issues on which they disagree with Bush. If they can't, I point out that calling him "stupid" only draws attention to their own ignorance on the issues. And frankly, in my anecdotal experience (your mileage may vary), it's more likely to be progressive/liberal parents who encourage this sort of political trashtalk from their children, some too young to even understand what the president even does.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at November 5, 2008 1:33 AM
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