Political bullying at school - and why I'm almost envious...

With the US elections in less than a month, even school children are finding the tensions hard to take. Democrat Darcy has an eight-year-old who has been politically bullied by another young girl at school. She writes:

"She has said things to Abigail like "His name is Obama bin Laden" and "It's not Hilary - it's Hitlery."  I doubt if the little girl even knows who Osama bin Laden or Hitler are, but my kid does.  She is upset about the comments, and I am stunned.  I know this little girl.  She has been to my home; Abigail has been to Carrie's birthday party.  I know her mom (and am friendly with her - she's a teacher at my daughters school!)  Undoubtedly, Carrie is getting this garbage from her parents, but I am at a loss as to what do.  My husband wants Abigail to deal with it herself.  I tend to be more protective and am inclined to get the teacher involved (I know the teacher to be fair and sympathetic).  What would you do?"

Darcy did get the teacher involved - the right response, as it turned out. But although all bullying is wrong(let's get that straight), there is something about this which makes me almost envious. No, I don't want my child to be bullied for her political views, but I am pretty sure she isn't at a school where many children discuss politics. Democrat Darcy's school actually contains those children.

In my day, politics was so polarised that school was full of pupils sporting CND badges and supporting Red Wedge (this manifested itself in listening to Simply Red and Paul Weller - the same people later moved onto the Smiths and became vegetarians). Some more strident pupils proclaimed their support for Margaret Thatcher, others bemoaned the Miners' Strike and how the Iron Lady had "ruined" the country. Meanwhile many of us worried about the nuclear bomb and what we could do about it. At primary school, I even remember Mr Woodfield, the PE teacher, sporting a Solidarity (i.e. support for Lech Walesa) badge, which seemed particularly daring.

These days, politics in the UK just isn't that exciting. That's not to say that what's happening isn't scary and important (er, credit crunch anyone), but the personalities involved simply aren't as impressive. I can't imagine children arguing over David Cameron and Gordon Brown, or taking note of pop stars' political preferences. I was speaking to a secondary school teacher yesterday and she informed me that six of her A level economics class had no idea who the Prime Minister was, while nearly half couldn't tell her the current Chancellor. Yes, that's at A level standard. Meanwhile in America, eight year olds are arguing about the future President...

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Comments

[ashley george]

I find it interesting to read about how different countries are so Anti-American . . . Personally I don't understand it. Comments like Americans have no respect for culture and other countries. . . that's really not true. We have soo many different people and cultures here that are celebrated on a daily basis though because they are not a murder or a fire or something the media can spin out of control they aren't covered. A lot of the decisions to dis-like America is based on things they read in the media and things that our government do.

I understand that our government is supposed to be a representation of our country though at the same time, I wish other countries that might have different opinions on America would take the time to get to know actual non-famous, non-elected Americans and not just base their opinions on what has been force fed to them through our media, their media or anyone else's media.

Studies have been done showing that if someone watches a news anchor or reads articles from a journalist who believe one thing, the person who reads or watches the story are 80% more likely to believe, vote and express the same views.

I don't know, I'm kind of on a soapbox here, I just think it would be easier and more fun to meet people and make decisions based on personal experiences than to listen to a newspaper columnist that gets paid to create uproar in societies.

Have a good day.

[Craig]

Jim - I don't think Sarah Palin's picture is anywhere in this article...

[whimsey]

Dear Ringers can be quite satirical sometimes, when it's not being embarrasingly bad with 'Michael Parkinson' at busstops full of foreigners who have never heard of MP in the first place. Awful.

[Alistair]

Spitting Image - now there was a program. I watched their take in the 1987 UK elections recently on You Tube and it was stunningly good. Where is political satire now, and I don't mean Rory Bremner.

[Jim Tomlinson]

Why desecrate an article on the US elections with a picture of that divisive woman.

[nicky]

I feel better for being completely apathetic about British politics now. It was all so much more interesting in the 80s, though that may very well have had more than a little to do with Spitting Image...

[whimsey]

Actually, even after years of New Labour draining away all left-wing political idealism, I still think there's something quite appallingly sad about a 'Tory teenager'.....

[whimsey]

I survived being the only Communist in my wall-to-wall Tory boarding school! (well, if there were any other pinkos, they all kept their heads down!!!). I regularly tried to convert my father, as I recall....

:)

[Jos]

I remember being picked on because my parents didn't think Thatcher was the UK's Great Saviour - this is not new.
My children (5 and 7) know who the Prime Minister is but are not interested in the US election. Then again neither is my husband who is American. We talk about politics in the home but only in a 'what would we do if we were in charge' sense, not a party political one - after all I'd rather my daughters brought home their potential TrueBlue Tory boyfriends than see them in secret because of my feelings on the Conservatives.

[Bosanquet]

My 8 yr old son - who is at a school (state, not private) in south london has followed the election with great interest - from the primaries. So all is not yet lost in UK school politics.

Of course, part of the reason may be that there is a rather popular girl in his class, who is american, mixed-race, & wants to be the first female Pres. of USA! So all her friends have been supporting Obama since January.

[Nick Evans]

My 6 year old wanted to talk about the London Mayoral elections. Granted, this was because we had an "Animals First" candidate in south London, and she was of the view that it would be better to vote for a person than an animal, but it's a start.

[whimsey]

Personally, I think anyone who is 'anti-American' ought to get a good slap. Does anyone really think the world will be a better/nicer/safer place if any of the other candidates for global superpower take the USA's space? Do we want the world run by China, Russia or even India?

Whatever the downside of having the USA as the world's dominant superpower, the alternatives are a lot, lot worse. I just wish the idiots who crit the USA would take a reality check.

I'm not saying there isn't 'room for improvement' in America, and its behaviour could well be modified to the significant benefit of the rest of the world (and its own youth, currently being pointlessly slaughtered and maimed in the world's most unwinnable war)(hin, you can't fight fanatics - you couldn't in Nam, you can't in the Middle East - you can only LEAVE THEM ALONE....)(and then protect yourselves from them bringing their hostility to you)(and, yes, understand WHY they are hostile in the first place)(which, alas, unlike the commies, is not, for religious nutters, going to be soluble by sorting out their poverty)(though that would help!)(though why there are poor in an oil-rich country is beyond comprehension....)

[Chris]

'These days, politics in the UK just isn't that exciting'
'course not. We KNOW what Broon can do - he's done it. And Cameron has no track record. The unacceptable v. the unproven. What choice?

[Expat Mum]

Actually, in many places in the States (where I live) discussing politics is akin to picking your nose in public. You only do it in the safe confines of people you know are of a like mind. It's always very interesting to listen to very young kids talking "politics" - you know it comes straight from the parents, but the parents never voice it!

[Benjamin]

Whimsey.- The Anti American stance that English youth has comes from something more than your simple synopsis. The election of Bush W twice has a lot to do with it. The internet has allowed individuals to read more about Americans and come into contact with them through forums and Xbox games etc. A lot of Americans can be arrogant and make statements in these situations.
For example they will tell British people how they kicked us out of their country and make sweeping statements about the greatness of America. This sweeping arrogance accompanied by lack of any knowledge of the rest of the world has made America seem like a thick thug.

That has led to this back lash against the brainwashing and media bombing that has saturated the world with American media for the last 60 years. It has very little to do with 9-11 but it was a catalyst for some of this. I think for anyone to blame anti-Americanism on the tragedy it suffered is very short sighted. The real issue is the world does not love America anymore because it has exposed itself as a Nation that lacks real culture and respect for others around the world.

[Mark]

Excuse me Belie, but Obama is not an Islamic freedom fighter.

[Belie Vsitall]

Those parents must be reported and spend time in a New Labour Camp for re-education - Obama is definitely The One and to confuse him with another Islamic Freedom Fighter is not acceptable.

[Sydney]

My daughter came home from her Ohio school and asked if Obama was really going to blow up America as a boy had told her in class. Believe me, do not be envious of what our children are discussing. Children are talked down to here so they are not included in intelligent conversation. Instead, our children pick up only the disgusting rhetoric that should have no place in the minds of babes or "adults".

[Dean Rodrigues]

There is a direct correlation between a population not caring about politics, and national economic and military security. We should be thankful that we have benefited from years of the above, enabling politics to not matter so much. If it did, then it would suggest that either the country is in a very bad position, or that half our population had become complete idiots and think that some hare-brained gun-toting megalomaniac is a good candidate to be the second-in-command of a country.

[whimsey]

Sorry - another post. I expect the only fast way to get British youth involved in politics again is to introduce the draft, which may yet happen, if the insanity of Iraq and Afganistan continues much longer. Politics becomes a lot more important when you've got skin in the game.....

[whimsey]

As for children insulting politicians, I think the best riposte is to say something sarky like 'oh, how WITTY!'

[whimsey]

That depolarisation of British politics has been inevitable ever since Tony Blair headed up the best Tory government we've ever had.

Personally, I'm always amazed that any American can tell the difference between Republican and Democrat, and it just tickles me pink (if one is allowed that colour in America, without being hauled up by the McCarthyites!) that 'only in America' is the term 'liberal' synonymous with 'dangerous leftie'. Oh, dear sweet British Liberal party, take warning!!

But surely if there really is complete apathy - and ignorance (and the sixth form example does shock even cynical me - though a part of me suspects they were winding up the teacher...) - about British politics by British schoolchildren, it just shows how much they can see that it's nothing but (a) spin and PR and (b) nothing 'significant'.

From what I understand, most 'anti-establishmentism' these days is green, isn't it?

But I think there is probably the issue that in a 'social democracy' where all parties are much of a muchness, there isn't likely to be the kind of big ideological divides that infused my generation, as described in the article. There is now so much more consenus about how to run the economy, what to keep private, acceptance of the principles of the NHS and welfare, etc. All politics does now is tinker with the little stuff, and that's of no interest to 'the young' who are really only interested in the 'big things'. But, by and large, all parties now agree on the 'big things' (see list above).

The only 'politics' I've noticed amongst students, apart from the 'green' lobby, is the anti-American one, which I find depressing. It seems to be tied in strongly to the 9/11 conspiracy theorists, and relies heavily on a generation that watched the X Files. This seems to fill a mental gap that the current lack of polarised ideologies leaves gaping.