As my children grow more in tune with the political process, it gets tougher and tougher to help them make sense of this world of ours. They ask to stay up late to watch the debates, both Republican and Democratic, and we oblige. Twelve year old Bird reads the headlines on his phone every morning. He’s a pretty informed and astute kid. Deal, age 10, watches Good Morning America with me every morning. Politics hogs the limelight on every news outlet. There’s one candidate hogging it all, turning a gruesome shade of orange in all that limelight.
T. Rump consumes all the airtime, usurping the American conscience with his unconscionable remarks. And the media fuels this dangerous rhetoric, virtually ignoring its responsibility in favor of profit. It’s a tired, old tune. This marks a shameful time in politics and in the media alike. How can I explain to my sons, the oldest just a few years shy from voting himself, that though we have truth, facts, justice, heart, and morality our side, we are not winning? It’s a tough lesson to barrel through the negativity to stand by one’s conviction and honor, especially when the national moral imperative points in other directions, spiraling downward to points below rock bottom.
We need to teach our children a lesson in civics, but most importantly, we need to demonstrate civility.