Tolerance fails T-shirt test
A good friend posted a link to this article on her Facebook and all I can say is wow. This girl did an experiment in middle school that will shock you as far as the results. The experiment was to wear a McCain support shirt and then wear an Obama support shirt the next day and record all the comments that were said to this girl for each. Human nature and peer pressure is amazing to make people say some of the things they did to her.
Immediately, Catherine learned she was stupid for wearing a shirt with Republican John McCain‘s name. Not merely stupid. Very stupid.
“People were upset. But they started saying things, calling me very stupid, telling me my shirt was stupid and I shouldn’t be wearing it,” Catherine said.
Then it got worse.
With the amount of “support Obama” that was shoved down our throats during the campaigns, I definitely felt that the McCain supporters were a minority and “not allowed” to have an opinion that differed from everyone else’s. Because if we didn’t support Obama, then we were “racists”. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s really sad to see that this “sheep following” happens as much if not more in school. I know it happens more in school by nature anyway, but to see it apply to politics, well, I’m saddened but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Liberal media, peer pressure, and MTV has a lot of sway over impressionable minds like our young people.
I feel it’s the job of the parents of today to teach their kids that it’s okay not to conform for the sake of conforming. Kids need to hear that it’s okay to have their own opinion no matter what anyone says and no matter how different it is from everyone else. I personally feel that as a parent, you are robbing your kids of the freedom they have to form their own opinions on various issues. Not just to have an opinion, but ask them why they have that opinion. They need to learn how to support their stances on issues early on.
Be leaders, not followers.
This has been a fad for a long time… rebel against conformity by conforming with all the other kids that are rebelling. Let’s all be individuals by being exactly alike.