Viewpoints
Never mind
By Chris Elliott
April 05, 2007
Thursday PM
I, too, checked out the Ketchikan Underground site after reading
Diana Chaudhary's letter and those that followed castigating
her for ostensibly inferring that teenagers aren't capable of
understanding the issues and/or their opinions should be ignored.
The whole thing reminds me of SNL's Emily Litella:
Emily Litella was an elderly woman with a hearing problem seen
on the "Weekend Update" segment in the late 1970s.
Frumpily attired in a dress and a sweater, "Miss Emily Litella"
was introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors,
who could sometimes be seen cringing slightly in anticipation
of the faux pas which they knew would follow as their "guest"
launched into tirades on various topics. Radner's character
peered through her bifocals and read a prepared letter addressing
some public issue, becoming increasingly agitated as her statement
progressed, only to discover in the middle of her report that
she had misheard what the issue was. A typical example: "What
is all this fuss I hear about the Supreme Court decision on a
"deaf" penalty? It's terrible! Deaf people have enough
problems as it is!" When the on-air reporter interrupted
to point out her error (death vs. deaf), she would crinkle her
nose, usually say, "Oh, that's quite different...",
and then humbly say to the audience, "Never mind."
(Wikipedia)
Ms. Chaudhary said, Parents should know what is being said to
their children ... and should form their own opinions as to the
motives of the School Board President in posting the article
... on a website run by our teens.... Clearly, she is questioning
why the letter was posted where it was, and you've got to admit,
it is a little curious. I don't believe Ms. Chaudhary's letter
was in any way a criticism of KU's readers. She was suggesting
that parents who are following this discussion should consider
why this letter was posted on this particular website and not,
so far as I know, on any other.
I was never too concerned about my children being exposed to
opinions with which I might disagree. Isn't that why we send
them to school and encourage them read books? On the other hand,
my children were not unaware of my opinions either, and we had
and still have some lively discussions. Children are future
voters. It makes sense to give them some practical experience
so they can be informed voters. An informed voter evaluates
the opinions on both sides of any issue, weighs the pros and
cons based on personal experience, then forms an opinion on which
to act. The ability to clearly identify the issue is essential.
In this case, I think a "Never mind" might be in order.
Chris Elliott
Ketchikan, AK
Received April 05, 2007 - Published April 05, 2007
About: "Political junkie"
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on Viewpoints are the opinions of the writer
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