Obama's "Ghetto Speech" to our Children

When I first learned that Obama would be addressing our schools I was concerned he might try to use the opportunity to feed his liberal rubbish to my kids. I felt a sense of relief when I heard that would not really be the case. Interestingly enough, neither of my kids were shown the speech yesterday anyway (and I have kids in elementary, middle school, and high school). However, I read the text of the speech and was honestly flabbergasted by the negativity it contained, and a perspective revealed by Obama that America’s youth is some impoverished at-risk mass of depressed and misunderstood children teetering on the brink of dropping out. Mind you, this speech was for viewing by kindergartners as well! I have a daughter who just started first grade, and trust me when I say that she has no concept that a child can “drop out” of school.

Here are some of the depressing remarks with which our president defiled our nation’s youth:

“making sure you stay on track”
“turning around schools that aren’t working”
“unless you show up to those schools”
“you can’t just drop out of school and just drop in to a good job”
“if you quit on school – you are just quitting on yourself”
“I know you have a lot of challenges in your lives right now… that can make it hard to focus on schoolwork… my father left when I was two years old”
“I did some things I am not proud of and got in more trouble than I should have”
“I got a lot of second chances”
“maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support you need”
“maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe”
“that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude,”
“that’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school”
“that’s no excuse for not trying”
“even when bouncing from foster home to foster home”
“keep young people out of gangs”
“your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework”
“success through rapping or basketball”
“you can’t let failures define you”
“if you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you are stupid”
“even when you’re struggling…discouraged”
“and you feel like other people have given up on you”
“working hard to fix up your classroom and get you the books… you need”

Just WHO did Obama think he was talking to??? He provided a few anecdotal stories of struggle of three children: Jazmin, Andoni, and Shantell. What about Michael, Lisa, and David? This school speech is just another incident that portrays the narrow agenda of Obama at the expense of everyone else. There is a broad spectrum of experience in America that Obama either fails to recognize or chooses to ignore. Is he trying to depress our kids?

Where were comments about how the strength and future of our nation depend upon on youth? Where was the pride shown – perhaps that American children are some of the most talented and educated children in the world? Where was the “keep up the good work?” Why not “work even harder than you already are to even become greater than we expect?” Instead we got “don’t drop out” and “don’t quit on yourself” and a few patronizing attempts at optimism along the lines of “maybe you’ll be even good enough to write a book” one day.

What I thought would be perhaps the most “non-story” story of Obama’s administration so far has turned into one of the most troubling for me. Obama is either narrower in policy agenda than I had thought or perhaps more sinister in achieving what so many are afraid of – dumbing down our nation to allow for a more controlling government. You know, don’t worry, big Nanny government is here for you. Oh you poor depressed lamb, have a Wellbutrin on Uncle Sam!