Some months ago, my 11 year old son asked me what I was - politically, that is.
It was a normal enough question, given that there were both federal and provincial elections in full swing, and that it was impossible to turn on the television without being inundated with campaign ads, news stories, and the ever present 30 second sound bite. My son also knows that his father is a politically active person, and follows current events regularly.
I told him that I was a Conservative. As I am a paid member of said party and sit on riding association boards, this can be considered a fair and accurate answer.
He, however, declared that he, too, was a Conservative.
For the typical father who wishes for their progeny to follow in their footsteps, this would seem like a point of paternal pride. I could have simply said "that's wonderful" and "I'm so proud of you" and left it at that.
But, I didn't.
I have worked campaigns for over thirty years, from all levels and angles. I've sat in University lecture halls and discussed the system inside and out. I've knocked on more doors than the average Fuller Brush man. All of this told me that this was not a gift.
"How do you know?" I asked.
His answer was to repeat that as I was a Tory, then he would be as well.
This, of course, would not do. I explained that a party affiliation was not a birthright. I gave the example that the late NDP Leader Jack Layton was the son of a Federal Conservative cabinet minister. I also explained that your party affiliation has to reflect how you see the world, what your priorities are and what your aspirations for the future may be. I added that when you join a party, you are actively supporting a set of policies and ideas, so you better be sure you agree with them.
I concluded by saying that I would rather he support another party than support the same one if it meant not being honest with himself. This I believe for both him and his sister - to one's self be true.
So, I drive to work and turn on CBC Radio. They tell about some schools that have organized fieldtrips to the Supreme Court in Ottawa in order to attend a court hearing on aboriginal education rights. The children were about my son's age, and seemed remarkably schooled in political issues. Mind you, one should never assume manipulation when ten and eleven year olds talk like third-year political studies majors. Then, of course, came the teachers, who defended that their choice of outing was not about political indoctrination - it was about combating racism.
So, let's dissect this.
Let's agree from the start that the state of aboriginal education is absolutely shameful. Let's also agree that racism still exists, and that we need to be vigilant about intolerance based on one's racial or ethnic background.
The question still remains whether it is the place of educators to impose their political point of view on their students.
Years ago, I attended a graduation ceremony for a local high school in order to present a bursary to one of the students. The valedictorian rose to deliver his address to the gathering, and while my expectation was for a thoughtful reminiscence of past years and enthusiastic hope for the future, it did not quite happen that way.
The time was when teachers unions in Ontario were at loggerheads with the PC government of Premier Mike Harris, and the valedictorian's address was one long manifesto of grievances against said government. It spoke of the cruel and vindictive nature of a government that made victims of Ontario students by going after their beloved teachers who only sought to do right by their charges.
As much as I admire anyone who has the courage of their convictions, and is willing to place their name and reputation against a cause, I have an immense amount of contempt for those who use their power and status in order to bend others to their cri de coeur. I worry about any group of people who enter into their responsibility as citizens and voters by simply parroting what someone told them to say. I refuse to believe that there are not young people who canvass for parties simply because some authority figure with an agenda abused their position.
It feels somewhat sordid to use young people as a proxy for advancing whatever political agenda you wish to advance. To convince students that they must embrace one particular point of view, and ignore the perspective of others - let alone their own gut instinct - does not reflect well on the person who does it.
My son and daughter are in the school system, and my obvious concern is that while I have made the conscious and - I believe, correct - decision not to force my political views on them, or convert them to a particular way of thought, I do not have the confidence that others will observe the same ethic.
I do not believe that either of my children should call themselves Conservatives because their father told them so. Conversely, I do not believe that an educator should presume to groom them for membership in the political party of their choosing.
The decision to call oneself a Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Social Democrat or whatever boils down to a complex set of decisions and choices. Everything you see and hear from your earliest memories, to the individual relationships and life experiences that guide your path are the forces that will guide you to the true path as you define it.
Hate big government or big business because you hate it - not because Miss. So-and-so told you in Grade 9 that it was the right thing to do. She can knock on doors and put up lawn signs on her own time if she feels that strongly about it.
And, if you are my children, don't do it because your father said so. It may be the only instance in your childhood where I don't want you to do what you're told.
Guidelines on bedtime and homework notwithstanding of course.
It was a normal enough question, given that there were both federal and provincial elections in full swing, and that it was impossible to turn on the television without being inundated with campaign ads, news stories, and the ever present 30 second sound bite. My son also knows that his father is a politically active person, and follows current events regularly.
I told him that I was a Conservative. As I am a paid member of said party and sit on riding association boards, this can be considered a fair and accurate answer.
He, however, declared that he, too, was a Conservative.
For the typical father who wishes for their progeny to follow in their footsteps, this would seem like a point of paternal pride. I could have simply said "that's wonderful" and "I'm so proud of you" and left it at that.
But, I didn't.
I have worked campaigns for over thirty years, from all levels and angles. I've sat in University lecture halls and discussed the system inside and out. I've knocked on more doors than the average Fuller Brush man. All of this told me that this was not a gift.
"How do you know?" I asked.
His answer was to repeat that as I was a Tory, then he would be as well.
This, of course, would not do. I explained that a party affiliation was not a birthright. I gave the example that the late NDP Leader Jack Layton was the son of a Federal Conservative cabinet minister. I also explained that your party affiliation has to reflect how you see the world, what your priorities are and what your aspirations for the future may be. I added that when you join a party, you are actively supporting a set of policies and ideas, so you better be sure you agree with them.
I concluded by saying that I would rather he support another party than support the same one if it meant not being honest with himself. This I believe for both him and his sister - to one's self be true.
So, I drive to work and turn on CBC Radio. They tell about some schools that have organized fieldtrips to the Supreme Court in Ottawa in order to attend a court hearing on aboriginal education rights. The children were about my son's age, and seemed remarkably schooled in political issues. Mind you, one should never assume manipulation when ten and eleven year olds talk like third-year political studies majors. Then, of course, came the teachers, who defended that their choice of outing was not about political indoctrination - it was about combating racism.
So, let's dissect this.
Let's agree from the start that the state of aboriginal education is absolutely shameful. Let's also agree that racism still exists, and that we need to be vigilant about intolerance based on one's racial or ethnic background.
The question still remains whether it is the place of educators to impose their political point of view on their students.
Years ago, I attended a graduation ceremony for a local high school in order to present a bursary to one of the students. The valedictorian rose to deliver his address to the gathering, and while my expectation was for a thoughtful reminiscence of past years and enthusiastic hope for the future, it did not quite happen that way.
The time was when teachers unions in Ontario were at loggerheads with the PC government of Premier Mike Harris, and the valedictorian's address was one long manifesto of grievances against said government. It spoke of the cruel and vindictive nature of a government that made victims of Ontario students by going after their beloved teachers who only sought to do right by their charges.
As much as I admire anyone who has the courage of their convictions, and is willing to place their name and reputation against a cause, I have an immense amount of contempt for those who use their power and status in order to bend others to their cri de coeur. I worry about any group of people who enter into their responsibility as citizens and voters by simply parroting what someone told them to say. I refuse to believe that there are not young people who canvass for parties simply because some authority figure with an agenda abused their position.
It feels somewhat sordid to use young people as a proxy for advancing whatever political agenda you wish to advance. To convince students that they must embrace one particular point of view, and ignore the perspective of others - let alone their own gut instinct - does not reflect well on the person who does it.
My son and daughter are in the school system, and my obvious concern is that while I have made the conscious and - I believe, correct - decision not to force my political views on them, or convert them to a particular way of thought, I do not have the confidence that others will observe the same ethic.
I do not believe that either of my children should call themselves Conservatives because their father told them so. Conversely, I do not believe that an educator should presume to groom them for membership in the political party of their choosing.
The decision to call oneself a Conservative, Liberal, Socialist, Social Democrat or whatever boils down to a complex set of decisions and choices. Everything you see and hear from your earliest memories, to the individual relationships and life experiences that guide your path are the forces that will guide you to the true path as you define it.
Hate big government or big business because you hate it - not because Miss. So-and-so told you in Grade 9 that it was the right thing to do. She can knock on doors and put up lawn signs on her own time if she feels that strongly about it.
And, if you are my children, don't do it because your father said so. It may be the only instance in your childhood where I don't want you to do what you're told.
Guidelines on bedtime and homework notwithstanding of course.
