First and foremost, I am not an Obama shill, quite far from it. So on that note, why all the controversy of
Obama addressing the students of this nation to encourage them to do better? I think Obama understands, as do I, the complete utter lack of accountability that people my age and younger have about their future. We live in an age where our dreams rest upon the fantasies of getting something for nothing. We care not for hard work and determination, where everything in life is granted by handouts and even our failings are assuaged by
purple check marks. So it is with a sense of relief that someone in a position of power is standing up to these false hopes and telling it how it is--even if it is Obama.
My favorite part, which appears early in his prepared remarks, is this:
"...at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed."
What's there to argue with that? I've seen rumor-mongering to the effect that Obama is out to brainwash us all into pro-government Democrat robots, to be dispatched to squash any dissent and feed on the brains of those who do. Get real.
Hyperbole aside, if ever there were a time in the history of our country to be awakened to a sense of our own personal responsibility, it is now. We have sown the seeds of our own undoing, the fruit of which we are beginning to reap, because we have surrendered control and responsibility of our destinies to chance and happenstance. We rely on frivolous lawsuits, social programs, and handouts, hoping that someone will come along and solve all our problems for us. And when the Law of the Harvest reaps us all the things we didn't want, we blame it on others or circumstance, looking further for freebies to save us from our woe. Further, I quote, "
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things." Spot on.
I think it's great that Obama has seized this opportunity to speak on this subject and a shame that those of a different political persuasion are letting politics get in the way of our President delivering a message that we
all need to hear--regardless if we are in grade school or not. I would hope that school administrators, teachers, and parents who have decided to withhold this opportunity from their students, would use this time to teach those same principles.
Personal responsibility and accountability, indoctrination indeed. But don't take my word for it,
read it yourself and draw your own conclusions.