Teacher Brainwashing

“where did the obsession with child sex come from ?”

If you want to side-step the issue of the analogy I gave, and deliberately overlook the meaning of “continuum’, then I fear I am not the one not using their God-given brains.

“were they your kids on the news clip ?”

Nope. But they were someone’s, and ultimately, as I’ve argued, it is inappropriate for parents, teachers, or any other supposed care-givers to use or allow their kids to be used as active props for partisan political purposes.

“Have any of the parents complained?”

Is irrelevant. Ultimately whether the parents agree with the politics of the protest or not, the issue is one of general principle, not specific example.

“What happened to free speech … or is that only when you say so ….”

Nope. “Free” is when the person exercising it is “free” and “mature” enough to search out, weigh and sift all the relevant facts from the self-serving propaganda of every hue and ideology, and then reach an informed decision, and then act accordingly.

Which, in the context of this protest, with personalised disrespectful attacks against the PM (and the same would apply if it was Helen Clark), was not possible on the part of 8 years-olds, Child exploitation is child exploitation, be it sexual, or political.

Yet you still avoid the issue of what sort of informed and mature “voice” children can give on a complex issue such as this.

Expressing disappointment that your schooling may change is a valid voice. Directly criticising government policy when you are incapable of understanding the complexities is not a valid voice.

But at least the kids concerned are not primarily willfully ignorant – as you are proving to be on this thread.

You are a willful arse, fozzie, and I’m bloody glad you have no input into my kid’s life.

“What is so complex about the issue?”

A city of 350,000, with a variety of competing and complimentary needs and wishes has to be rebuilt. Inevitably, because of a limited budget, not all wishes can be met. Time and space prohibits me listing the myriad of those needs and wishes, and the budget constraints that also have to be weighed within the wider scope of government’s national fiscal policy, which it conducts for the greater good of all – including 8 year-olds who may be rightly very disappointed their schooling situation will change, but maybe, just maybe, that disappointment is out-weighed by greater and far-more-pressing need. But then you knew that before you asked your smart-arse question, didn’t you.

Think like an 8 year old if you must fozzie, but I far prefer the nation’s schools to teach our children, especially when they are only 8, the basics of reading and writing so they can one day grow up and when they are old enough think and act like adults when it comes to civics, economic, and political discourse – rather than be used as props to satisfy your infantile definition of “learning how to stand up for themselves and be heard”.

What ever you decide to teach your brats to satisfy your ego and ideological fancy is your decison, fozzie. However, kindly keep them away from me and mine.

“no where in my comments have I told you how to raise your kids,”

Yes you did, by implication, when, in the context of the protest, you argued the straw man, “Being able to articulate your ideas is an important skill to learn – we
don’t all live in the dark ages of where children should be seen and
not heard.”

If you think there is no distinction between kids positively and genuinely articulating their disappointment about a life-changing event, or whether an 8 year old is incapable of understanding the complex decisions that resulted in a school being closed, and children being used as politically partisan pawns (all distinctions that both I and others have sought to clarify for you at length – with no engagement or interaction from you – which is the action of a brat), then I can state with a reasonable degree of confidence, based on the actions of their parent, that your kids are brats. If you didn’t want them referred to, then you shouldn’t have used the phrase, “my kids surely do and are encouraged to form their own opinions and respect others”, especially when, in context, your view of “respect” includes shouting about the PM! Yet more proof they are likely brats! Take note, Random66.

“I defend the right of all parents to raise their children, decide their
religion and values within the moral code we call the law”.

Yep. But another straw man – it wasn’t the matter in dispute. What is is whether or not is is a form of child abuse to allow kids to be used as political props.

Vino Veritas made it real simple for you, yet you still obfuscate. Stop mucking around. This is not about what the kids think, it is about them being used.

Yes or no?

1. Are 8 years olds capable of understanding and making informed decisions on the complexity that results in earthquake damage schools being closed?

2. If not, is it not a form of child abuse (not as bad as sexual abuse, but a form of exploitation nonetheless) to allow them to be used to pressure for adult agendas – irrespective of whether there is the consent of parents or teachers or the more thoughtless members of the community.

Squeal and sook all you want, fozzie, THAT is the issue that has always been the debate on this thread.

Agree with fozzie here Kimbo, you have absolutely no right to bring his children into this or refer to them as brats. When fozzie makes a comment you deal with him and him alone. You spout the christian theology, try living it and treat others as you would want to be treated.

…then again, “An unforseen event has changed my life and the government is to blame for not fixing it up so I am no longer upset” is pretty good educational training if you want to produce a generation of left-voting losers, not prepared to weigh their needs against the tangible needs of others, nor use their initiative.where possible to solve their problems

Good luck on raising your kids, fozzie – they’ll need it!

Usually I’d think twice about dragging your kids into this, but seeing as you were so eager to inject them into this debate as a prop to prove your ideology, you deserve a bitch-slap, even if they, courtesy of their stupid parent, don’t

To cut to the chase fozzie, all Kimbo is saying is that these children have been given their view by their teachers. There it is, in easily understandable language and you can now chose whether you think this is a reasonable thing to have happen.

That should sort them out . A bit of clarity .
Now , who gave the teachers THEIR views ? Teachers ?

True. But then I qualified it with “capable”. If adults chose not to exercise a capability that children are not yet mature enough to possess, then they deserve contempt. Which fozzie has certainly earned from me…