This morning I watched Fox News Gretchen Carlson interview 11 year old conservative Sam Besserman. This child alleges that there is a liberal bias in the California school system. He said that he has been discriminated against because of his conservative beliefs. I found it interesting that this grown woman was conducting this interview of a child without a parent present. Fox News has a conservative agenda and it is there goal to spread it but this one sided interview did not further their cause. She said that Besserman had noticed this liberal bias when he was in pre-school. I found this hard to believe since in pre-school they ask you to bring in an extra set of clothing for your children because they are still prone to accidents. So I hardly think a pre-school kid is worried about political issues. As the interview progressed Besserman called his teacher a racist and offered no tangible evidence to back up the claim. Besserman circulated a petition to try and get the teacher removed from the classroom. When asked what grade he received he said an “F” and that explained the kid’s hostility. It was not liberal bias that fueled this young gun it was pure anger, and Fox News gave him the megaphone to air this nonsense.
Fox News interviews Conservative Kid who Should have been seen and not heard
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The kid is probably just mimicking what he hears at home.
I saw the interview and read his essay. As a professor, it is pretty clear to me that Sam had help with the writing. But it is also pretty clear this is an intelligent, observant, and articulate young man.
The above report is just stupid. Sam alleges that he has seen systemic bias against boys in his classes. His observations may shock some parents, but they are consistent with the outcomes: girls get better grades and have higher standardized test scores, are disciplined less, report more satisfaction with their early education, and eventually attempt college at a much higher rate than boys. “ebonymom” should listen to Sam more and her sexism less.
Sam also alleges teacher biasses against conservatives and for multiculturalism. That is consistent with the studies done about teachers’ social and political attitudes. These days teachers are encouraged to partiocipate in critical pedagogy, to take a postmodern approach, to be activists in the classroom, and to push their views. Sam just gives the specifics of how that plays out in the life of a kid. “ebonymom” needs to engage his views fairly rather than taking silly shots at Foxnews.
Thanks for reading.
Michael I have no problem printing comments of opinions that differ from mine, but I stress the word different. Mine is not stupid and neither is this post. I watched the interview and I saw a kid who did not get his way and he should never have been given that forum to trash a teacher who was not there. There are two sides to story and only one was represented. Thank you for reading and I will continue to post my opinions on my blog.
Let’s be fair to Michael. He didn’t call you or your post ‘stupid’. He said your attack of foxnews was “silly”. One can be intelligent and informed, yet engage in silliness. It’s not an insult to you, only a commentary on your argument.
Please review the interview. The boy did not call his teacher a racist. He said she said things like, “Right wing Nazis are taking office all over the place.”
Cicero I reviewed the piece and he said “I felt like a minority kid with a racist teacher.”
He was making an analogy. The feeling was as if he was a minority and his teacher was a racist.
For Christ sake!
First, who watches FOX news for anything remotely resembling news? Total waste of a short life.
Second, what responsible news organization interviews 6th graders for political opinions? The kid is just barely past the age of reason. That alone should have you turn the channel.
Third, who cares what a 6th grader thinks about anything? He can’t vote, he’s not legally responsible for himself, and he clearly is going to parrot the political opinions of his household.
Finally, we should actually be complimenting the teacher for throwing out opinions that make the kids think. For all we know, her comment about Nazi’s was designed to get the kids to start using their brains. A child skilled in critical thinking will take a comment like hers and chew on it, test it to see if it comports with reality, and come to a conclusion. As he gets older, he’ll refine his thinking, and hopefully use the skills he learned in 6th grade, to continue the process. Hopefully he’ll be skeptical of everything he hears in school, until he’s able to test it for veracity.
People who don’t have critical thinking skills watch Fox and nod their heads.
So, Spanish Inquisitor, a 6th grader can get condoms from the health aide, can go in and get an abortion at a health clinic without parental consent in many states, can sail around the world solo in a sailboat, but we should not listen to them because they will “just parrot the political opinions of their household.” No, these kids are smarter than you give them credit.
As far as the teacher merely developing “critical thinking”, who are you kidding? 6th graders are not yet ready to decide what is important and what is not important for them to learn. They start that in High School when their brains are more developed. While their brains aren’t yet ready for critical thinking, they are perfectly positioned for the indoctrination that takes place in the classroom today. The teacher should stick to teaching these kids the basic fundamentals they will need to succeed in middle school/high school and leave “critical thinking” for their later years when they have the knowledge basis they need to engage in such “critical thinking”.
hmmm. That’s interesting. Now which is it, elogam?
“The kids are smarter than we give them credit for” so we should heed their opinions on the nightly news, or they are “not yet ready to decide what is important and what is not important” so perhaps we shouldn’t heed their opinions.
Do we listen to kids whose “brains aren’t ready for critical thinking” or the one’s who can “sail around the ocean in a sailboat”?
I’m a little confused.
“These days teachers are encouraged to partiocipate in critical pedagogy, to take a postmodern approach”
Not where i live
Fox should be embarrassed to air such nonsense
Run for office when you grow up, Kid – we’ll need a lot more of you soon enough in the ever-increasing Lost America.
Great attitude Joni, “I don’t agree with you kid so just shut up. Take what the teacher gives you and like. Don’t think we’ll tell you what to think”
No wonder kids don’t learn anything in American schools these days.
It is fairly obvious to anyone who paying attention that education has been taken over and dominated by the Left. Multiculturalism has taken over to the point where “God Bless America” and “One Nation Under God” are seen as “reactionary” and ‘close minded”. The Founding Fathers of this nation are not lauded for creating a form of government the likes of which had never before been seen on this planet, but are castigated because they owned slaves. Harry Truman’s decision to drop The Bomb and save an estimated ONE MILLION CASUALTIES has morphed into an indictment of him as a “war criminal” for using a “WMD” against “innocent civilians”. These silly attacks only come from the Left. I daresay that by the time my unborn grandchildren graduate high school., the thought of anyone having pride in this nation will be a quaint notion reserved only for those old fools that lived through the Cold War
Fox News provides much needed balance. It frustrates and infuriates the Left because Fox does not knuckle under to their agenda and sing in harmony with ABC, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, etc. To the Left, dissent from their view is unacceptable, because they alone know what is true, and you cannot question them. Fox was correct to interview this kid. He knows first hand what is being done to our education system by the Left. If left to their own devices, the liberal media that dominates today would never see this as newsworthy.
And you know all this how? From FOX news, most likely, which explain the fear of the so called left. Try a book once in awhile. Fox news ain’t fair, ain’t balanced, and ain’t news.
How do I know this is a fair question. Simple Spanish Inquisitor, I have kids in the public school system. One was in a debate for his AP History class where the “winning” side claimed that Truman was guilty of war crimes for dropping the bomb. I know that our Founding Fathers are castigated for owning slaves because I READ articles from people on the Left who say that. Thomas Jefferson came under fire for having a tryst with one of his slaves. (Gasp! Surprise!!). When that didn’t stir up enough controversy it was determined that he must have RAPED her. There are several cites for that online but I’ll just leave you one because I’m busy today http://www.topix.com/forum/state/va/T72DNS2ASO5CH0S8M
S.I., you disagree with Fox News. Fine. That doesn’t mean they “ain’t news”. When Obama tried to shut them out, their peers in the news media all said that they didn’t necessarily agree with Fox’s take on events, but they considered them to be peers in the news business. It is typical of the Left (Not the “so called left”; THE LEFT) to discredit those who don’t share their views by claiming they don’t exist or are illegitimate. That may help them sleep well at night, but they look rather odd with their eyes clamped shut and there hands over their ears repeating “Fox isn’t news! Fox isn’t news!”
To elogam,
It honestly scares the hell out of me that we can have school textbooks come from Texas and someone like you can be ok with history being distorted!! I mean to act as though slavery was no big deal and to reword it and twist the history of it. I have no objections to conservative history being addressed but sorry I don’t think it should be sanitized like Purel any more than slavery should be by these textbook companies. I feel sorry for you drinker of the Fox news koolaide that you actually that network provides balance. Hate to tell you this kool-aid drinker but Fox and the so called “liberal outlets” all have executives who are right wing to the hardcore!!
All of these news outlets are a joke with their own agenda they push out for profit. Can you explain to me why as an example when they had the shooting in the Holocaust Museum last year the darling Primetime at 9p Insanity Hannity didn’t on that particular day and in the few days afterwards didn’t address it whatsoever. But alas if it was someone of color involved in a shoot of that nature and it was a white person shot that would have been ran like crazy on that network. Why does someone like Hannity be soo consumed with those who are left who do or supposedly cheat on their spouses (Tiger Woods, John Edwards, Al Gore). Yet his ass when it came to the likes of John Ensign or Mark Sanford and their respective affairs I didn’t really see him addressing them in such explicit detail and self righteous indigination. There is just total double standards and hypocrisy too numerous to mention on Fox news whether I see it from Hannity or any of the other Muppet Show Characters on there. Fair and Balanced my ass!! But a wonderful running siticom to laugh at HELL YES!!! LOL
Ediva75-
I’ve read and re-read my entire post, and don’t see anything here where I marginalized slavery. Please check your facts before posting something, especially if it’s directly towards an individual. If your concern is that I’m not dismissive of our Founding Fathers because they were slaveholders, consider a more modern dilemma. How fair is it to castigate Martin Luther King and all the good he did for our nation solely because the man had numerous trysts? And before you start lecturing me about the relative seriousness of the two, keep in mind that slavery, although abhorrent, was legal at the time and adultery never has been. No man (or woman) in history is perfect. Let’s teach ALL history and not diminish the good they did by focusing on their warts through a 200 year microscope.
It appears you have issues with Fox News in general and Sean Hannity in particular, although you watch it FAR MORE than do I.(Some food for thought there, btw….) I am not their designated Public Affairs person, and I have no responsibility for explaining what they do and do not cover. I maintain that Fox has a place amongst the news media for providing a different perspective of multi-faceted news events. You don’t have to agree with what they report, but that does not make them any less of a news agency.
Elogam,
Wow Fox news is a news agency (laughing out loud seriously)? I much rather call the likes of Rolling Stone or National Inquirer a news agency moreso than Fixed News. But alas that is your opinion not mine (rolling of eyes).
So what does teaching ALL of history in the case I cited of Al Gore have to do with the crazed focus of one said Hannity on his supposed or not supposed adulterous affair? There is a double standard hypocrisy of whatever a liberal does of affairs or whatever else evil to be blown up a thousand times over but a right wing does the same evil doing and there is hardly a peep in it. Oh and I am aware of MLK’s affairs he had by the way.
If we are to teach ALL history why is it that the textbooks written in Texas are trying to play down what really went on during slavery times? It is a shame that unfortunately someone of your ilk may not really have a clear understanding of the impact of educating history (not HIS STORY) to young people, particularly young people of color. I am glad I grew up as someone who likes to read and get other points of view on things. Inspite of you reading of my intense dislike for Hannity and Fox news in general, I also get news information from outlets beyond Fixed and the other jokes of cable network news. That’s how I am better enlightened on subjects that conservative outlets tend to distort to fit their respective agenda.
Can I share with you ironically enough a blog I did about Fox news and their level of BS hypocrisy on praising a kid with conservative values and yet anything related to Obama in children’s schools being crucified??
http://ediva75.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/doublemint-twins-lipstick-bigotted-bitches-and-klannity-bitchin-some-more-on-obama-indoctrination/