OPINION:
Growing parental involvement in education terrifies the left, which will brook no interference with its designs on our children.
A story in New York magazine headlined “Children Are Not Property” explains that children as chattel is “the idea that underlies the right-wing campaign for ‘parents’ rights.’”
The “woke” insist that parents are abusing children by trying to limit their sexual activity, opposing what they call reproductive freedom, and creating obstacles to “gender transitioning” for minors — all of which are manifestly in children’s best interests. Shame on them!
A story in The New York Times — “How a Campaign Against Transgender Rights Mobilized Conservatives” — charged that the movement against mutilation and cross-sex drugs is a ploy for conservatives to make up ground lost on same-sex marriage.
Families should be stopped from forcing their values on children, the left says, especially after it’s spent so much time and resources shaping their thinking.
At most, parents see their children for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, they are wards of the public schools, social media and a culture that, like The Borg, tells us that resistance is futile.
Children aren’t born with a set of values. These develop over time as they mature. The left wants the elders of its village to instill those values, by their right as superior human beings.
Parents are responsible for the existence of these small people. Liberals don’t have children. They propagate like vampires. Indoctrination is their bite on the neck.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she won’t have children because the planet is dying. But she’ll tell you how to raise yours.
Families provide the food, shelter and other necessities that allow children to grow up. Progressives believe that’s where their involvement should end. Parents passing on their values is a conspiracy to violate children’s natural autonomy.
Examples of values instilled by the collective include the Hitler Youth, the USSR’s Young Pioneers (who were encouraged to inform on parents) and the teens who are turning our cities into nightmares. Coming from single-parent homes, they are animated by the culture of the ’hood.
Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson says that while he does not condone the actions of the juveniles who rampaged in the city’s business district last weekend, setting cars ablaze, vandalizing property, and shooting or beating bystanders, we must not “demonize” them. They’re really victims who are “starved for opportunities in their own communities.” No wonder Mr. Johnson was elected with the support of the city’s teachers union.
The origin of parental rights is a book that is the foundation of Western civilization. Genesis tells children to honor their mother and father — not the American Federation of Teachers, The New York Times or the mob.
Parents are seen as stewards. Regarding the commandments, Deuteronomy instructs fathers, “You shall teach them diligently to your children” — another reason why progressives hate biblical religion.
It’s the left that objectifies children — which treats them as cannon fodder for its utopian vision. It resents the influence of parents, who have the effrontery to oppose such advances as critical race theory, reproductive rights and transgenderism.
Lenin and Hitler understood the importance of the party having a monopoly on training the young.
Hitler said: “He alone who owns the youth gains the future.” Lenin agreed: “Give me just one generation of youth, and I’ll transform the world.”
That’s all progressive educators, the Human Rights Campaign and Black Lives Matter want — brainwashing free from parental interference.
With the support of teachers, students at a middle school near Cleveland held a mock lesbian marriage ceremony to help acclimate children to the new order. Parental involvement might interfere with such enriching educational experiences.
Loudoun County, Virginia, pushed the parental rights movement to the forefront of national attention in 2021. Now it’s back with more gender insanity.
Two years ago, the local school committee had a man arrested for an outburst at a meeting because his daughter was raped in a restroom by a boy in a skirt. Attorney General Merrick Garland called protesting parents terrorists.
The district just announced an $11 million makeover to create “all-gender” restrooms and changing rooms — his, hers and whatever.
The war over our children, which progressives started, will continue until one side or the other wins.
The left is telling parents: Put your hands down and sit quietly at your desks. We’ll tell your children what to believe. Interfere with us, and you’ll regret it.
• Don Feder is a columnist with The Washington Times.
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