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On the cover of "The Week" for Nov. 11, 2022, is the image of Elon Musk holding up a manhole cover, to release innocent little Twitter blue birdies, and turn them into big, angry-eyed birds. The caption reads: "Freeing the bird. Will Musk make Twitter angrier, uglier, and poorer?"
Above the magazine mast head the first talking point title is, "The Price of MAGA Rhetoric" beside a photo of Paul Pelosi, who was recently beaten in his home.
Over the last several years almost anything has been acceptable language in the news and on the internet. When people in positions of power set the standard for rude language and behavior, then we can only expect more rude language and behavior from average people and their children. The hammering that Paul Pelosi endured is an example of the violence that conspiracy theories inspire and violent threats that are beginning to intimidate school children.
Now during these few calmer days after a very contentious midterm election, we have a little time to think about the importance of becoming the "kinder, gentler nation" that G.W. Bush called for 20 years ago. Then some might not have said that anything G.W. had to say was a good idea, and I do believe Barbara Bush was the person who gave him this important phrase. Nevertheless, it was, and it is something that we must think about now if we hope to survive as civilized people.
Parents and community leaders set real-world examples for acceptable language, but teachers are the people who have to police student behavior in schools. Things have become even more contentious in the last few years while students have been out of school and sending hate speech on social media. It has become so negative that teen suicide has increased during the pandemic.
Once again teachers are on the frontlines of social change, and many of them are leaving the profession because their pay is low by American standards and student behavior is so discouraging. In order to fill the ranks, school systems in the US have been seeking foreign teachers who make less income in countries like the Philippines where the cost of living is much lower.
In the current issue of "The Week" mentioned above, the last article is titled, "An important teacher's lessons." This article tells how disillusioning the first day of teaching in middle school was for a Filipino teacher who had been accustomed to having students write thank-you notes to her at the end of each week.
On this teacher's first day in Bullhead City, Nevada, she was trying to learn names of her new students and one wrote "Donut Man" on his name tag. Another complained of not having anything to write with, and then he broke his pencil in front of the new teacher.
Another Filipino teacher said her American students suffered from abusive families, alcoholism, homelessness, suicide and surging drug overdose deaths. She said, "They are broken and hurting."
Obviously, many American adults are not creating "a kinder, gentler nation" for their children.