By Ladisa Onyiliogwu
I’m not going to accuse my parents of teaching me to hate Reagan. They never pulled me aside and said, “This man [Reagan] is a racist, a supremacist and not a good person.” I don’t recall any indoctrination nor was I ever told to despise the President. However, somewhere along the line, I knew that I hated him. I was only 14 when he left office. But for years after that, I detested the man. I even hated the sound of his voice.
Let’s fast forward to the millennium. I am married with children and my voting values are well defined based on my faith and principles of financial stewardship. Nevertheless, I still had an ingrained resentment about #40. One day, my husband asked me – why do you hate Reagan so much? I pondered his question and finally said I don’t know.
I recounted my reasons which didn’t amount to a hill of beans. I could not speak about his policies – because I didn’t know what they were. I had no counter position on his approach to the economy, humanitarian efforts and the only words that came to mind regarding foreign policies was the movie ‘Star Wars’. Forced to face this fallacy, I researched who Reagan actually was. But how many adults do the same? How many of us choose to hold onto our hatred, misconceptions about people, or allow ourselves to be led by groupthink, the masses or media?
Much more is caught than taught and parents have a significant role and responsibility in the way they teach their children. American moms and dads are no different from other countries. This problem is indicative to human behavior in every part of the world. In the 1940s, German children were raised to hate Jews. In 2017, North Korean children are taught to hate Americans. Arab children are taught to hate Jews. Need proof – just search social media for the 2 year old who pointed his hands like a gun to an Israeli border police officer. You can hear the parents in the background laughing. For centuries, countries have taught children to hate through propaganda, educational institutions, cartoons and even sweet childhood songs and rhymes.
Perhaps you have grown up hating an ethnic group, a race or one of the two sexes. Do you make slurs about someone based their skin color or country of origin and never think twice if you’re saying it in front of young impressionable ears? If you’re guilty of this, be careful. We will all reap what we have sown in the hearts and minds of young children – good or bad. Take time to do some soul searching today and make sure you’re not helping the next generation grow up hating.
YOUR VOICE YOUR AD 