Schoolkids Singing Barack Obama's Praises - Mind Control or Politics as Usual?
68Recently a video of some elementary school children singing a song became a nationwide scandal.
Why?
Because it was a song about the President of the United States.
Yes, children singing a song about Barack Obama is mind control, indoctrination, comparable to what communist dictators are doing in North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela.
At least, that's what Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and other right wing figures want us to believe.
The fact that the song was performed during Black History Month in 2009, the year that the United States (a formerly slave holding nation) elected its first black president is not relevant. This is mind control.
What about the children!?!?
This sort of thing never happened when the Patriot George Bush was in office!
Oh wait.
Um...
Ok, apparently some schoolkids were also mind controlled into singing a song about George Bush back in 2006.
Of course, singing about George Bush is not mind control, because George Bush was whi... um, George Bush was born in the USA, and was a true red blooded American! Unlike Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii.
- The Raw Story Updated: Fox News altered Obama praise story to exclude death threats
- The Chicago Tribune needs to fix its dreadful kids-sing-for-Obama report. Now. | Media Matters for A
- Limbaugh compares school kids SHOCK VIDEO to Cuba and Venezuela | Media Matters for America
From the September 25 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Rush Limbaugh Show... - Savage claims song in school kid video is "brainwash[ing] the children into accepting Arabic names"
From the September 24 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation...
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The lyrics:
"Our country’s stood beside us
People have sent us aid.
Katrina could not stop us, our hopes will never fade.
Congress, Bush and FEMA
People across our land
Together have come to rebuild us and we join them hand-in-hand! "
It was a white house photo op. I guess if Obama had done the same thing he'd be accused of exploiting innocent children for political gain.
Nicely written article, but you sound a little bitter - no offense intended at all. I put myself in the shoes of an Obama supporter and kind of understood why it doesn't seem like a big deal. But from the conservative side, this was not the only Obama worship song, it comes on the heels of two other praise chants/songs, one seemingly militant pro black group, and another home project where little kids sing songs of adulation. People can do what they want in their own time, but in a public school where God has been outlawed, is not a place to worship someone else either, and if I had kids in that school, I would be enraged.
What's strange to me is the constant race subject that comes up. This is a non-issue for most conservatives, why do liberals keep bringing it up? There is absolutely no connection between Obama's extreme left leaning values and his skin color.
Although I was extremely disappointed that McCain didn't become president, I was encouraged by the fact that America could vote in a black president, and I have heard that same sentiment from almost every conservative I know and meet.
Glenn Beck isn't exactly a liberal. He's the one who called President Obama a racist with a deep hatred of white people." Race is the subtext of many of the teabaggers.
Alexander Mark - I understand the public school angle. The kids are required to be there, they shouldn't be required to do things that their parents might not agree with.
But this was around 20 kids, probably under a single teacher, in one school. It was during black history month, Barack Obama is black, yadda yadda. You see my point.
This incident is a far cry from North Korea or Cuba.
As for the bitterness.. well, sometimes you just have to let it rip. I liked the sarcastic tone that this hub took on as I was writing it, so I ran with that.
Am I a little bitter? Maybe. I can't understand why Obama is running into so much opposition. And actually I wonder if its the American people who oppose him or if most of the opposition is being stirred up by Faux News and conservative radio hosts.
The racism angle is part of that - why wasn't Bush treated so harshly by the media in his first 8 months? He was criticized, sure, but compared to chairman Mao or Mussolini on an almost nightly basis? I can't help but wonder if racism is behind that.
But I think the real answer is this: Obama's policies could threaten some very powerful people in this country. Those people pay the networks' and the talk shows' bills. Racism is only incidental.
I do not debate with people who insult me personally or with crazy people.
If you want to debate facts, please feel free. I reserve the right to delete any comments on my pages.
Don't tell him where you live!
Wolfgang was now fully in the throes of the bloodlust. He had his prey and he would have his kill. Whipping his head back and forth as violently as he was would surely have snapped the squirrel’s neck if his bite had landed anywhere other than the tail.
A very measured response, thank you. I think that how we feel about how our favored candidates are being treated by the media is very heavily biased. Often, while Bush was in office, I have spoken with liberals and stated that I thought the media was extremely biased and untrustworthy and they would every time nod and agree. Obviously every side's perceptions are slanted in bias for the one they believe is right (to be clear, I am also including myself).
I am becoming less and less a fan of conservative radio hosts, I agree they stir things up more than they need to. Then again, they serve as watchdogs for us too don't they? I guess a large pinch of salt needs to added whenever hearing or reading news.
The trouble with the school kids singing praises to Obama is that it is not an isolated incident of brainwashing, but I will agree that Obama is not instigating this and it is being done by overly zealous individuals.
Forgive me but I don't watch much news - for the aforementioned reasons - but are you saying that the reason those kids were being taught to sing a song about communistic policies had to do with the the fact he was black and it was black history month? I am sincerely asking the question, not being sarcastic. I respect your mind and your writing, so I look forward to seeing what you think. Keep up the great work!
Exactly what in these lyrics are 'communistic?'
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
He said we must all lend a hand
To make this Country strong again
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
He said? we must be fair today
Equal work means equal pay
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
He said we all must take a stand
To make sure everyone gets a chance
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
He said red, yellow, black, or white,
All are equal in his sight
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
Yes, mmm, mmm, mmm
Barack Hussein Obama
Hello Mr. President we honor you today!
For all your great accomplishments
We all [inaudible] say "hooray!"
Hooray Mr. President, you are number one!
The first black American to lead this great nation!
Hooray, Mr. President we honor your great plans,
To make this country's economy number one again!
Hooray Mr. President, we’re really proud of you!
And we stand for all Americans under the great Red, White, and Blue!
So [inaudible] President, we honor you today!
So here's a hearty [inaudible]
Hip, hip hooray! (3x)
http://www.kfoxtv.com/family/9935845/detail.html
Indoctrination? Does freewill exist as God intended? Check the children in this clip
David - Jesus Camp is a trip, for sure. Thanks for reading and commenting.
equal work for equal pay, is the one line that stuck out. But there is also quite a worshipful element that is reminiscent of communistic dictatorships.
We all must take a stand so that everyone gets a chance - for what? To me, this sounds like the elimination of capitalism replaced by a communistic government.
In principle, I am not opposed to communism, but in reality, socialism is the better way, and capitalism would work with light government regulation.
But is there a good example of communism in the world? Even where it might work, there is one dictator in charge who usually took power by force. Compare that to American history, where the people rebelled and created a republic that ensured justice and individual liberty for all.
Can't you see the misplaced hero worship? W. never received widespread praise songs, and yet has been responsible for many positive and great changes in this country. I applaud Obama for putting a stop to recycling soldiers who have served their time, so please understand that I know that he has done good things, but this song is sickening for the anti-American values it is putting into the minds of singers and listeners.
So, let me ask again, what does a song about values contrary to the ideals that make America great, have to do with the color of Obama's skin? I totally disagree that there is a political racial issue here, and I find it extremely insulting that whenever conservatives attack Obama on his policies, the political left tries to drown out the debate with accusations of racism. Even Morgan Freeman said the way to stop the issue of racism being an issue, is to merely stop talking about it.
This song is absolutely not about 'values contrary to the ideals that make America great'. Sorry. I think your bias is showing through here. If you could look at this reasonably you'd see it's an innocuous song, sung during black history month about the first black President. That's all.
As for W. never receiving 'widespread praise songs,' just check out the link to the Jesus Camp video in the third comment. That's a bit worse than the song about Obama, in my view.
Alexander, just curious, what "positive and great changes" was Bush responsible for? Tax cuts for the richest Americans? Balooning the deficit to a new high? A foolish, unnecessary, costly invasion of Iraq based on lies? Abrogating the separation of church and state by allowing religion to influence public science and other policies? Failing to regulate excesses of Wall Street Banksters and putting the world into a deep recession?
William, you don't think equal work for equal pay isn't communism? Individual liberty and freedom are totally opposed to those values.
That video makes me sick, and there are growing examples of that kind of Christianity unfortunately. The only Bush song I know of is that FEMA song and I can understand how that looks the same as the Obama songs to you. There was another video where they were rolling and shaking in front of a Bush cutout and that disgusted me too. So I can see your comparison. I just think that the Obama songs are teaching the wrong values and the message is always the same, "Obama is going to save us," and communal values trump individual freedom.
Ralph: Let me ask you, have you allowed yourself to see what Bush has done right? I am willing to look past my dislike for Obama and a possibly invalid birth certificate to admit the good he has done - and that's what this country needs, unity. You also cannot blame Bush for everything, pretty soon I expect to hear people blaming him for bad weather and earthquakes.
AM, I can agree with you that hero worship has no place in America. I guess we'll just have to disagree as to the extent of the problem with this particular song. To me it doesn't seem much different than learning stories about Honest Abe Lincoln or George Washington... or even saying the Pledge of Allegiance, which I always thought was wrong. If we are going to pledge allegiance to anything, should it be the flag (and then, by extension, it becomes my country right or wrong) or should it be to the principles of freedom? But it's just how we teach our kids.
I think a more insidious form of indoctrination is Channel One, which brings TVs into every classroom. It has news and educational content, and in my day it had advertisements of a sort (IIRC).
But one more point - equal rights for equal pay is a slogan of the women's movement. Women are still paid less, on average, than men for the same work. I think that slogan is absolutely patriotic and fully American.
I've never heard of channel one, but it does sound bad - a media controlled by one source.
I think I am starting to see your point of view. I do really like your point, that maybe we should be pledging allegiance to principles instead of the symbol of the nation. I remember when we immigrated to the US, I was 8 yrs old, and the pledge of allegiance gave me the willies. Now I see it differently. If I may, I wrote an article about that, Is America a Democracy or a Republic? It is right leaning in the end, but I would love to get your comments on it, you have a unique angle.
I have never heard about that equal rights slogan to mean women should be treated and paid equally. If that is the case, I would have to agree that if that is the meaning then it is patriotic.
Equal rights for Equal pay:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_pay_for_equal_w
"Equal pay for equal work is the concept that individuals doing the same work should receive the same remuneration regardless of their sex, race, sexuality, nationality or anything else.
It is most commonly used in a context of sexual discrimination, as equal pay for women. Equal Pay does not simply relate to basic salary but also to the full range of benefits, non salary payments, bonuses and allowances that are paid."
I'll check out your hub soon! Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
Thanks for the link, that definitely explained it. That changes the meaning of the song for me. I still don't care for it of course, but it shows how a little media coverage can twist the mind about intent, and the Obama praise songs may be nothing more than just overzealous appreciation. thanks William!
William, I have trouble thinking of anything Bush did right. He tried to do the right thing about illegal immigrants (comprehensive policy--border control plus path to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants) but he couldn't get it passed. Luckily, he also failed in his effort to turn Social Security over to the Wall Street Banksters.
Wow where do you guys live in which a state-ran school is comparable to *choosing* which photo-op or church to send your kids to. Must be nice, send some vouchers our way please.
For the record, if any of the (now 10 or so, that we know of) kids-being-led-to-praise-Obama turns out to not be in a public school, I officially don't care about it. The halloween event at the white house, for example - who's complaining? Not these same 'right wing nutjobs.' Based on what is being complained about, that seems to be the difference, and the origin of the indoctrination claims, that previous songs/videos lack.
The song is pure and utter propaganda/mind control. What can invoke a more emotional repsonse than children singing? This is settled in my mind anyway. The question I have is how many of the children led to sing this song (children don't just get together at recess and write songs about politicians, I'm sorry) have been brainwashed into it? Remember, almost all of our public school teachers are union members. Union members stand to gain quite a bit from a socialist president.
jiberish 2 years ago
Nice. The link was: children from the stricken Gulf Coast region serenaded First Lady Laura Bush with a song praising the beleaguered Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Not quite the indoctrination song!