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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


Brainwashing? – 4 May 2007
By Mary T. Hoffman

When they hear the words “brainwashing,” “propaganda,” or “indoctrination” most people think of a negative activity perpetrated by “them,” not “us.” It never occurs to these people that this goes on in their schools; and the consequences, good or bad, can alter the way children think for the rest of their lives.

I was thinking about this after reading an elementary school child’s enthusiastic account of a first grade teacher’s activity: growing trout from eggs. Her class and “trout helpers” release the “baby trout into the wild” in the spring.

The article ends with, “I think this program was fun. It makes the streams healthier and teaches us to respect our environment.” Do you see the disconnect here? Where is the “respect” for life? How much “fun” did the adult trout have giving up their eggs? And how much “fun” will the released trout have struggling for their lives at the end of a fish killer’s line? And again, there’s that over-used word “environment” which meanie-greenies love to use/misuse.

How much better it would be if our children were taught about the environment in its natural state and how to protect it, including its inhabitants, rather than being taught how to exploit animals.

Go on to: Gardens – 5 May 2007
Return to: Defenders of the Faith? – 3 May 2007
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