The video of “Obama Youth — Junior Fraternity Regiment” (shown below) has become a favorite of the Internet. The video is the work of a middle school teacher in Kansas City, Mo. and shows kids in military uniforms addressing “President Obama” and chanting his “yes, we can” campaign line.
Joyce McGautha, head of the Urban Community Leadership Academy, has indicated that the teacher has been suspended and the matter will be reviewed. The video raises some very serious questions over the use of taxpayer money for a political purpose, not to mention remarkably cheesy writing and direction.
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I didn’t find it that disturbing. After all just take a drive by any local Military school in your neighborhood and watch the drills on the lawn. They even get to carry weapons.
While I agree the camo’s and militaristic style is a little “Black Panther-ish”, what they’re saying is not. They’re talking about health care, future careers, etc.
Barack Obama’s campaign has done something for the black youth of this country. For the first time they see themselves in a different light. No more are they cogs in the white mans world, but instead, the country seems to be finally moving away from its racist past. His campaign gives them a new found sense of respect, somethign I think is GOOD, not bad.
But the video I agree won’t do much for the Obama campaign, which is why the lovely and genuine Michelle Obama said last night on The Daily Show, that they had “shut that one down”.
O.K., That is disturbing. The last thing young people need is inculcation in mind stopping military techniques of thought control and obediance. Military group think/action is not a model for democracy.
Given the level of money and presence put by our military into high schools this video is not benign. Why is Obama’s commander in chief role the one emphasized in this video? A president can do many worthy things; invest in infrastructure, jobs, alternative energy, envirnomental cleanup, health care for all, education for all–why choose the one part of his job that requires unquestioning obediance?
It is also unjust to only show a small group of students exclusively for one candidate in a public school setting. (It should also be of concern in any school setting- private or public.) Children deserve to research the candidate of their choice and come to their own conclusions. A video of student’s being inspired, or not, by any of the candidates encourages democracy, ie: thinking, evaluating, then acting. This video is suitable for a dictatorship only.