Who Are the Children?
This week, environmental activist Greta Thunberg was named the Time Person of the Year. For most people, this news elicited a nod of approval at best, a disapproving shake of the head at worst, or even mild surprise that Time is still being published. But as we know by now, the “President” of the United States doesn’t bother much with the subtler emotions. And so, in keeping with his typical M.O., he went on Twitter and fulminated about the selection. What motivated the Leader of the Free World to attack the character of a 16-year-old? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he was snubbed for the honor she received. Or perhaps he saw the video of Thunberg scowling at him when their paths briefly crossed and decided that she was “nasty” (a frequent epithet used to describe women who have the temerity to disagree with him).
Whatever the case may be, attacks from the right toward Thunberg are certainly nothing new. From questioning her credentials as an activist to mocking her for having Asperger’s, no line of criticism has been out of bounds. But as they would contend, that’s the way it should be — after all, if she wants the spotlight, she has to take the heat that comes with it, regardless of her age.
Last week, during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in its impeachment hearing for Donald Trump, Prof. Pamela Karlan made the following statement: “While the president can name his son Barron, he can’t make him a baron.” This seemingly innocuous, even banal, comment elicited howls of outrage from conservatives. Melania Trump, Barron’s mother and the spokesperson for an anti-bullying campaign dubbed “Be Best,” swiftly denounced Karlan. Conservative voices like Donald Trump Jr. piled on the Fake Outrage Express by decrying the vicious smear tactics of liberals. Conservatives like Don Jr. never get away with stuff like that! Life can be so cruel.
Adults are fair game, you see, but children are sacrosanct. Of course, this standard has been applied haphazardly where the children of presidents are concerned, but the point remains: under no circumstances is it appropriate to insult them, even if said “insult” is to engage in mild wordplay with the First Son’s name in order to make a larger point about his father’s imperial policies.
Over the past several months, the current administration has been strongly condemned for its policy of indefinitely holding tens of thousands of migrants from the southern border — including teenagers, young children, and infants — in detention centers that have been uniformly described as overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe. In addition to the squalid conditions of these centers, and the suspension of due process for detainees, there has been a concerted effort to separate families as a punitive measure to discourage other migrants from crossing the border.
But it’s not fair to bring up the whole “children in cages” thing because it was the fault of their parents for attempting to bring them to this country in the first place. And if you view it in a certain light, the whole situation is actually pretty funny! No matter how “innocent” the children involved may be, they must pay the price for their “illegal” parents looking to escape social and political ills at home and forge better lives for themselves in the Land of the Free.
Earlier this year, the Indigenous Peoples March was held on the National Mall in Washington D.C. This demonstration and march to protest injustices against indigenous peoples was crashed by a group of white male students from Covington Catholic High School. In an emblematic image that has since gone viral, one of the Covington teens — clad, like many of his fellow students, in a red MAGA hat — confronted an indigenous activist. Many saw the incident as an attempt to intimidate the activist and belittle his cause.
But that’s now how others, including the “President,” saw things. (You’ll no doubt recall that this same individual saw good people on “both sides” of the Charlottesville debate, so it can hardly be said that he isn’t willing to see the best in people when properly motivated.) In their minds, the Covington kids were unfairly smeared by the “fake news” media. In fact, the media was so egregious in its false depiction of these innocent angels that the smirking kid decided to sue NBC News for it. Because there is no worse crime that can be perpetrated against young people in this country than a loss of reputation.
But that maxim only applies if you meet certain baseline qualifications for humanity. Other children who aren’t as privileged aren’t afforded the same luxury. Where a young man like Trayvon Martin is concerned, we get right-wing hacks musing about what heinous acts they might have committed had they lived. Or if you’re Mike Brown, you get baseless speculation as to whether he committed a crime that justified his murder. Naturally, this tendency to speak ill of the dead is hardly limited to children. But any instinct to temper those criticisms, deserved or otherwise, because they’re children doesn’t exist except in certain, select circumstances. And if you’re not sure what those circumstances might be, never fear — a conservative will helpfully inform you in the most hyperbolic manner possible.
So the next time you hear one of these noble guardians go all Maude Flanders on social media or on the airwaves, ask yourselves this: whose children are they referring to and whose children are implicitly excluded?
