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| Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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My kids aren't the least bit politically inquisitive. In a most sense that's fine: there's wisdom enough in letting them learn about the world at their own pace, and there's plenty about childhood to enjoy while they can enjoy it. On the other hand, I feel it's my parental duty not to whitewash (so to speak) the fact that the world is an ugly, unforgiving place. When they ask about it (they don't much), I tell them, doing my best to keep it in terms they can get their heads around.
More often, it's a matter of getting contradictory ideas in their heads. "How come," I ask, " the rich kids get better toys on Christmas?" (They know, they don't want to admit it.) Lately, it's been US history for my fifth grader, the early stuff, colonial times and revolutionary highlights. The material bothers me a little. Yeah, there's so much the they can really understand, and the kiddies do need to get told what the US is philosophically about, more or less, and get to the most important moments. On one hand, I get the sugar-coating and don't object, but not everything behind it was good, or turned out good, not by any means. Okay, the colonists wanted freedom, and on many levels, their cause was indeed just, but, "Did the black colonists want freedom too, M-? What were the girls doing?" Nice that the Indians get so much mention in kids' versions of early American history, but colonialism doesn't generally work out great f or the locals. "It's not like they invited us. And where did they all go, sweetie?"
(For a report, she recently described the loyalists during the Revolution as elitists, "who looked down on the revolting colonists." I'll be even happier when I don't have to explain unintentional humor.) |
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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My nieces and nephews are between 15-21 Keith. They're very interested in the latest gadgets, iPods, blackberrys, that sort of thing. Politics not so much, although my godson Dan, who just turned 21, is starting to ask lots of questions.
One of the points I made (tried to make) wit my first Bowman and Spearman post on the fray, was that one big difference between then and now is the lack of a draft. In 1968, I was 8 1/2 (not 9/12, sorry, my brain's math function took a break for a few minutes while I wrote this.) I have a brother who is 4 years older than me (Dan's dad.) When my brother was 15, he was already totally focused on the Vietnam War, because his ping pong ball was about to enter the hopper in a few years. He was 17 when the choppers took off from the Saigon Embassy. It was close.
With a draft, everyone was feeling the heat. Everyone had a son, or knew someone who had a son, that was of draft age. People were splitting for Canada. People were burning their draft cards. People like Ali were going to jail. Young people were so much more aware of the Vietnam War in 1968 than young people of today are tuned in to the Iraq debacle. I wonder if that would be the case if we still had a draft.
Lincoln said a long time ago, "If you want a bad law off the books, strictly enforce it." I think it's true, and in the same spirit, if we really want to bring about a swift end to the Iraq War, we should bring back the draft. Then we'd see some real protests. Like the good old days.
I'm not sure how I'd explain to a child the history of America, especially the tough questions about how our ancestors treated Native Americans, about how people used to be bought and sold like cattle, and about how women used to be property. It's a great country, but we've got some skeletons.
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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Yeah, it was different 40 years ago, even if a lot of the themes are repeating themselves. No one's got the spectre of combat looming over them just yet.
(My Dad stayed home making bullets in '68. My uncle went, and has never talked about the experience.)
I have mixed feelings about the draft. On one hand, you can take the argument that it prevents the abuse of a government against its citizens. Not so easy to hack up a generation on the whims of the commanders. On the other hand, we've had five years of war whose consequences have accrued more or less in secret. Which is worse? The sneakiness is beyond alarming, but we're still at an order of magnitude lower casualty rate, you know, so far (and depending how you count).
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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Hey dudes. Nice piece. I'm going to be in Chicago for my stepson's graduation from Kellogg in a week or so. Regrettably, every minute has been scheduled by now. But I'll be back -- it's such a short hop and we have so many friends in Chicago. I always wonder why we don't go there more. In the event we get a cancellation of Some Special Event, I'd love to get in touch.
And your piece reminds me of a fellow who was a good friend of my husband's. He was a big Chicago Democratic political operative who went very Anti-Daley. Anti-Daley enough to give the world Governor Walker, who it turned out had his own problems. He ran campaigns for Abner Mikva and a US Senator who shall remain unmentioned because he concluded that backing that horse was a mistake. He died unexpectedly a year or two ago, and his memorial service was emceed, essentially, by Mikva and ended with a New Orleans style second line band leading us across the street. His widow is someone we will be visiting. I wish he could have seen Obama's rise. He would have SO been working on that one.
As for the kid angle, my kid's learned suspiciously little about the origins of the US, in part, they tell me, because they wait until the kids are older so the tales are less, uhm, fairytale and presented with somewhat more complexity. We'll see. |
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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Maria~
I vividly recall watching Walker updates on the news every night. The idea to walk across the state was brilliant. Unfortunately, Danny couldn't get along with either party in Springfield, so the Walker years were very similar to the Carter years. Not much got done.
I thought Walker's "police riot" summary was a bit simplistic. Daley certainly ran this city like any good dictator, but they were rioting in the streets on the Southwest Side after Martin got whacked. Burning houses and stores. Police action was necessary. From that, there was a certain carryover I think to the DNC. Grant Park was where the cops got ugly.
Ab Mikva is a titan in Illinois politics, and has had a huge influence on Senator Obama's career. I hope Ab lives long enough to see President Obama's 8 years in office.
Kellogg eh? Now that's the business there (pun intended.) Great school, and I'm sure he's positioned well for a bright business career. MBA? Northwestern's grad program is top notch, as I got to witness first hand in 1986-7-8. The ex went to NU Law, and I was fortunate enough to meet many of the monsters teaching there. Justice Stevens presided over the Moot Court finals, and the ex got to argue her case to him. Pretty cool huh? I had goosebumps watching it.
Some day we'll get together for a few drinks, and I'll tell you and your husband a fascinating story of intrigue, double-dealing, back room double-crosses, and the ugly side of the Illinois judicial system.(check out the 11th paragraph) Can't really write too much about it now, although I am considering making the sordid case of the Jeanine Nicarico murder the subject of my first book. Working title: Prosecutor for the Defense. |
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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MBA indeed. He's staying in Chicago to work at one of those consultant shops.
I met Walker at the funeral too, along with a bunch of other Illinois Democratic power brokers. The Daley machine was notably missing, though I'm told they sent a card. Mikva is totally charming.
What a great case! Get on it, brother. It's got the makings of a great book. So start it before the guy who wrote "The Devil in the White City" takes your place. (A fun little Chicago-based read it is). |
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| Re: Spearman, Bowman, having kids |
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The Nicarico case has already been made into a book by Frisbie and Garrett.
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