Glimpsed a bit of "PBS Kids" promotional material this morning. One of the Sesame Street people and Oscar were on TV informing me that "PBS Kids" programs help children "understand others and respect differences." Period.

This is precisely what's wrong with PBS these days.

First, what is a TV show reasonably going to do to help children "understand others?" I mean, we adults have a lot of trouble "understanding others" -- there's an entire field called "psychiatry" oriented towards this, and it's so primitive it's still mostly a soft (or "psuedo-") science.

I've spent the last several years in earnest effort trying to understand how people whom I disagree in certain areas reach their conclusions and I've gotten roughly nowhere. (Mostly because they clam up or get angry or insulting when I start asking "Why?" So start to I suspect the answer is to be found on the psychiatrist's couch, not in the realm of rational thought.)

If we adults can't fathom certain people's behavior, how on earth are children going to "understand others"? I think the next phrase sheds light on where "PBS Kids" is going with this...

Second, they're going to teach our children to "respect differences." This is absurd and stupid. I don't want my children to "respect differences" -- some differences are good, some are bad, some are neutral. Just because it's different doesn't mean my child shold respect it. Look, Yolanda, see how that little girl kicks puppies? That isn't how we've raised you, but we should respect her behavior.

Poppycock.

Do I have to point this out to a bone-headed world? We don't respect things, including our holy and sacred "differences", we should respect people. (Usually.) PBS doesn't apparently think people are worthy of respect, only the differences they exhibit.

I'd be much happier if "PBS Kids" said they were going to teach my kids to "understand differences and respect others". That would be a huge improvement! Understanding differences implies thinking about them: their origins, whether they are good or bad. "Respecting differences" implies blind acceptance. "Understanding others" is unreasonable, "respecting others" can be done with no understanding. Yes, Yolanda, I know you don't understand why Mom is telling you to do this, but you must trust and respect your Mom.

Of course -- betraying my Christian stripes here -- what I truly want is for my child not to "understand" nor "respect" others (for indeed, not all are worthy of respect) but rather to "love" others.

And by "love" I don't mean "like a lot". I mean act in the best interest of others. I mean treat others as she'd wish to be treated. At least in her little rudimentary child-like way.

Instead, my child is only supposed "understand others", and come away with no feeling about these others other than a blind "respect" for everything which is a difference!

The other thing I'd like my kids to get out of "PBS Kids" would be literacy and learning. Recognizing the alphabet, learning a bit of Spanish or rudimentary physics, or seeing how pecan log rolls are made would all be useful. I want my child to learn things, not understand every other inscrutible person.

But no, we get this PC-crap where are children are not to learn anything, but instead must have a certain uncritical mindset foisted upon them, with the impossible end goal of pretending to understand "others", while actually not having the slightly clue as to what makes "others" tick.

How many people at PBS understand my point here?

Since it's clear they don't (e.g. literacy is not emphasized), why should we expect they'd be any better at teaching our children to "understand"?

See also: Why I Don't Give to KETC