It's a sad state of affairs when parents are apparently buying these backpacks with the hope of preserving their kid's life. In all honesty, I think they've got it backwards. When a child is actually putting their life on the line to receive a below-average education, something is horribly wrong. Bullet-proof backpacks are like putting a Band-Aid on a tumor, but it fits right in with parents who would rather spend some money--$175 in this case--on a quick fix instead of making the investment of educating their children by means outside of the school system. Maybe the thought never occurs to them that all these homeschooling families might be onto something. Maybe if the homeschoolers can make it work, they can too. Maybe? You betcha.
* About the video itself:
- Having grown up near Littleton, I did not appreciate the use of stills from Columbine High School shootings to sell a product. Using tragedy to sell products (WTC coin, anyone?) is not new, but that doesn't mean it's good taste or even moral to do so
- I feel that the whole presentation is just a little too grisly. It takes a particularly bad turn when the guy starts hacking at the shield with a machete and a hatchet. It doesn't exactly smell like sharp pencils and apples for the teacher.
- Parent Dish also points out that Neil Young's Ohio is used, perhaps illegally, as a narrative to the images selling the backpacks. The Kent State shootings in 1970 were by Ohio National Guardsmen under entirely different (but still tragic) circumstances. Why are they using that song? I am left to wonder what they might be implying
4 comments:
And for those that are actually called to be a light in the public school system, the "bullet-proof back pack" for the soul...10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
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Andrew, I understand your point about being a light in a dark world and that we are battling spiritual forces. What remains unsaid, however, is who is being called--and how many are being called--into these physical and spiritual battle zones.
Let me take it from another angle. If we were in a war with another country, or worse, a non-governmental organization, who would you pick as qualified to go in there with you: a ten-year old girl or a nineteen-year old man? It would obviously depend on the nature of the child, but by and large, you would likely pick the man over the girl because the man is more suited to the tasks in combat situations.
In the same way, most children are not suited to be in these war zones we call schools and they are forced to adapt to the harsh conditions, with varying degrees of failure because no one emerges from school unscathed. You may find one or two children per school who have a special call on their lives to be that light and carry the burden of battle as a Christian, but that is by far a minority. Those that are actually called are very few. The rest simply try to survive, and that is a daily tragedy.
Steve, you're right about the backpacks being a band-aid; they just aren't sufficient to deal with any real problem. But I disagree with your assessment that parents would really see this as a quick fix. Rather, these backpacks are more likely to be an attempt to exert a tiny shred of control over an out-of-control situation in an out-of-control system. Parents haven't been empowered to guide or reform public schools for a long time now, and this is their only recourse to do right by their children.
Yes, these parents should definitely choose homeschooling; no question. Unfortunately, I think that not every parent has the confidence to completely step out in faith in an effort to reclaim their children's education for the Kingdom. Or perhaps, more accurately, too many parents have too much misplaced confidence and faith in atheistic academics.
I hope we can inspire more people to reach beyond themselves and their own weaknesses to be "boot camp" for their children, training them in the full armor of God, teaching them how to use it, and thoroughly briefing them on the nature of the struggle. It is far worse for the Kingdom to bus our cadets to their training in a battle behind enemy lines, and far better if we build an army within our own territory and on our own terms, and then to send them, unembattled, into the fray when they are spiritually mature.
Pamela,
Well said. Your points are good and you've put a lot of thought into it. Thank you for contributing!
Steve
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