Domestic Tranquility and Political Activism

I like domestic tranquillity. That's why I always try to keep controversy out of my house. Where, then, have my kids (11 and 13 years old) obtained their political beliefs? Not from me or my wife. True, we read the New York Times daily—which, even in this distant place, is delivered to our doorstep before 4:00AM—but we hardly ever talk politics at home. The only time politicos ever get any shrift in our house is just before elections and even then it is often "a pox on both your houses." Why is it, then, that my eleven year old son stomped out of the room the other night when Reagan appeared on television? "I hate that guy!" he said, and went off to his room to read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". I'm not particularly fond of Mr. Reagan either—but I've never let on to my son; believing, supreme rationalist that I am, that one's children should make up their own minds about politics and religion.

Living in one of the few cities in the country that cast a majority for Mondale/Ferraro in 1984, my wife and I always have to remind ourselves that Reagan won by a landslide. When I travel the country, I look at all those people travelling with me and think: "You look normal, yet 65% of you voted for Reagan!" But then I remind myself that this is the television age, and that these people voted for Reagan like they might have voted for Walter Cronkhite or Johnny Carson. It had nothing to do with politics or government. But then—and this is what scares me—maybe elections have nothing to do with politics or government. Could it be that the whole purpose of the election is so the television networks can broadcast the results on the election night, the way they broadcast the Academy Award winners? If this is so, then maybe my son hates Reagan not because he's a bad president, but because he doesn't have the right T.V. presence for a kid who was raised on MTV and the A- Team. Maybe my generation likes Reagan because he reminds us of that pop star of our youth, Lawrence Welk. In which case, when my son gets old enough he'll be giving his vote to Bruce Springsteen, or the next popular television personality.

Now that I think of it, maybe I should talk politics with my kids...

. . . Thomas D. Brock . . .

© Copyright 1987
Institute for domestic Tranquility