For The Kids

Fuck, this is like the 8th time I've tried to write this piece. Why? Because it requires a level of nuance that I'm not really sure I'm capable of giving. See, on one hand, I'm unmoved by children crying on stage for an obvious agenda. It doesn't really matter to me which side they are supporting. It's an old play, from an old playbook that everyone has seen. Everyone knows that the purpose of the child is to elicit an emotional response to an issue. That's why the child is there. Because for some reason, the "facts" the adults are presenting aren't getting the job done...which should say something and is the entire reason "facts" is in quotes (don't cherry-pick your data adults).On the other hand, I feel an extreme sense of pity for young people caught up in this type of activism. They are more than likely coached and prodded, manipulated to cry on command, to chastise adults for their "inaction" on any number of issues. In truth, it is a blatant machiavellian and transparent tactic. Anyone who uses this tactic should be ashamed of themselves for several things.First off, they should be ashamed because if they put half as much effort into researching their topic and delivering a data-backed speech as they did into coaching this child, they might actually convince people of their cause. They are intellectually lazy because it's easier to feed kids buzzwords and propaganda than it is to actually do the due diligence and use data. Why do the work when you can phone it in and get a kid to cry in front of millions of people?Secondly, they are using a child. Think about what kind of company someone who sees nothing wrong with manipulating a child. That couldn't ever go wrong, could it?Thirdly, if the child ever finds they've been misled or the truth they've been told is not exactly correct, I can't imagine that'd be good for their overall mental health.So for the kids, can we stop using kids to push our agendas? Can we do the work and own the fact that we need to be accurate and precise with data instead of dropping crying kids on the masses like some sort of Weapon Of Mass Emotional Manipulation? Can you share this with one of your friends who felt that it wasn't wrong to use a child?