Kids Don’t Think Congress Has Their Best Interests In Mind With Their Grandstanding ‘Protect The Children’ Hearing::We’ve covered a few stories this week related to the Senate hearing on “kids safety” and there’s going to be a lot more in the coming weeks as those same Senators grandstand and yell about “protect the children!” and generally make fools of themselves. I think Casey Newton’s summary of the spectacle is about right:…

  • gregorum@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    Congratulations kids. You officially know all you need to about Congress.

  • phoneymouse@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    If they cared about kids they’d do something about school shootings, stop blocking food stamps, go after religious figures that sexually abuse children, pass universal healthcare, and a myriad of other things. Congress, and particularly Republicans, don’t care about children AT ALL. Children are a political talking point, a useful point of leverage, for them, but that’s it.

    Going after tech companies is useful in two ways:

    1. It distracts from going after the actually things that harm children (gun manufacturers, poverty, child molester priests) and lets politicians look tough.

    2. They can beat up tech companies that mostly are from blue states without jeopardizing traditional donor base.

  • Pika@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    man I’m almost 30 and I don’t think that anyone in Congress shares my best interests in mind lol, I’m and I’m starting to feel that way with the judicial branch. I’m legitimately beginning to think that the only real solution to it all is to just leave the country.

  • TurtleJoe@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I think KOSA is a terrible bill. I’ve written both my senators about it. It only takes a couple minutes.

  • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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    9 months ago

    I’ve been fairly certain Congress doesn’t have my best interests in mind since the Iraq War. Most of what’s happened since then has only solidified that opinion.

  • SpiceDealer@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I don’t want Congress raising our nation’s children. They always use their “protect children” dog whistle to cause panic and yet get nowhere. Parents should really stop asking the government to raise their children for them.

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      What a silly completely uninformed take!

      • In one corner, parents who want to do the best for their children.
      • In the other corner, a 600 pound gorilla that is intent on fucking up their children…

      Governments need to regulate businesses. No one wants the to raise children.

      Parents stand no chance against teams of trained psychologist, behavioral testing, limitless A/B testing, and the constant application of external pressure on both parents and children in a hyper targeted environment. That shows unrealistic Views into other people’s lives, emphasises hate, anger, envy because it gets clicks and engagement.

      Where the only way to win is not to play, but this is also not an option because society demands it. Governments on Facebook, Twitter and such.

      Fuck (gambling) commercials, micro transactions, children targeted apps, xxx as-a-service, it all normalizes the predation on children and will no doubt affect future generations.

  • ctkatz@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    I could have told them that. congress knows about school shootings and child poverty and healthcare and ineffective methods of teaching and they overwhelmingly choose not to do anything about it.

    legislating mentions of homosexuality and transgenders out education doesn’t protect kids. refusing to acknowledge history to “protect” one subset of kids feelings doesn’t protect kids. and using kids as political chips because they don’t have agency doesn’t protect kids. it really and solely protects the old establishment which is becoming smaller and more irrelevant to society every day.

    I don’t have kids myself but I would tell them that anyone who claims to speak for you you need to listen to what they are saying and decide for yourself if they are speaking for you. because I am for damn sure the vast majority are only appealing to the parents, not the kids.

  • abhibeckert@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Um… as a parent, there’s no way kids know what is good for them.

    Not saying congress is right, but we shouldn’t be asking kids. Sorry to any kids reading this.

    • bstix@feddit.dk
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      9 months ago

      The point of the article isn’t to ask the kids. It’s to display that congress is doing such a poor charade that even kids, who are supposed to understand nothing, fully understands that congress is doing obvious bullshit.

      • ctkatz@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        the lesson that I’m afraid is being taught is that if we vote for our leaders and our leaders not only do nothing but act like they are or will do something just to get elected that voting is meaningless. I don’t want to perpetuate the thought that nothing will change so don’t bother voting because then nothing really will change.

    • the_q@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Oh yeah… We got a typical “my way or the highway” parent who thinks their children aren’t human beings with their own thoughts and emotions.

      • valek879@sh.itjust.works
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        9 months ago

        I mean that’s cool but also not really a rebuttal to the user above. Now the person above is not correct. Kids absolutely know when they’re getting the short end of a deal or at least when it comes to stuff they care about. And Congress didn’t give a flying fuck about the good of the children or we’d have a food guarantee for all children and single prayer health care already.

    • iiGxC@slrpnk.net
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      9 months ago

      Either the kids are right and congress is failing them, or the kids are wrong and congress is failing to communicate to them. Either way it’s a problem and the adults are failing the kids

    • GeneralVincent@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      As a parent, there is a way for kids to know what’s good for them.

      What kids lack is experience and emotional maturity, not an understanding of their needs. If you actually listen to kids, they’ll surprise you with their observant, creative, and intelligent minds.

      No, we shouldn’t rely solely on what they say, but to exclude them entirely from the conversation is wrong for so many reasons

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Unless your children are under 2, you are doing them an enormous disservice by dismissing their views on the world like this. Children understand a lot more than you think and you can have wonderfull conversations on meaningfully subjects with kids under 10 even… above 10 they will even amaze you more.

    • wahming@monyet.cc
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      9 months ago

      All the bad choices and dumb decisions I made as a kid… Everybody downvoting this is either a kid or suffering from amnesia.

      • Silver Golden@lemmy.brendan.ie
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        9 months ago

        All the bad choices and dumb decisions I made as an adult…

        Being older dosent stop ye from making stupid mistakes, heck it’s more likely ye make bigger mistakes that are harder to fix

      • Richard@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Or have you considered the possibility that that might just have been a “you problem”?

      • the_q@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Did you ever consider you were a shitty kid and that your experience isn’t everyone’s?