The Coolest 8 Year Old In The World Talks About O'Reilly

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

(You Tube)

This video made Bill O'Reilly on Fox News go ballistic and start talking about child abuse--parents emotionally abusing children--and how to get the authorities involved.

After seeing it, the only thing I think was over the top was the partisan thing about the Republican Party in the middle of another kind of message. It sounded out of place.

Isn't it about time for a child to say in public that the emperor has no clothes on? There are lots of kids in the market who say he does have clothes on. (And they are certainly prompted by adults.)

I read in the You Tube comments people talking about indoctrination of hate in an 8 year old, etc. But I didn't hear hatred. All I heard her say was that religion preaches violence and killing people and adults need to learn what empathy is.

Well religion does--at least most organized religions do preach violence and killing people and adults do need to learn what empathy is.

What's so hateful about saying that?

Am I missing something here?

Michael

[Fran]

I was impressed by this video. She does have an extremely valid point. As a society we do go on about violence in TV and video games and yet ignore the explicit violence in the Bible and religion.

I wish I'd had YouTube when I was a kid - I also thought that the emperor had no clothes on, but was told I was wicked to say such a thing.

The emperor does have no clothes on, but too many adults are too afraid to admit it, because of what it will mean for their lives.

[Rich Engle]

Well religion does--at least most organized religions do preach violence and killing people and adults do need to learn what empathy is.

I totally understand your overall point, but beg to differ on the first part ("most religions do preach...").

I believe that is relegated primarily to fundamentalist and radical, er, "congregations" (more like loose aggregates comprised of whackos attempting to condition the vulnerable).

[Reidy]

Some religions have learned to behave themselves - Christianity at the time of the Enlightenment, Shinto at the end of WW2, Judaism a couple of thousand years ago - but this is in their essential scriptures just the same. Islam hasn't, and maybe Bhuddism didn't need to learn it.

Peter

Edited December 6, 2006 by Reidy

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Rich,

I wasn't clear. I didn't mean that organized religions actively preach violence anymore. That was an unfortunate excess of rhetoric on my part.

I meant that violence and killing were a part of the sacred writings and history of the major organized religions.

In my humble opinion, any sacred writing in any religion that contains exhortations to be violent and kill people, or that celebrate this, should be declared un-sacred.

Michael

[Rich Engle]

I hear you, MSK... I've thought about that a lot, and discussed it with a few religious academics.

It depends on the scripture in question, of course.

Like the Bible. The thing is a giant potpourri; history, poetry, religious teachings, parables. Everything but kitchen sinks and if you looked hard enough you'd probably find those, too.

And there's all the revision and translation. And in some cases people who jockeyed there stuff in there, I'm sure.

So it's never perfect, but it sure is interesting.

If I'm doing something with the Bible (which I rarely do anymore though I do have it in my software), I'm looking for what's good, true, beautiful. If it's not that, then I have no use for it.

Those commonalities you find in many religious writings...

If people read the Bible like fundies do, as direct word of The Big Guy, well, they're just ignorant and lazy.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Here is a 2-part edit of the original O'Reilly report with Child Advocate, Wendy Murphy, blasting the original video at the start of this thread, except the original girl has been removed and the following put in her place:

(1) The daughters of Tennessee politician Bob Corker (accused of financial misbehavior while Mayor of Chattanooga where several years of records disappeared) attesting to his honesty, and

(2) A young girl witnessing in a bowling alley.

It is funny how these types of public messages do not get blasted.

Michael

[John Dailey]

Mike:

~ Re the '8-yr old' YOU-TUBE kid: I checked a couple other 'cuts' on YOU-TUBE re this program, and must say that I almost barfed when I saw such advocacy re using 'emotional abuse' as a new reason to have laws monitoring parents. What 'signals' for such will school-teachers (and neighbors) be able to mis-interpret for calling cops THEN? --- There's spousal 'abuse', child 'abuse', animal 'abuse', liquor 'abuse', and a plethora of other 'abuses.' Unfortunate that no one sees that the worst 'abuse' is the use of the term itself! The term itselfe, 'abuse', is THE most abused thing nowadays.

~ Funny how the idea of kids being 'forced/bribed' (his words) to 'propagandize' only popped up now on O'Reilly. Hadn't heard much about what Muslim's or KKK's teach THEIR kids, or why 3rd-graders send letters. Must've been the subject of 'anti-religion' (like, it's ok for O'Reilly to be anti-'secular'), or the ref to Republicans.

LLAP

J:D

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

There's spousal 'abuse', child 'abuse', animal 'abuse', liquor 'abuse', and a plethora of other 'abuses.'

John,

There's also self-abuse, but I guess that's only aimed at those who practice rational self-interest...

Michael

[John Dailey]

Mike:

~ Hmmm...'self'-abuse (one of my 'plethora') you bring up. Maybe we can get O'Reilly to check out what govt laws or groups can be made to take care of that? I mean, the 'emotional' abuse involved in that (by one's own SELF, e-v-e-n!) is...beyond comprehension. WE NEED PROTECTION FROM OURSELVES! Thence, all others will be protected from us.

~ Definitely Bill O'Reilly's type of 'logic.'

LLAP

J:D