Arkansas boy expresses opinions, exercises rights

This video recently came to my attention:

At first, I was fascinated and touched by the boy’s dedication to his cause and impressed by the thoughtful answers he gave.

Then I realized that the child, Will, was by far more clear, concise and to the point in his answers than his father, who avoided any discussion of the issue at hand (gay rights). Unlike his forcefully opinionated son, he gives no personal opinion on the matter, nor makes any statements showing support for his son’s actions. At no point in the interview does he so much as use the word “gay.” He is careful to convey his horror upon finding out that his child has misbehaved, and to be clear that an apology was made. Maybe he’s afraid of being called a “gay wad.”

Of course, the reporter didn’t actually ask any topical questions of the father, so can you blame him?

Under the video, the website www.current.com published this caption (including the misspelling), an indicator of the true focus of the piece: “Is it me or are kids a lot more well spoken these day?” The story was covered as a novelty — aww, look at the precocious, little, opinionated idealist — rather than a real issue — gay rights.

The message from CNN is: it’s okay to ask the child direct questions about gay marriage, because he’s just a harmless little kid; it’s not okay, however, to encourage the father to offer an answer on the controversial issue, because that would provoke real discussion.

I’m left wondering: if long-trusted news sources like CNN — the first TV channel dedicated completely and totally to constant, live news coverage — cannot be relied upon to provide the American public with significant, thought-provoking material on today’s issues of national importance, who (or what) can we rely on?

Advertisement