Use Your Head

Since the summer of 2007, a shopping mall near our house has had a curfew in place on weekends for anyone under the age of 17. If those kids are without someone 21 years old or older, and it is after 4 p.m., they are to leave the premises.

I’ve been there at those times, with dozens of kids ratting around un-chaperoned. Sure the policy was in place, but it wasn’t enforced. Until now.

The mall recently announced it would begin strictly enforcing the curfew. This move comes in the wake of vandalism, fights, a food court employee getting beaten by teenage patrons, drug use and kids as young as 13 having sex in the parking lot. And the fact that they had a policy already in place.

The announcement of this enforcement, however, came with great fanfare. The local television media showed up in droves to cover the story. Some teens felt it unfair. Most adults and employees at the mall celebrated it.

A few teens, though, took it a little too far. Sure there was the standard-operating-protest-procedure call for a boycott. But one used his MySpace page to suggest a violent response. Another commented on his page that they should “all take our guns and go in and kill everyone.” Those two boys have been arrested. I guess they didn’t realize that because they were 17 the curfew didn’t effect them.

There are too many problems at play here, including a lack of strong parental involvement, appropriate role models and sufficient security.

For now, let’s just look at the policy and the associated response. First, the call for violence reinforces the need for the curfew in the first place. In fact, it gives the mall a reason to have the curfew in place at all times.

Second, go ahead and boycott the mall, especially on Fridays and Saturdays after 4 p.m., when you’re not supposed to be there without a chaperone anyway. I don’t have the figures in front of me, but I would venture to say that your presence in the mall, even if you aren’t one of the hoodlums, added much economic benefit.

Third, some teens complained that it wasn’t fair to punish everyone for the bad acts of a few. They’re right it’s not fair. But don’t blame the mall, blame the few bad actors. By not having a blanket, enforceable policy in place, mall security and the sheriff’s deputies would be forced to profile the teens hanging out there, which leads to far greater problems and could cause them to misjudge in both directions, allowing young criminals in and keeping rule-followers out.

This situation, instead, provided teens an opportunity to demonstrate smart thinking, some maturity and a hefty dose of innovation and imagination. Here are a few examples:

• Work with the mall to create a Teen Zone, an area dedicated to them
• Negotiate for a later time in the day for the curfew
• Institute a special identification card that allows them in to the mall outside of the curfew and without a chaperone, if they promise to follow the rules; violating any rules would result in loss of the card; the fee for the card would go to adding mall security
• Put together a business plan for a venue that caters directly to them

This was (and maybe still is) the teens’ time to shine. To show that not everyone under the age of 17 is the same. To make a case for being able to gather with friends at the mall. And to maybe even make that time together more fun.

Oh well, I guess parents are just going to have to spend more time with their kids or find other ways to keep them out of trouble.

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Setting the Example

Over the last couple of weeks one of our local talk radio hosts was entertaining calls about the use of waterboarding as an interrogation technique. Most of the callers advocated for it, not because it was successful in getting answers, but because those terrorists would do it to us. Something you would expect in an emotional, irrational and often ignorant response.

A few days later, NPR ran this story about Judge Antonin Scalia’s interview on BBC, where he said that he saw nothing unconstitutional in using torture on detainees. It would only be unconstitutional if it were used as a form of punishment. If you’ll notice, he didn’t say it wasn’t illegal, just not unconstitutional.

In fact, The Washington Post printed a story in October 2006 showing the historical controversy over waterboarding, including the fact that it’s been successfully prosecuted, in the U.S., as a war crime.

We cannot and will not ever demonstrate to the world that our democratic way of life will bring oppressed people freedom and happiness when we say it is okay resorting to tactics that we have proven to be illegal when it serves our interests. Isn’t that what are supposedly rescuing them from?

Blatant hypocrisy is not the example we need to set. Adhering to our principles, our integrity and ethical and legal standards is what will make the difference. Proving that we can be and are a thriving nation by always doing what is right is what will bring down dictatorships and monarchies.

It’s unfortunate that too many of our own people see things differently. Maybe that’s the curse of living in a capitalist democratic republic with arrogant leadership.

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Grow Up

I was listening to this story from NPR with horror/disdain/incredulity as attendees to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) spewed venom toward John McCain for not being conservative enough and (GASP!) crossing the aisle to draft legislation. Many are so angry they are threatening to vote for the Democratic candidate in protest to his nomination.

I say, go ahead. Or grow up.

Taking a hardline ideological stance only ensures either legislative stalemates or laws that are written in such a way as to never pass. This goes for both Republicans and Democrats. And the politicians themselves thrive on that inability to accomplish anything meaningful, promising to continue fighting the good fight in support of our principles. What you don’t hear them saying is “even if we don’t get anything done.”

Time for a little disclosure here. I am a registered Democrat, although I haven’t always been. I will vote for candidates from either party based on my belief in their ability to get something done.

Now, I am not advocating McCain. In fact, when it comes time to vote in November, I am not sure whom I will favor. But the fact that McCain is not afraid to work with someone in drafting solid, compromise legislation that can pass Congress and receive the President’s signature shows me his dedication to serving the people of this country. At the risk to his own political career. He is consistent in his rhetoric and backs it up. He is real and realistic. There is a sense of authenticity.

It is time for EVERYONE to realize that there is no perfect candidate. Any candidate that is an identical match for your principles and ideals is in direct conflict with the majority of the nation. Instead, our candidates for office need to be more middle-of-the-road, willing to compromise for positive change. That doesn’t make them the same on every issue. That is not the point. They still have their own principles. Some will be more liberal in their views, while others more conservative. And those views may change based on the issues themselves.

Because elected officials represent the electorate they must work for progress of the common good, not the desires of any particular individual. It means making difficult decisions for everyone’s sake, even if some people will be upset–that is going to happen no matter what; it might as well be for a good reason.

I once had a history teacher that said, “A politician’s job is to get elected. Once elected, his job is to get re-elected.” I agree with that to a degree. Election campaigns must be based on what the individual is most likely to achieve for the greater good when in office, not through pandering, idle rhetoric and false promises.

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Arrogance Kills

Alright. That might be overstating a bit, but at the very least, arrogance can destroy – relationships, careers, organizations, nations, political campaigns, just about anything.

A post from Creative Generalist titled “Frenemies and Swing States”, which is based on Parag Khanna’s essay “Waving Goodbye to Hegemony”, got me to thinking about the root of many of the issues we face. It comes down to arrogance. Take a look:

Politics:

• The Bush Administration’s go-it-alone policies at home and abroad have sunk us ever deeper in record debt, a war with no end in site and a loss of respect and power worldwide (see Khanna’s essay). At the same time, he enjoys the lowest approval ratings of any president.
• States wanting to inflate their own self-importance jockey for position in the timing of their respective primaries and caucases. In response, the Democratic National Committee decides it is going to punish some of those states (namely, Michigan and Florida) by not allowing them convention delegates. And all of this helps whom how?

Organizations:

• I don’t think I need to rehash the goings on at Enron, Worldcom or Tyco, but you get the picture.
• The fight between the striking writers and production companies is about the companies not wanting to pay anything to writers from online content. The excuse that they don’t know how much potential there is in monetizing the entertainment medium is a red herring. The truth is they want all the income they can get on the front end before having to share. I suppose it never occurred to them to cut the writers in now, then work together on how to make it even more profitable.
• The sex-abuse scandals within the Catholic Church a due entirely to the air of superiority in the upper ranks.

I guess my point here is that confidence, mixed with a healthy dose of humility, compromise and compassion will go much farther in achieving greatness than bullying people around with your arrogance. That’s my thinking, anyway.

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