Modern Day Oppression

Long after woman's suffrage, long after the emancipation of the slaves, another injustice lurks in our "land of the free". Here there is a forgotten group, looked down on, ignored, ordered around, and in some cases, abused. Who are these poor people, you may ask yourselves.  Perhaps the more perceptive of you have already guessed. Many of you probably belong to this very group, as I myself do. The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is children.1

Now, I'm not talking babies and infants, this injustice is more directed at older children and teens. Now I'm sure many adults out there, reading this, will be putting it down right about now, if they even got this far, but rest assured, I will back this up. Just bear with me a little longer, if you will. 2

This entire piece was inspired by a fine example of childhood oppression. A friend of mine, and fellow writer, was recently subjected to severe oppression in its worst form. It was aimed at her writing.3

Ok, ok, oooh, big deal, right? It may not seem like that big of a deal, but, if you can't even write without being micro-managed, what can you do? Self expression and all that, key word being self. That being said, on with the story. 4

Since I don't wish to bore you with lengthy explanations and personal details, I will first give out the facts. My friend will, in this paper, be called Jenny. Her English teacher, the perpetrator of this crime, will be called Mrs. Johnson. The time is first period. 5

In this thrilling tale, a writing prompt is given, ideas are rejected, and councilors are summoned. Mrs. Johnson, English teacher non-extraordinaire, gives our heroine, Jenny, the choice of three generic writing prompts, two of which she must brainstorm, and one of which she must write about. The two prompts she chose were to write about her dream job, and her dream destination. Perhaps bit by the travel bug, as I am, she chose to write about her dream destination. She chose the North Pole. Now, here are her reasons, as she listed them to me. 6

~Snow
~Flying reindeer
~Santa Claus
~Wookies7

Perhaps not the most realistic reasons, but certainly imaginative, and such a generic, boring prompt almost demanded something a little out of the ordinary. At this point in time, the smooth road runs out, and we hit our first pothole.8

The teacher objects to Jenny's choices. To be fair, she has forbidden other classes to use imaginary creatures, and obviously wants to avoid discrimination. Allow me to insert a bit of my own opinion here. Mrs. Johnson should have thought of that before she told them to start brainstorming.9

Jenny replies that A) Its her writing piece, not Mrs. Johnsons, and the assignment stated no such restriction. 10

Mrs. Johnson insists. True to form, Jenny replies that, well, if Mrs. Johnson wants run-of-the-mill work, then that is exactly what she will get. She re-brainstorms, and this is what she comes up with. 11

~To see the sites
~To get away from annoying family...
~...and to get away from an English 9 class in which the writings have to cater to the teacher's wishes12

I'll freely admit, it could have been handled with more tact. However, I don't believe that all the tact in the world would have changed anything. Adults seem perpetually convinced they are in the right when it comes to children. Would Mrs. Johnson have treated a fellow adult thus? Probably not. 13

Mrs. Johnson retaliates with assigning Jenny a visit to the school counselor, perhaps unable to fight her own battles.14

A side note on Mrs. Johnson, and English teachers in general. English teachers: Their job is not to tell you how to write, or what to write. Their job is to give you prompts to spark your imagination, and give you constructive criticism like the best reviewer there ever was. 15

Now that this tragic tale is complete, allow me to not bore you with any more. The examples are all around you.16

For stubborn skeptics, I suggest, if you are a child, compare your treatment to that of adults of similar temperament and intelligence. If you are an adult, please imagine an adult in their place next time you interact with a child. You might be surprised with how different your reactions would be. 17

For even more stubborn skeptics, who no doubt are writing this off as a child's unfounded complaining, I do make a few concessions that may make this a little more legitimate. Not all adults do this. Certainly, there are a select few that seem to be in touch with their inner child. Conversely, some children deserve to be treated thus, and I almost find myself unconsciously doing the same. Almost. I suggest all of you who find yourselves guilty of such acts acquire a similar self control.