I guess the idea to talk about this came from a picture I came across while I was doing research on the anti-gay bill passed by the Nigerian senate at the end of last year. I won't go into my opinions on that very controversial issue, ;) but some of the things I discovered were just.. too much.
Once again, this is not about the issue of the bill itself, but this was just a quintessential representation of the fact that in a society where "heretics" of the norm are admonished, condemned and not given a voice, this "societal moral compass" is now being ingrained into the minds of the younger ones in such a way that they do not have a choice but to accept what "daddy told them" or what "pastor said was right and wrong". I mean look at that little boy smiling like he really knows what is going on.
Some may find it hard to agree with me because of the example I've chosen but I ask you to hear me out. Is it right for a child to be exposed to such an environment before they are even able to form an opinion of their own? Granted Nigeria has never been the most liberal or avant-garde of nations and of course parents have a duty to teach their children morals, morals which inevitably coincide with theirs, but the forceful involvement of a child in such PROACTIVE bashment at an age when ideally they shouldn't even know the difference, I simply can't agree with.
Just some food for thought...
I completely agree with your view on this isssue. The example you have chosen is quite controversial and even though I am not a proponent of same sex relationships, I believe that this process of engraving beliefs into children is not fair. It might seem ironic that I would say this after stating my disagreement with same sex relationships, but I arrived at this view from my own personal experiences. I think this a really important point you have raised because many issues in the world like racism for example are based on such exposures to children at a young age. You find that many racists are who they are because of what they were exposed to as children and are unable to back their beliefs up with concrete proof. If a child is to become racist, non-racist, proponent or opponent of same sex marriages later on in life, I believe that child should be given the chance to form those attitudes on a personal level and through experience.
ReplyDeleteVery well written piece Tayo!