For The Children (politics)
Encyclopedia
Citing the interests of children is a rationale that is sometimes given for why something should or should not be done.
It can also be seen as:
technology columnist Andrew Kantor stated in an article about website filtering software that "Do it for the children" was common in debating matters of education, health, culture, and crime. He claims that this is because people think children are impressionable. that youth-related crime is particularly harmful and that the rhetoric has been applied to many varied political agenda
s, sometimes with little or no relevance.
and content-control software
of offensive material is often justified as being done "for the children". One of the most large-scale examples was the Green Dam Youth Escort
, which was a failed attempt by the People's Republic of China
to mandate internet content-control for all children in the country (it had numerous failures and controversies).
A recent example of this avoidance of a purely logical, practical debate can be seen in the Australian government's attempt to institute a mandatory ISP level Internet filter. Opponents of the filter claim that it will not work on the basis of costs, practicality as it will be easy to circumvent, and their fears on what it may mean for free speech in the country as it would give the government the ability to censor any website secretly.
The EFA, Electronic Frontiers Australia, has been one of the most vocal Internet-based critics of the proposed filter. Much of the government's argument for the filter has been based on the premise that the Internet can be dangerous for children and therefore must be censored, blocking out many of the arguments of the Internet-sector, the business sector and the majority of the Australian political left wing. Prime Minister Ms. Gillard stated that the filter was more of a "moral judgment" that the government had to make than a practical-based policy.
It can also be seen as:
- a rationalization/justificationRationalization (psychology)In psychology and logic, rationalization is an unconscious defense mechanism in which perceived controversial behaviors or feelings are logically justified and explained in a rational or logical manner in order to avoid any true explanation and made consciously tolerable by plausible means...
- a political tool
- a rhetorical phrase (e.g. "but think of the children")
- an appeal to emotionAppeal to emotionAppeal to emotion is a potential fallacy which uses the manipulation of the recipient's emotions, rather than valid logic, to win an argument. The appeal to emotion fallacy uses emotions as the basis of an argument's position without factual evidence that logically supports the major ideas endorsed...
Occurrence
USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
technology columnist Andrew Kantor stated in an article about website filtering software that "Do it for the children" was common in debating matters of education, health, culture, and crime. He claims that this is because people think children are impressionable. that youth-related crime is particularly harmful and that the rhetoric has been applied to many varied political agenda
Political agenda
A political agenda is a set of issues and policies laid out by an executive or cabinet in government that tries to influence current and near-future political news and debate....
s, sometimes with little or no relevance.
As justification for censorship
Internet censorshipInternet censorship
Internet censorship is the control or suppression of the publishing of, or access to information on the Internet. It may be carried out by governments or by private organizations either at the behest of government or on their own initiative...
and content-control software
Content-control software
Content-control software, also known as censorware or web filtering software, is a term for software designed and optimized for controlling what content is permitted to a reader, especially when it is used to restrict material delivered over the Web...
of offensive material is often justified as being done "for the children". One of the most large-scale examples was the Green Dam Youth Escort
Green Dam Youth Escort
Green Dam Youth Escort is content-control software for Windows developed in the People's Republic of China . Originally under a directive from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to take effect on 1 July 2009, it was to be mandatory to have either the software pre-installed, or...
, which was a failed attempt by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
to mandate internet content-control for all children in the country (it had numerous failures and controversies).
Usage to circumvent logical debate
It is possible to claim that something is being done "for the children" as support in a logical argument, or as a counterargument. If used to avoid logical debate, it is a thought-terminating cliché. Doing something "for the children" is not a logical fallacy per se, for example, it is perfectly reasonable to suggest and legislate that "We should add traffic lights next to schools so that children do not easily get run over by cars."A recent example of this avoidance of a purely logical, practical debate can be seen in the Australian government's attempt to institute a mandatory ISP level Internet filter. Opponents of the filter claim that it will not work on the basis of costs, practicality as it will be easy to circumvent, and their fears on what it may mean for free speech in the country as it would give the government the ability to censor any website secretly.
The EFA, Electronic Frontiers Australia, has been one of the most vocal Internet-based critics of the proposed filter. Much of the government's argument for the filter has been based on the premise that the Internet can be dangerous for children and therefore must be censored, blocking out many of the arguments of the Internet-sector, the business sector and the majority of the Australian political left wing. Prime Minister Ms. Gillard stated that the filter was more of a "moral judgment" that the government had to make than a practical-based policy.
In legislation
- scaremongering, rationalization, rhetoric: Anita BryantAnita BryantAnita Jane Bryant is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and gay rights opponent. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5...
's Save Our ChildrenSave Our ChildrenSave Our Children, Inc. was a political coalition formed in 1977 in Miami, Florida, U.S. to overturn a recently legislated county ordinance that banned discrimination in areas of housing, employment, and public accommodation based on sexual orientation...
campaign in 1977 was successful in repealing a Dade County, Florida ordinance which outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientationSexual orientationSexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. "By focusing on the idea that gays and lesbians were somehow threatening to children, Bryant had created an incredibly powerful rhetorical focus for social conservatives. In 1981, Jerry Falwell echoed her language in a fundraising letter that reminded his followers, "Please remember, homosexuals don't reproduce! They recruit! And they are out after my children and your children."
- political foothold, justification: The Green PartyGreen Party of Aotearoa New ZealandThe Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...
's billboard campaign in the 2008 New Zealand electionNew Zealand general election, 2008The 2008 New Zealand general election was held on 8 November 2008 to determine the composition of the 49th New Zealand parliament. The conservative National Party, headed by its Parliamentary leader John Key, won a plurality of votes and seats, ending 9 years of government dominated by the social...
includes a picture of a young girl with the words "Vote for me", and a baby in a pram giving the viewer the finger, under the caption "Vote Green, or your grandchildren will be really pissed off!"
- political foothold, justification: Australian Communications Minister Stephen ConroyStephen ConroyStephen Michael Conroy is an Australian politician and the current Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in the Gillard Ministry...
has billed his internet censorship scheme as being for the purpose of protecting the children, despite concerns from organizations such as Save The ChildrenSave the ChildrenSave the Children is an internationally active non-governmental organization that enforces children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries...
, GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, Yahoo, and Reporters Without BordersReporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
In society
- rhetorical usage, justification: The white power 'Fourteen WordsFourteen WordsThe Fourteen Words is a phrase used predominantly by white nationalists. It most commonly refers to the 14-word slogan: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children", and it can also refer to another 14-word slogan: "Because the beauty of the White Aryan women must...
' motto created by David Lane: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."
- rationalization: In 1998, after Puff Daddy won the Grammy Award for Best Rap AlbumGrammy Award for Best Rap AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
, an indignant Ol' Dirty BastardOl' Dirty BastardRussell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
,felt the Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
deserved to win, interrupted the awards show to proclaim, "I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best."
In popular media
- The phrase "Won't somebody please think of the children?" is a running gagRunning gagA running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
on The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, most often exclaimed by the minister's wife Helen Lovejoy, whenever the town faces a problem however minor or catastrophic.
- The viral image "Cliché Kitty" which has the tagline "Please, think of the kittens" is another comic use of this idea.