You're welcome, Fred. Here's part of an op/ed piece where I spoke about that; the whole piece was published in some newspapers and then in a textbook and quoted by the head of the federal bureau of land management!**BG**

(Ironically, yesterday's Talk of the nation on NPR talked about this very thing, though they didn't identify it as critical thinking skills per se. Maybe I am being a bit of a snob but I am amazed that people need to be taught this kind of stuff, it seems so obvious.)

"Teach children critical thinking skills"

...What really causes one to recoil in disbelief and dismay is wondering what kind of nation we are when children view violence as the only means of resolution. We cannot blame it on television. We are told grandparents grew up with very violent folk stories which did not, apparently, incite them to kill. Television executives do not plan their programs to deliberately incite violence. Studies claim the Japanese release their rage through their violent television programs and video games, rather than each other, attesting to their lower crime rate.

The way America watches television has changed. The way we watch our
children has changed. In the fifties and sixties, watching TV used to be a family affair; everyone would gather `round to watch a favorite.
Even in the seventies, when my children were growing up, we, as parents, sat down with them to view what we considered to be good programming. We discussed and critiqued what they watched, making sure they didn't grow up thinking everything could be assuaged by gunfights, taking a pill, or colouring their hair a certain shade of blonde. They were restricted and monitored. They were allowed to watch adult programs, as long as there was interaction with us as to the truth and probability of content...

Today's children mostly watch tv on their own. If they come from the middle to upper classes they probably have a television in their room, while mom and dad each have their own to watch elsewhere in the house. Often, parents use television, willingly or unwillingly, as a baby-sitter or incentive to children; to quiet them down, to entertain them. With the isolation of each to their corners, comes poor or little judgement of what they see happening in programs of all hours of the day. To restrict certain shows to what is supposedly bedtime for children is ridiculous. When one can tune into soaps and vile talk shows such as Jerry Springer, there is little left which need be censored to later hours.

We do not need to monitor the content of television as much as teach parents and other childcare givers the importance of limits and discussion about what is offered for daily viewing. Children's minds are like sponges; they soak up everything they see and hear without discernment for reality. They need guidance and discipline; to
be taught critical thinking skills and non-violent means of resolving their differences or grievances...
   
Each of us starts out in a nucleus of home. Some are better than others; most have some sort of conflict and/or dysfunctionality. Many of us rise above, overcome, and continue to progress, making it through our difficulties with the help of friends,
family, and professionals.
   
Today's parents expect the government to protect their children from everything, including television. The v-chip came about because most parents are unwilling or unable to take the time to monitor what their children are doing, let alone what they watch on television. The irony is a v-chip is not critical; it does not teach children
the discernment which they will need as they become adults. By not sitting down with them, by not commenting and discussing with them what they see on tv, at the movies, on the Internet, and in print, parents are abdicating their prime responsibility in raising their children. By not taking responsibility for the content of their daily
lives, by not teaching them how to cope, parents have given up their position as the first line of defense against the insidious spread of violence which is portrayed in a society with such utter disregard for consequences.

© 1998 Kat LaFrance