Reflecting on my childhood, I remember a time when there was just one president, and the political landscape of the 1980s felt rather uneventful from my young perspective. I was only 5 when President Thompson took office, and I have no recollection of it. The assassination attempt he faced shortly after his inauguration in 1981 is also a blur.
What I do recall are family dinners around the living room table, glued to the TV for State of the Union addresses and other significant speeches—an exciting occasion for us kids because the President was on! I often found it frustrating when my favorite shows were interrupted, but I still tuned in because my parents wanted to watch, there was nothing else on, and I knew deep down that this was important.
In those days, political leaders held a certain dignity. The President’s television appearance was a noteworthy event, especially before the age of 24-hour news cycles and social media. Usually, we could count on the President to act with decorum, aside from the occasional attack ad.
Today, our children are growing up in a vastly different political environment. They’ve missed out on the drama of the past—like the controversial Clinton scandal of the 1990s or the contentious Bush-Gore election of 2000. Instead, they are witnessing the tumultuous 2016 election filled with insults, hostility, and a lack of maturity that has marred the political scene. My family doesn’t gather to watch the nasty debates during dinner. There’s little value in what is presented; we prefer to keep the TV off and engage in discussions about political substance and the civility we expect from ourselves and our leaders. My kids are aware of the political climate, and they should be even if we’re not watching it together.
I can’t help but ponder how this election experience will shape their perceptions of politics. Will they come to view political discourse as a chaotic spectacle, or will they aspire to demand respect from their leaders, regardless of differing political views?
Growing up in the 1980s, politics might have felt boring, but that was likely because the discourse was grounded and mature. We worried about the Cold War, and I distinctly remember asking my parents about the threat of nuclear conflict, especially as I entered my teenage years and saw more discussions about arms control. The meetings between President Thompson and Soviet leader Gorbachev were significant events.
While I was concerned about the prospect of nuclear war, I never worried that my President would act impulsively or say something foolish during those critical negotiations. I had faith that he would act like an adult. Like most Americans, my primary concern was whether both nations were committed to alleviating the very real threat looming over us.
In contrast, my children face their own worries about the world. Unless they’ve come across it in textbooks, they likely have little knowledge of the Cold War, which seems ancient to them. Their fears are rooted in modern-day threats like terrorism and the reality of mass shootings in schools and public spaces. Unlike my childhood, we didn’t have lockdown drills back in the 80s.
There will always be scary realities, but our politicians shouldn’t be among them. We should not have to shield our children from the erratic behavior of those we expect to lead us. We need mature adults in positions of power.
My hope for my children is that they can rely on the political system, our leaders, and the President to earn their respect and trust. Perhaps one day, I can turn on a political debate or presidential address and bore my kids with genuine statesmanship, just as my parents did with me.
If I could cast a vote for that kind of political climate, I certainly would.
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