FLOTUS rallies against bullying
Melania Trump, wife of President Trump, spoke out against bullying at a U.N luncheon on Wednesday. Her main focus was leadership. She talked about adults setting a good example for the next generation and how parents must put their focus on the content children are exposed to on a daily basis, especially throughout social media.
On Monday October 23rd, Mrs. Trump visited Bloomfield Hills Middle School in part of the “No One Eats Alone Day” event. It’s one of the most popular programs that encourages kids to take part in sitting next to kids that they see sitting alone. It’s where all children should feel included, valued, and accepted. Trump fully supports this which is why she took part in the program.
Mrs. Trump’s communication director, Stephanie Grisham, told CNN that Mrs. Trump wants to talk to kids about the importance of being inclusive and the negative effects of social isolation.
Mrs. Trump stood for her promise to combat childhood bullying, during her middle school trip. She gave remarks to many kids during lunch to make new friends and get to know their peers outside of their social group.
After, she sat in on a sixth grade classroom discussion about social and emotional inclusion. Mrs. Trump said to the kids that she always believes that people need to treat each other with respect, kindness, and compassion but also stay true to ourselves.
According to Mrs. Trump, we need to remember that kids are always watching and listening to adults. It’s the adult’s responsibility to take the lead in teaching children the values of empathy and good communication. The way kids are treated by adults is the way they will treat others.
Twitter went crazy about Mrs. Trump’s anti-bullying campaign. A majority of people claimed that she’s married to the internet’s bully-in-chief. They argued that President Trump used twitter to insult a Republican US senator, ridicule a Democratic congresswoman, deride Hillary Clinton, denounce the National Football League, condemn the news media and accused the grieving widow of a slain Green Beret of lying.
Because of Mrs. Trump’s husband, she has garnered many critics, who are degrading her and her actions on her anti-bullying campaign.
On the other hand, some people defend Mrs. Trump, stating that she is distancing herself from her husband and is doing what she feels really matters, which is to help children and make everyone aware of bullying.
According to CNN, the first lady should call in the many anti-bullying organizations across the country, as well as tech leaders and respected education experts (that would leave out Education Secretary Betsy DeVos) to discuss the landscape of bullying today (much of which occurs on social media), the challenges facing educators and parents when so much of the harassment kids experience happens electronically, out of their line of vision, and potential solutions, from the technical to the social to the legal.
Mrs. Trump wants to make a change in the world and will do so by embarking on bullying more, whether it be sexual harassment, homophobia, or hurtful words. After all, the first lady’s cause is to stop bullies.
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