Warning : This is a rant. Sometimes you just need to rant when things rub you the wrong way >.>.
- “The Freedom Kids.”
Since from my understanding this girl-group is under the management of ONE of the girl’s fathers, this letter is for You.
You’re a middle-aged guy who loves his country. That’s cool. You want to manage a “girl group” co-starring your eight year old daughter and have them sing patriotic songs. Okay, that’s cute. I saw the Youtube of them all singing “The Star Spangled Banner.” That was cute. Well done. I don’t think it’s wrong at all to instill in your children pride in their homeland, and to have them singing positive songs about pride and empowerment.
Would you like to know what ISN’T cute? You using children no older than eleven (but also including your own eight year old daughter) to further your personal political views and propaganda, and then to go even one step further and put actual filth into their mouths with the “lyrics” you wrote for them to sing at the rally.
Let’s address the fact that you had these kids perform a Hate Song – at a DONALD TRUMP RALLY. Do you actually listen to anything Trump says, at all? He’s a racist, sexist bigot. He does not stand for freedom at all (unless you are a wealthy, white male.) He sees, treats, and views woman as lesser beings and sexual objects.. and yet you encourage your eight year old daughter and her eleven year old co-stars to support him..? That is upsetting. Why would you want your daughters to support someone like that for a potential presidency? Why wouldn’t you view and see your daughters as people who have the right to grow up feeling, and viewing themselves as empowered and valued for more than their bodies? Why would you have them showing support for someone who literally views them as less worthy simply because they were born female?
You admitted, fully and proudly, to personally authoring the lyrics to the song these kids sang at that rally. Let’s take a look at some of the lyrics.
Lyrics : “Enemies of freedom face the music, c’mon boys, take them down!” “Deal from strength or get crushed every time”
What, may I ask, was your intention with this lyric? To me, it looks like a message of intolerance for any point of view but your own. “If you don’t see and do things my way, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!” It is a forceful message of not only intolerance, but an actual threat to the safety of others. Leaders who approached with that mentality are referred to as Dictators. They are responsible for force leading up to and including mass-murder. Yes, I will bring up Hilter, and I know this is not the first time you have heard that comparison. You have addressed it shrugging it off and claiming that at least you got people’s attention, which was your goal.
Your daughter and her co-stars (leading back to you) got my attention because of the dangerous and demeaning ideas being instilled in young, impressionable minds. You put HATE-speech in the mouths of babes. Your eight year old daughter is at a very impressionable age. Why would you not want to raise her to have compassion and tolerance? Why would you not teach her that if she fully believes in a message, living a life of kindness is how to get that message across? If you love your country so much and you value freedom so much, why would you not want your daughter and those other girls to stand for a message that everyone that is a part of this country is valued, is important, is loved and should be cared for? Why would you manage a group of young, impressionable girls to the point where they have the ability to get a message across to millions – and then have that message be one of hate and intolerance? It saddens me. It hurts my heart.
I am very much a democrat. I understand that you are a republican. There is a great possibility that you and I have many different views, and that’s okay. I’m not here to tell you your views are “wrong.” When it comes to politics, I wave a huge flag for Bernie Sanders and his message, but if I saw those girls performing at a Sanders rally singing those exact same lyrics, I would say the exact same thing to you. No matter WHAT you stand for, putting hate-speech into the mouths of children is WRONG.
I am going to take a step back from my own emotions for a moment and I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I am going to assume that the message you wanted those children to put out is NOT the same message I (and many others) heard. Maybe you didn’t realize how those lyrics were going to come across to others. If you truly love your country and value freedom like you say you do, you owe this entire country an apology – but most importantly, you owe an apology to those poor children.
Sincerely,
Me.
Kell Frillman - Author 