Sticks and Stones | 5 Minute Video
Is it true that sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you? Yes, but only if you choose to not let words hurt you. Comedian Tom Shillue, host of Red Eye on Fox News Channel, explains how growing up in a politically incorrect, rough-and-tumble America was the only thing that could have prepared him for the real world, and still is the only thing that can prepare teenagers and college students alike. Donate today to PragerU! http://l.prageru.com/2ylo1Yt
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Script:
I’m always telling my daughters stories from when I was a kid. By comparison, the world of my youth was rougher and meaner than the world that kids grow up in today.
So, here’s my question: Did this rougher and meaner world better prepare me to be a well-adjusted, happy adult? I say yes.
When I was a kid, you could say we were less sensitive about a lot of things. I mean, just look at the commercials we watched. We had The Frito Bandito, the cartoon spokesman for Fritos. He was a three and a half foot tall Mexican thief! Can you imagine pitching that at an ad agency today?
“OK…The Frito Bandito? Alright Phil, you don’t work here anymore. Yeah, you gotta go clear out your desk right now.”
Some were violent. Hawaiian Punch? Every commercial was the same. A cartoon Hawaiian character walks up to an unsuspecting cartoon tourist and says, “Hey — how about a nice Hawaiian Punch?!” “Sure!” says the tourist, which gets him punched directly in the face. We all thought that was hilarious.
Kids had to be tougher then, too. An occasional playground fight was expected. And as for teasing? My mom had a remedy for that. “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.”
She used to say that all the time, one of the seemingly endless adages she had at her disposal to deal with any of life’s problems. But I think long and hard about the practical applications that statement had on my life.
“That’s true,” I thought, “if someone punches you in the chest it hurts no matter what, but with words, it all depends on how you think about it.” You could actually choose whether or not to be hurt! You can’t choose whether or not a punch hurts. But you can choose whether or not words hurt. That was huge.
Even though it had been repeated ad nauseam for generations, “Sticks and Stones” really was a powerful bit of philosophy to a kid. That’s one of the great things about being a parent — you can spout clichés til the cows come home and yet, to your child, it’s all new. You come off as one of the great thinkers in Western Culture.
But does anyone really say “Sticks and Stones” anymore? I doubt there is a grammar school teacher today who is even allowed to utter that phrase. They’re much more likely to warn against the ever present danger of “hate speech” or “triggers” or hurting people’s feelings. This is done in the name of teaching children to respect each other. It begins innocently enough by trying to eradicate teasing, but it continues into middle and high school, where there’s no greater sin than offending someone’s personal or cultural sensitivity.
We’ve seen what used to be called “Great Books” banned because of fear of offending. That would not have even occurred to us years ago! Of course, how could the physical abuse in The Great Gatsby harm us in high school when we spent our childhood watching Jerry the mouse staple gun Tom the Cat’s tongue to the wall? How could reading an honest depiction of racial attitudes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn harm us when we sang “Ai yi yi yi!” along with the Frito Bandito, or “Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks; Tough kids! Sissy kids! — they said Sissy kids — Even kids with Chicken Pox!” We sang that along with the Armour hot dog kids on our TV sets?
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/sticks-and-stones
source
I get it’s one thing about insults and there are ways to build a kid up from insults and teasing.
But fights? Are you saying that we just accept kids fighting and intervening is bad? As adults it’s made very clear that fighting people on a whim is uncivilised and very illegal behaviour
Just because it happened in the past doesn’t make it good or moral acceptable. Allowing kids to fight to the point of drawing blood is primitive behaviour
If you want to fight so bad rent out a ring or have a valid reason like self defence like a well adjusted person
Obviously if the kids are play fighting (having fun, not intentionally hurting or have any malicious intentions) then of course leave them be
I hate the idea that it’ll be detrimental to a kids development to just let him be messed up buy a kid who’s stronger then him then blame the kid for not being able to fight back.
When kids fight there is no honor when they fight, they use groups, weapons, they bite and scratch ect
It would actually help they’re development that in this modern age fighting over words is primitive behaviour and release your anger in healthy ways before you end up in anger management or a prison cell
But I don’t inherently disagree with the premise of this video
That's not true and it doesn't work.
So Tom. Did you let your kids go on thinking you wrote it? Just kidding , and i've wondered about things like this for quite a while now.
How would a sissy ever know to toughen up a little if he had no clue he was a sissy?
Freedom of the press?
“Bullying is good so that you can learn how to stand up to other bullies in the future”—is literally something my elementary school bully told me in order to justify herself bullying me 😐
I never heard this saying, but Dad would always remind me that I could chose how to respond. When I was 15, living in California, my uncles used to tease me and call me a grandson of Adolf Hittler becsuse im German. I used to get mad,and say that God singled me out. But there will always be people who think they are better then you. I just turned 20, and i am ashamed at myself for letting those words get me. They're just words.
yes
Words can hurt long term , they plant a white lies that grows darker and darker. That is why the bible speaks out against gossip and slander…
It may be true that words can't cause any physical harm, but they can have a lasting negative (or positive) impact on a person that goes much deeper. The "monster study" is actually a good example of this (look it up if you aren't familiar with it.) That isn't to say the extreme sensitivity and hair-trigger offense that the woke left takes is OK; at some point you DO need a thicker skin. All I'm trying to say is that "sticks and stones" is only true on the most superficial, surface level. I agree with much of this channel's content, but Tom is wrong on this one.
I mean, being kicked walking to and from elementary school, kids telling me they were my friends then making fun of me behind my back, being strangled when I was 10, people taking advantage of my inability to tell if people are being honest or sarcastic because of my autism, and being stabbed in the back by people pretending to be nice to me didn't really make me a stronger person. If anything, it destroyed my confidence, my self-esteem, the way I view the world, made me hate myself, and led me to nearly kill myself when I was 12. It varies from child to child. What doesn't bother one kid could be damaging to another. Legit bullying isn't something to be proud of or to praise for "making people stronger." It's a real issue for a lot of kids, and they deserve help instead of being told it's not a big deal.
But now we've got an entire generation that believes micro-agressions are the worst form of bullying out there 🙄 They act like they're victims and throw tantrums like toddlers. It's especially irritating whenever you see people complain on social media that they're getting bullied by people leaving negative comments. It's like they're incapable of taking a minute to pause and think, "hey, maybe posting a picture of myself naked might not be a good idea." These people have no idea what actual bullying is and I feel like a lot of them are just looking for attention.
In Sweden we have a word
Ger du dig in i leken, får du leken tåla.
Witch means
,,if you join the Game you must acept it.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”
Bull
Shit.
I'm grateful to live in a less violent society according to statistics.
I dunno if liberal education ends makes violence more acceptable than words as a disaster, but I hope people will be improving and progress from their difficulties.
To think this was 7 years ago….Look at the state of the world now in 2023. People are so sensitive about everything and need therapy when being rejected for the first time by a job application or a date.
I think words can indeed hurt people, but you can't escape being offended in life! Things that offend leftists today are often trivial. Yet leftists don't seem to care if they offend conservatives!
God this is dumb. It didnt get better cause your Joe Biden impression on FOX is not funny either. 7 more years weighing on that smooth brain
dont start shit with others but also choose not to get offended
Depends. The video is kinda mixing free speech and funny TV commercials with harassment and playground violence…
"Rougher and meaner?"
Inflicting pain alone doesn't make you "tough" or "hard." I know this because I have seen hard-hearted but soft-skinned sociopaths willing to cause pain to others but avoiding it for themselves.
In insulting others unprovoked (what you're defending here), you're telling them they're lesser than and beneath humanity: that there's a problem with what you're insulting them for (i.e. their race, disabilities, etc) while there's no problem with yourself.
There is no problem with reprimanding those who deserve to be (rapists, robbers, thieves, perpetrators of unprovoked assault, fake no-touch "chi" knockout & wiggle technique bullshido masters, etc) or criticizing unjust authority
But why you can't see the dishonor in insulting of another who has done nothing to harm or defraud to others just to boost your own ego instead of developing talents & skills (even if it's just for hobby) to improve that confidence is beyond me.
Likewise, the primordial need to be awful to others unprovoked for dominance, power, or the feeling of being "cool" like a lower non-human primate (search up "baboons bullying") is rarely seen in those who are fulfilled in their lives & already have their need to feel cool met through pursuing or honing cool talents & skills (i.e. striking, grappling, parkour, etc) because they have that need fulfilled in a more ethical way.
Being cruel & awful to others doesn't make you "cool," having impressive talents and skills (i.e. striking, grappling, parkour, etc) does. The former just makes you obnoxious & annoying to be around.
You have no problem with humans within races of human species outside of yours being insulted for their race but react rather unusually for your "values" when you find your own race of the human species insulted.
I have no problem with you criticizing your boss: you have the freedom to do that.
But do you insult your boss unprovoked like you did your peers? Do you have the "courage" to insult your boss like your peers? You clearly show that you prioritize specialized treatment for certain groups & fall short on your "values" out of cowardice, hypocrite.
The "hawaiian punch" analogy doesn't serve to show how "tough" you are: it serves to show how you admire those who are sociopathic & cruel to others unprovoked because you have no personal code of honor and live by the principles of the law of the jungle like a lowly and savage animal, or are bored & don't know how to alleviate your boredom & even find fulfillment in life through combat sports instead of unprovoked violence, and in such sports: there are safety measures such as mouth guards & a soft surface to prevent injury or death
Any combat outside of such sports should occur only for the purpose of self defense and the defense of others, and it can cause disfigurement or death (children should train combat sports, but there's a reason why they shouldn't fight outside of sparring or sanctioned fighting in a controlled environment for reasons other than self defense).
You would not appreciate it if I were to insult or strike you unprovoked. You would even justify shooting me in self defense if I did.
The liberals are often either idiots or dishonorable people, and so are you, conservative.
I can't believe I used to drink your Kool Aid, believe & even venerate this junk…
Let's not forget that fox news anchors have faced disgraceful allegations of racism and sexual harassment. It's a shame.
The argument that people are overly sensitive these days makes sense. But there is a big difference between the past when racism and sexism were allowed and the present when it wasn't.
2:54 1984 is banned source: trust me bro
One of the most inspiring video I've ever seen in this channel. Thanks.
LOVE WAR.
Sad that people in this country are so weak now.
"An occasional playground fight was expected." So, assault and battery was expected. In the grown up world, assault and battery could get a person mortally wounded. If you start throwing hands with someone, don't be surprised if you're shot. So, the maker of video thinks a hateful, tactless society/culture is the way we should go.
There is no denying that millennials are offended by everything. This was indicative of the Harry Styles controversy, where all Styles did was wear a dress and people flipped out like he shot up a school. Millennials are definitely the generation of cancel culture. Maddi Runkles was cancelled, when not only did she not do anything wrong, she actually did what would be considered the right thing, according to the snow flakes who cancelled her. Maddi Runkles was a student at a Christian school in Maryland. When she got pregnant her senior year of high school, she was prohibited from participating the graduation ceremony. The diploma was mailed to her house. She was punished specifically for having sex. However, not only did Maddi not do anything wrong, she was in the right for not getting an abortion.
However, this is not specific to millennials.
In the 1800’s, people were so thin skinned that they were offended by the the sight of a man wearing women’s clothing and the government gave into the precious sensibilities of these snow flakes. In the 19th century, it was illegal for men to wear women’s clothing in public.
The 1950’s TV show I Love Lucy contained a storyline where the title character got pregnant. This decision by the writers was made, specifically because the actress was pregnant. The network made the writers use words like expecting, believing that the word pregnant was too vulgar to discuss on television. That is how thin skinned people were in the 1950’s.
Pregnancy discrimination used to be legal in the United States, to the extent that a female teacher would be fired if she got pregnant. This was because of the irrational fear that a pregnant teacher would give students ideas about sex.
Conservatives are always looking for excuses to behave badly.
School bullying=School shootings!
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.