Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, dives into the urgent topic of children's rights, advocating for their needs in policy discussions. She challenges damaging cultural narratives surrounding masculinity and femininity, highlighting their impact on youth. Faust critiques environmental policies, revealing how they can harm children's health, and discusses the troubling trends in education that prioritize adult interests over student achievement. Her insights are a call to rethink cultural misconceptions that affect our youngest generations.
Children's rights should be prioritized in national policies to ensure just social outcomes and protect their welfare.
Cultural misconceptions about masculinity and femininity significantly impact children's development and shape family dynamics.
Deep dives
Prioritizing Children's Rights in Policy
Children's rights are often overlooked in national policies, which frequently prioritize adult desires and rights over the interests of children. The belief that children have a right to their parents, especially in contexts like marriage and family, is critical for forming just social policies. Evaluating policies through the lens of children's rights can lead to better outcomes for both children and society. By emphasizing child protection in various issues, including family dynamics, reproductive technologies, and adoption practices, the advocacy for children's rights facilitates discussions about justice and national thriving.
The Impact of Cultural Misconceptions on Gender
Misunderstandings about masculinity and femininity significantly affect children's development and identity. The damaging extremes of masculinity, from hyper-masculinity to the portrayal of masculinity as inherently toxic, restrict boys' emotional growth and behavior. Similarly, the misconceptions surrounding femininity, where women are often told to prioritize careers over family, undermine the nurturing aspect of motherhood. These cultural narratives not only shape individual identities but also influence family structures and the wellbeing of children.
Environmental Policies and Child Welfare
Green energy policies often pose unexpected threats to children's wellbeing, particularly through economic burdens placed on low-income families. Sustainable practices sometimes prioritize preservation at the expense of essential resource management, leading to adverse environmental effects like increased forest fires. These forest management issues affect children's health and safety, as they may lose homes and face rising health problems related to poor air quality. Understanding the intersection of children’s welfare and environmental policies is essential to create a balanced approach that protects both.
Education System's Focus on Adult Interests
The public education system often prioritizes adult employment and administrative interests over actual student learning and achievement. Evidence shows that grade inflation and failure to meet essential educational standards are rampant, indicating that children are being pushed through the system without proper education. The pandemic highlighted this issue, where teachers’ unions exploited the situation to further their agendas and limit parental involvement. Ultimately, this leads to a concerning disconnect between educational outcomes for children and the interests of the adults involved in the system.
Is it really true that no area of culture, politics or economics where we prioritize what is best for children? What are some of the biggest cultural lies about masculinity and femininity that impact children? What are some of the main cultural misconceptions about the family that harm children? And how does green energy subsidization negatively impact children? We’ll answer these questions and much more with our guest Katy Faust, founder of the children’s advocacy group, Them Before Us, around a new book she’s edited called, Pro-Child Politics: Why Every Cultural, Economic and National Issue is a Matter of Justice for Children.
Katy Faust is Founder and President of Them Before Us, a global movement defending children’s right to their mother and father. She publishes, speaks and testifies widely on why marriage and family are matters of justice for children.
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Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California.
To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.
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