Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan received a shock last Thursday when a group of middle school students visiting Washington D.C. on a field trip refused to take a picture with him.
Out of the 200 New Jersey students, dozens reportedly refused to pose in the picture.
The 8th graders were from South Orange Middle School, The Washington Post reported. It is unknown exactly how many opted out of the photograph though some parents claimed it was roughly half of the students on the trip.
“Our school is pretty liberal. I only know three Trump supporters in our grade and there’s a lot people in our grade. So it’s fairly liberal. (Teachers) knew that a lot of people didn’t like Paul Ryan.”
He added, “But they gave us the option. I was shocked by the number of people who wanted to join me and my friends to not take a picture of him. It was like half the grade.”
Nonetheless his mother, a public school librarian, was happy with her son’s decision. “I am proud of him that he chose to not do that and I proud he did so in a respectful manner,” she told the Post. “Yes, he [Ryan] is the third most powerful person in the nation, technically, but I don’t agree with his stance on a lot of things and neither does my child.”
One student who did take part was Miles Handelman.
“I thought it would be very cool just seeing the man who is the third most powerful man in our country. It would be cool, even if you disagree with him,” Handelman said.
A spokesman for Ryan said the speaker “always appreciates the opportunity to welcome students to the Capitol.” Unsurprisingly, he didn’t address the fact that so many students opted out of the picture.
It appears the practice of disrespecting those with whom you disagree has trickled down from the university system all the way to grade school. In May alone, students at Notre Dame University turned their backs on Vice President Mike Pence during his commencement address, students from Bethune-Cookman University booed Secretary of Education Betsy Devos and now 14-year-olds have refused to take their picture with Speaker Ryan.
This doesn’t look good, folks.
(via: Conservative Tribune)
