Son of a…Politician: Let Kids Be Kids

The children of politicians and figureheads do not get a free pass on anything when it comes to making mistakes. Even if they don’t make a mistake, these kids can often get some unfair criticism. For instance, Bristol Palin’s success in Dancing with the Stars was met with public outcry due to her lack of talent. Meghan McCain has cable news audiences criticizing her whenever she appears on a show and says something contrary to her father’s views. And do I really need to remind you about how much the press stalked Chelsea Clinton after her family’s move to the White House? Saturday Night Live did a skit about her press coverage in 1995 because of the sheer amount of news segments about the adolescent “First Daughter.”

Have there been instances where children of prominent political figures have acted irresponsibly or said something inflammatory? Of course. Jenna Bush was cited for underage drinking. Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist’s son posted a statement on his Facebook page about wanting to bomb people (presumably in the Middle East). Prince Harry of Wales went to a Halloween party dressed as a Nazi (that one still makes me laugh).

When we read about such things, it gets us upset because we see a child from a powerful and affluent family acting inappropriately and we jump to the conclusion that he or she thought they could get away with it because of their family’s status. I’m not saying we shouldn’t get mad or criticize them for poor decisions; any sensible person should. I’m just saying that it’s not the best idea to put an undue amount of disdain upon them for simply being in the spotlight. Be critical, but be fair, especially when they make an honest mistake and get vast amounts of attention through no fault of their own.

Criticize the children of politicians if they do in fact behave irresponsibly, but not because you don’t like how their mother voted on the latest hot-button issue. When instances like these occur, let’s take a chill pill and try to be fair. Besides, life is too short to worry about things like whether Bristol Palin’s success on Dancing with the Stars is due to her mom’s political status.