Thread by @baseballcrank

1-At least once a year, progressives require some new folk hero - preferably a child, or a grieving family member - who can be used as a front for a political argument without being subject to the regular give-and-take of criticism that comes with the territory. It's shabby.

2-Like many left-wing tactics, this is not exclusive to the Left: the populist Right is especially apt to borrow such tactics if they appear to succeed. But it's a persistent strategy on that side of the aisle.

3-As transparent as it is, the most irksome part is watching the great, gushing flows of self-righteous praise that gets heaped on these people for their unique courage & insight as if we have not all heard this script recited a dozen times before, from Cindy Sheehan to Parkland.

4-These spokespeople, being children or grief-stricken, are themselves typically sincere, if often poorly informed. Their time in the spotlight is frequently harmful to them, & they are discarded once the moment passes. If, like Sheehan, they turn on the D power structure, worse.

5-It's positively irresponsible to do this to people just to score political points. Frankly, even some of our politicians & pundits are at times ill-equipped for the national spotlight, let alone kids.

Be better than this. Politics ain't beanbag. People get hurt.

6-And have the courage of your convictions. If an argument is a good one, it doesn't need to use children as human shields. It can be advanced in the open on its merits.

7-We can argue all we like, and as adults, we need not pull punches in doing so. But it's never a bad day to be a decent human being.