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Political agendas and children - What say you?

Would you purchase a children's book with a clear partisan agenda?

  • Total voters
    28
TheGirlNextDoor

TheGirlNextDoor

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We all have our own ideas about how our country should be run. Some favor a different welfare system, others are against abortion. Some want a flat tax, others believe the Constitution should be re-written.

When you have children things become a bit complicated. Parents tend to pass on their own political beliefs to their children, but that is normally something that happens over time. Just being exposed to family members during daily living and of course, children hear and observe more than we realize at times.

Having said that, I'm curious. How many of you would buy a 'children's book' that had a political agenda?

Now I know over the years there have been children's books with semi-hidden political messages... but I'm talking more about the blatant, in-your-face sorts of political agendas that *in my personal opinion* don't belong in children's books.

My opinion is that while children pick up on political trends and opinions through their parents, that it's also the responsiblity of parents to teach their children to keep an open mind about things - to think critically and not just read something and go along with it because it's what mom and dad believe.

A few examples of what I'm talking about are below:

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MamaVotedObama12.jpg
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Another book: Amazon.com: NO, George, NO! The Re-Parenting of George W. Bush (9780975283417): Kathy Eder: Books

(partial) Product description: This is a book about a President named George who has a dream. In this dream, George becomes a little boy, and he meets a Truth Fairy who is trying to teach him lessons about How to not manipulate the Media, How to treat Veterans, How to be honest, How to be respectful with families who have lost soldiers in war, How to go to War only when necessary, How not to label people as Boogeymen, How not to invade countries, How to control greed, How to hold fair elections, and How to behave as a leader.
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Help-Mom-There-Are-Liberals-Under-M.jpg


Product description: This full-color illustrated book is a fun way for parents to teach young children the valuable lessons of conservatism. Written in simple text, readers can follow along with Tommy and Lou as they open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swing set. But when liberals start demanding that Tommy and Lou pay half their money in taxes, take down their picture of Jesus, and serve broccoli with every glass of lemonade, the young brothers experience the downside to living in Liberaland.
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These are only a few examples and some are not as bad and some are much worse. I was floored actually, to learn that there were more than just a couple of these kinds of books.

Point is - there has to be a market for these types of children's books, otherwise they wouldn't get published.

MY question is - why as a parent would you purchase such a (IMHO) partisan book for your child?

Why or why not?
 
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No, I wouldn't buy that kind of book for a kid. For one, I don't think they would really understand the message. And besides that, I think parents should let their children make their own decisions about politics. If you have to brainwash your kids to get them to believe the same things that you do, you might need to reevaluate your beliefs.
 
Personally, I find these kinds of books disgusting and I can't imagine anyone buying them, no matter which way a person 'leans'.
 
I find this concept vaguely disgusting.
 
Sheesh.

They've got a whole adult lifetime to worry about all this crap later... let them be kids for a while.
 
Wow that's some pretty good conditioning going on there.

No way would I buy such garbage as that, parents shouldn't be brainwashing their kids to believe in a certain political philosophy.
 
I would buy all sorts of books with differing political leans and then expose them to my kid and then ask him to choose at gunpoint which he likes best

and then judge him thereafter
 
I wonder if that book was ironically written by someone who voted for Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani,John McCain or some other liberal?

Help-Mom-There-Are-Liberals-Under-M.jpg



TheGirlNextDoor said:
We all have our own ideas about how our country should be run. Some favor a different welfare system, others are against abortion. Some want a flat tax, others believe the Constitution should be re-written.

When you have children things become a bit complicated. Parents tend to pass on their own political beliefs to their children, but that is normally something that happens over time. Just being exposed to family members during daily living and of course, children hear and observe more than we realize at times.

Having said that, I'm curious. How many of you would buy a 'children's book' that had a political agenda?

Now I know over the years there have been children's books with semi-hidden political messages... but I'm talking more about the blatant, in-your-face sorts of political agendas that *in my personal opinion* don't belong in children's books.

My opinion is that while children pick up on political trends and opinions through their parents, that it's also the responsiblity of parents to teach their children to keep an open mind about things - to think critically and not just read something and go along with it because it's what mom and dad believe.

A few examples of what I'm talking about are below:







These are only a few examples and some are not as bad and some are much worse. I was floored actually, to learn that there were more than just a couple of these kinds of books.

Point is - there has to be a market for these types of children's books, otherwise they wouldn't get published.

MY question is - why as a parent would you purchase such a (IMHO) partisan book for your child?

Why or why not?
Click to expand...

I think a lot of books,movies,news and other things have a political agenda but are not as obvious as the above books. So I would have no problem buying something that is blatantly obvious that it had a political agenda. If this was a King and king, or "Oh The Things Mommies Do!: What Could Be Better Than Having Two? " I am pretty sure that many libs would have no problem buying the book for their kids or at least checking out of the library for their children to read.
 
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lol wut? (10 char)
 
I want to change my vote. I WOULD buy ones with an obvious agenda. It's the ones with hidden agendas that I hate.
 
Never. Why steal the innocence and brainwash 4 year olds?
 
I find the notion vile.

Palestinians, for instance, indoctrinate their children from the time they are born to be mass murderers, glorifying such on their children's programs on television, and in their children's books. It's disgusting, and is nothing more than systematic child abuse.

I won't EVER act in any way even remotely like that.
 
I have to plead guilty to political indoctrination of children. I read my 3-1/2 year old daughter a story from Aesop's Fables or the Brothers Grimm before bed each night. Mea culpa!
 
I voted "Other".

If my child were in public/private school, I would wish to know in detail what exactly they were being taught. If a book/idea were questionable to me, I would probably attempt to purchase/find info on it and attempt to instruct my child as to the possible inaccuracies involved.

In short, I would want any child of mine to automatically question every single bit of information they take in.

I might purchase books on both sides of an opposing argument of this sort to illustrate how devious partisan persons can be.
 
The Mark said:
I voted "Other".

If my child were in public/private school, I would wish to know in detail what exactly they were being taught. If a book/idea were questionable to me, I would probably attempt to purchase/find info on it and attempt to instruct my child as to the possible inaccuracies involved.

In short, I would want any child of mine to automatically question every single bit of information they take in.

I might purchase books on both sides of an opposing argument of this sort to illustrate how devious partisan persons can be.
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You sir, are an open minded man. I like that. ;)
 
I wouldn't buy books like those in the OP for any child of mine. Even if they leaned in the direction I did...
 
I would if they were older maybe, as a joke if they were interested in politics. :mrgreen:
 
Well, I'm pretty much dead center politically and I don't think there are any centrist children books out there, but even if there were I wouldn't buy them. Not just because I detest the idea of indoctrination of any kind, but also because I would be much better at explaining things to my kid than a stupid book ever could.

When it comes to raising my kid, I approach politics pretty much the same way I approach religion. Neither subject was ever brought up until the day she expressed interest in them by asking questions. Her questions were answered in the most neutral way possible and I took every opportunity to give her the various vewpoints in our vast political spectrum and the many different religious traditions held around the world. She's free to go as far left or right as she wants. My job is to make her aware of all the options and let her chose which she likes best, it's certainly not my job to make her a clone of myself. The very idea gives me the creeps to no end.
 
I think these sorts of book are stupid. I guess it's ok for parents to spread stupid as there is no law against it; but they are nothing more than propaganda pieces looking to create a cog. What you want to create is a reasonable, critical thinker; not a cog. People should at least know what they are doing. You can go much further by encouraging your children to think things through, apply logic and reason to decisions, and to consider all the available data. But that takes work, and I think many parents are just too damned lazy and stupid their own selves to understand that the proliferation of mindless, thoughtless propaganda is ultimately dangerous and will promote forms of government never meant to exist.
 
I don't think children are ready to make up their minds as far as political views are concerned. But I do think they should be taught about current events. The election of Barack Obama is a significant event in our nation's history, and something children might want to have a personal memory of when they grow up. I don't believe in brainwashing, thus I don't think any partisanship present will permanently scar anyone's views. But it would make them remember the history.
 
I just wish these decisions were as easy now that I have a kid as they were before I became a parent.
 
Kids should be free to grow-up and make their own choice of party. Of course parents influence this without the books, but to each their own.
 
I voted Other because I can think of a great reason to buy a book like this, and a great reason not to.

I wouldn't buy such a book because I don't want to line the author's pockets.

I would buy such a book to use a tool when teaching my sons about propaganda and how insidious it can be.
 
There's no reason to start talking politics with your kids until they're old enough to really get it, and the books in question clearly are aimed at kids younger than that age.


Incidentally, I loved the Big Butter Battle as a kid. It wasn't until much, much later that I realized that the whole thing was an allusion to the Cold War and a subtle criticism of Reagan's arms race, since he was President when the book was written. Politically, it had pretty much no affect on me, since I now think that Reagan did a good job in handling the Cold War.
 
tlmorg02 said:
Of course parents influence this without the books, but to each their own.
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It must be very confusing to have parents of opposing political persuasions.


Hmm, I wonder if studies have been done about how closely people's political beliefs match those of their parents? I'll have to look that up later....
 
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