Why Mommy Is A Democrat: A Different Kind Of Children's Book

[im10ashus]

http://littledemocrats.net/

[NotGivingUp]

1. Very cool! I thought about doing something like this...just never

got around to it.

[MADem]

2. Every bit as hideous as HELP, There are LIBERALS Under My Bed

Indoctrinating kids with Little Blue Books and squirrels is just WRONG, IMO. Let kids be kids. Lead by EXAMPLE.

I agree with this reviewer on the subject:

Why Mommy Is a Democrat, available online at littledemocrats.net, advertises itself as "a different kind of children's book," and that it is—a really bad kind that manages to insult the intelligence even of late-term fetuses. It pairs amateurish drawings of what appears to be a single-mother squirrel and her two offspring with mindless platitudes that ascribe all that is good and decent to the party of West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd.

"Democrats make sure we are nice to people who are different, just like Mommy does," explains one lesson. "Democrats make sure sick people are able to see a doctor, just like Mommy does," says another. "Democrats make sure we all share our toys," threatens a third. You don't need to be Phyllis Schlafly to wonder just where the hell the daddy squirrel has gone to in this scenario, which reads like a Republican parody of Democratic devotion to an oddly feminized nanny state. Indeed, Why Mommy Is a Democrat, though ostensibly written by "lifelong Democrat and political activist" Jeremy Zilber has the feel of a being a GOP black-bag job. Karl Rove is supposed to be a political genius, isn't he? Despite (or perhaps because of) endorsements from such low-wattage pols as the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and a Utah state senator, this book can't possibly be helping the Dems take back the night, much less the White House or Congress, from the Republicans.

Give Zilber this much credit: At least he put his actual name on his book. "Katharine DeBrecht is the pen name for a mother of three," we learn in the credits for Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed! The reason for the pseudonym becomes immediately clear to readers of all ages who manage to finish this slim, illustrated allegory. Help! Mom! (which ignores the warning against Mom-centric titles implicit in the career-killing flop of Sylvester Stallone's Stop Or My Mom Will Shoot!) tells the tale of young brothers Tommy and Lou, who live "in a small house, on a small street, in a small neighborhood, in a small city, in the great USA."

After the boys' parents refuse to buy them a swing set ("Mom and Dad always told them that having everything given to them would not make them feel good about themselves"), they decide to start a lemonade stand to earn the money.

Before they do, they have a nightmare in which they become small business owners in "a very strange place called Liberaland." Once the boys' lemonade business is booming, "Mayor Leach" (get it?) comes around and squeezes them with a 50 percent tax. Next up is "Mr. Fussman" of the "Liberaland Civil Liberties Union" (haw haw haw!), who is offended by the picture of Jesus the brothers hang on their stand and demands they replace with it a picture of a big toe. Before you know it, a Hillaryesque "Congresswoman Clunkton" is demanding the boys force broccoli on all customers, and so on, until at last the lemonade stand is seized by the state and run into the ground.

Luckily, the boys wake up and their long, nationalized lemonade nightmare is revealed simply as a bad dream. Arguably the most terrifying moment is the book's parting admonition to "be on the lookout for future Help! Mom! adventures in stores soon." ...

http://www.reason.com/links/links030206.shtml

This is not a new book, FWIW.

[Bill McBlueState]

3. how about

"Why Mommy Doesn't Wear Pants"

Same goes for Junior.

:shrug:

[liberal N proud]

4. Clever, but no different than what the funides do to their kids

This falls under the term indoctrination.

We should let our kids make up their own minds when it comes to these sort of beliefs. If you teach them the right values, they will in most cases be what you want them to be.

[Jeremy Zilber]

7. I hear this argument a lot...

But I don't understand the distinction. If a parent values the Democratic Party, as millions of parents obviously do, then explaining one's support for the Party IS teaching values. After all, how do you define "values"? Is it okay for Democrats to teach their children to be tolerant of different lifestyles, or is that an unacceptable lesson because it's similar to the Democratic platform? How about Democrats teaching their children to appreciate the environment and equality, while criticizing oil companies and corporate greed? Are Democratic parents allowed to teach that, or would it be too much like promoting the party? And is it okay for parents to tell their kids why they refuse to shop at Walmart, or must they keep it a secret, lest they be guilty of "indoctrination"? Is it acceptable for parents to openly advocate unions, pulling troops out of Iraq, civil rights, a woman's right to choose, or universal health care? Or would all of that fall under the "indoctrination" heading as well? Or is it okay to promote all of these things as long as you carefully avoid mentioning any political party by name?

If George Bush and I both agree to teach our children the "right values," do you suppose we're going to be teaching them the SAME values? Of course we won't. Whether or not he ever mentions a party by name, Bush's "right values" will (and did) push his children straight into the Republican Party. So, again, what's the difference between teaching my kids the "right values" and teaching them about an organization that I believe embodies those values? The distinction, it seems to me, is entirely arbitrary.

The alternative to having frank and open discussions about politics with your children -- an alternative that so many parents unfortunately buy into -- is to let them figure it out for themselves. As a result, kids tend to learn about politics from their equally uninformed friends, Fox News, internet rumors, etc. Or they simply don't learn about politics at all. Is it any wonder that the vast majority of young Americans have an incredibly limited understanding of politics and so little desire to get involved? Political ignorance and apathy are NOT healthy for our country. In fact, political ignorance and apathy are arguably responsible for getting us into the mess we're now in. Hiding your political beliefs from your children -- especially your support for the Democratic Party -- isn't doing them (or any of us) any favors. To the contrary, it's a terrible thing to allow your kids to grow up politically ignorant, as far too many parents seem to prefer.

If you're not a Democrat, then of course you won't want to teach your kids about the party's virtues. But if you ARE a Democrat, then why wouldn't you want your kids to know about it? If you can't bring yourself to tell your kids why you're a Democrat, then what's the point of being one?

[liberal N proud]

8. I think what I am trying to say is that if we teach the children

right from wrong and to treat others with dignity and respect then let them see the values that make us Democrats, they will be smart enough to make up their own mind.
I just get turned off with anyone saying this is the political party you need to be associated with, it reeks of what the Right Wing Christians and Republicans are doing to their kids. Do they get a choice?
I have one child who is voting age that has turned out to follow the values we taught when she was young. Did we mention they were Democratic values? Not per say but she made that call on her own and even volunteered for the Kerry campaign in 2004.
My younger one has gotten such a rotten taste in her mouth watching the repukes and the Fundamentalist Christan monsters that I am pretty sure she is going to grow up with liberal views.

[Jeremy Zilber]

9. But

whose version of "right and wrong" is a parent going to teach? A fundamentalist Christian would say that if you're not teaching fundamentalist Christian values, then you're "indoctrinating" your kids into a liberal/anti-fundamentalist mindset. And unless you're exposing your kids to fundamentalist and conservative principles, then do they really get a choice? (I might add: if you're not telling your kids about the good things Democrats do, are you really giving them enough information to make an informed choice? They'll hear all kinds of terrible distortions and lies about Democrats every time they hear a Republican speaking on TV, so don't they need to hear the other side now and then?)

Bottom line is that every parent teaches his or her own personal version of "right and wrong." If I believe the Democratic Party is good for America, which I do, then why should this topic be out of bounds? If it's wrong for me to talk to my kids about my party -- if that isn't giving them a choice -- then it's equally wrong for any parent to talk to their kids about ANYTHING they happen to value. Someone with opposing views can always come along and scream "Indoctrination! You didn't give your kids a choice!"

[Ariana Celeste]

5. I just can't agree with this.

Maybe funny or cute for adults to read but I don't think it's right to feed this kind of stuff to kids. :shrug:

[im10ashus]

6. And I agree.

Which is why I didn't post it on a kids website. :shrug: