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Friday, August 03, 2007

Scholastic author: manipulate kids on global warming to influence parents

Since it can be difficult to sell liberal beliefs to adults, children should be manipulated in an effort to influence their parents. Or so states Laurie David, the liberal activist and co-author of Scholastic's forthcoming global warming book for kids, The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. In a jaw-dropping PW interview published online today, the producer of "An Inconvenient Truth" makes it clear that her Sept. book is meant to indoctrinate children:

Both David and [co-author Cambria] Gordon see children as true agents for change. “Kids are the most optimistic human beings—they only see the future ahead of them and it’s bright,” David says. “Kids also are the number one influence on their parents, so if you want to reach the parents, go to the kids.”

Gordon agrees, “At times the adult world is getting burnt out,” coping with existing crises and forecasts for disaster. But “children’s concern is for their adult life—they don’t have the cynicism adults have.” Gordon foresees children reading the Guide in eco-clubs and after-school
programs, using it as a basis for classroom projects and fund-raisers, and checking its advice on green habits.
David and Gordon are suggesting that since presenting logical arguments to adults is too difficult, it's best to manipulate children with a book they encounter in their classrooms and after-school programs. In other words, bypass parental control and instead use kids to guilt-trip their moms and dads.

I've seen the preview copy of their book, and it's heavy-handed. It states that global warming is undeniably caused by industrial activities, and it shows pictures of little animals like the golden toad that it claims have been made extinct by climate change. What should kids do? Nag your parents to buy a hybrid.

This is exactly why we're publishing kid's book entitled The Sky's Not Falling: Why It's OK to Chill about Global Warming. We not only wanted to print a book that steers clear of this kind of fear-mongering, but we also wanted to make sure that parents have a choice if they decide to educate their kids on this complicated topic. As I discussed in a post earlier this week, unlike Scholastic, we won't aim our sales and marketing energy at kids, but rather take our message to their parents.

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like Scholastic has any hesitancy when it comes to peddling politics directly onto kids. Laurie David makes that pretty clear.

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1 Comments:

  • If a conservative or a Global Warming "denier" had made these statements, the hue & cry of bias, partisanship, liar, & any other nasty name one can imagine, would have been cast upon those persons. And, the media would have pounced on those statements with an aggression even a Marine in Iraq would be proud of!
    That these folks get a pass for their obvious intentions to purposefully & deliberately & obfuscate with total disregard for the truth or at least the whole truth, is shameful That media types enable them & help them promote their concocted stories, is pathetically shameful.
    I am angry the media & others willingly attack those whose positions are not rabid liberal left, but will soft pedal or even avoid mentioning what their favored
    parties are promoting.
    Unless & until this nation makes it perfectly obvious to the media that their actions are unacceptable, they will continue their games as though its no big deal.
    Advocacy journalism has its place. However, when media types act in a cowardly fashion & evade or deliberately omit their advocacy positions, hide that from the public, allow readers or viewers to believe the media view is news rather than advocacy, I think we should be able to apply legal remedies.
    There are truth in advertising laws. Based on what has been done with "news" journalism, I think it may be time to apply truth in news reporting also. Its the only way we can silence partisan political agenda advocacy journalism disguised as hard news.
    In short, they are openly lying to their consumers and those lies are unquestionably dangerous!

    By Blogger Rubicon, at 7:41 PM  

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