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Parents Mad Kids Told “Radical, Leftist” Facts About Plastic Usage, Autism
Imagine your kids walked into school tomorrow and watched a video on not using plastic bags at the grocery store or plastic bottles for their water. Would you A. Agree or B. Throw a hissy and call the media because the school was trying to brainwash your kids with “radical, leftist” propaganda?
If you guessed B., you apparently would fit right in with the folks at a Utah elementary school who are up in arms over their kids being shown the “I Pledge” video, in which celebs pledge to clean up the environment, find cures for Alzheimer’s and autism and other absurd notions.
The video was borne out of the Barack Obama campaign and has shown up a number of times since his election – beginning with a quote from the president about service followed by the likes of Courteney Cox Arquette, Demi Moore, P. Diddy, and others making pledges to make a difference in the world.
The “worst” offenses in the entire thing? Arrested Development’s Jason Batemen pledges to flush only after “making a deuce” – inferring that when it’s yellow he’ll let it mellow. Another actor (whose name is escaping me at this moment) says he will refrain in the future from giving people the finger when he’s driving.
OK, that’s the WORST of it, folks. And considering how many times I’ve driven down the highway and my not-yet-school-age daughter has seen children on buses give us the finger, I’m really going to say those are pretty darn negligible. And calling it a deuce? Not what we say in our house, but I’ve heard it from other kids – along with “a twosie” or just a plain old “two.”
Ironically, among the pledges was Jenna Elfman holding a child and promising to “always find the humor in everyting.”
But it wasn’t the goofy code name for poop that has the president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum hooting and hollering. He’s mad anyone would even infer kids shouldn’t flush. And not use plastic bottles? That’s fodder for “a one-sided propaganda piece.”
One parent went so far as to tell the Salt-Lake Tribune, “They shouldn’t be troubling our youth with the woes of the world and making them feel like we’re in slavery or they have to worry about how many times they flush the toilet or if they have a plastic water bottle.”
Aha! It’s the “let’s not tell our kids anything because maybe all that naughty science stuff will all go away” approach. I love it!
There are a few other complaints – among them that the people pledge to be of service to Barack Obama (he is president you know, guys) and a joke from Anthony Kiedis that he pledges allegiance to the funk, to the united funk of funkadelica (imagine, someone being silly in a video that a child sees).
The only thing remotely political, another big complaint by the folks at Eagle Bay Elementary School, is a few second blip when Eva Mendes says “to advance stem cell research.” I’m admittedly pro, but I can admit that one walks a sticky line and perhaps could have been edited out. But using the parents’ logic that kids shouldn’t be worrying plastic bottles, what are they doing talking to their kids about stem cell research? Kids see plastic bottles and grocery bags on a regular basis, but would a first grader encounter that in any setting beside one in which the parent brings it up?
In case you DON’T think this should be hidden away from your kids, here you go:
Now, was that so bad?
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VIDEO: President Obama’s Speech to the Kids | Strollerderby commented on Sep 08 09 at 12:00 pmcarefree childhood commented on Sep 02 09 at 6:22 pmThe celebrity worship bothers me far more.
Ali commented on Sep 02 09 at 6:52 pmTheir just made cause he is black.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 02 09 at 8:33 pmAnd they never went back.
Eric commented on Sep 03 09 at 12:58 amNice Scorpio, you gave me a good laugh. I’m against the destruction of viable embryos for stem cell research, but they didn’t really specify in ‘advancing stem cell research’ and there are other kinds of stem cell research so I won’t complain. Honestly, the only thing in there that I didn’t like was a the misinformation on civics. None of us should be pledging to be ‘servants of Barack Obama.’ Not servants of Bush, or Clinton, or Reagan either. That is the promise of our great nation, that no man should be made servant to power. Certainly I support serving each other, its a Biblical principle. I just feel that those that got on the boats to come over here 200 some odd years ago did so with the idea that they wouldn’t be ‘servants’ to any leader again.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Sep 03 09 at 10:12 amEric, agreed on all points. I saw this video during the election and it left a bad taste in my mouth for exactly those reasons.
nigelmoose commented on Sep 03 09 at 10:44 amThis is campaign propadanda and has no place in a taxpayer funded public school. And yes, I find very offensive the notion that we should pledge to serve Barack Obama. The president is supposed to be a servant of the people, not the other way around.
Amanda B commented on Sep 03 09 at 12:09 pmAnd here I thought that politicians were supposed to be public servants! All this time I was wrong – we should be “of service” to them, according to these brilliant actors.
Citizen Mom commented on Sep 03 09 at 7:27 pmComments
I wasn’t too jazzed about this video either, but I don’t think taking a moment to remember that this country isn’t just about ‘what’s in it for me’ is such a horrible idea. Even in a democracy we have a responsibility for what goes on in our society. I’m getting a little tired of hearing words like ‘socialism’ and ‘communist’ thrown around as if our president is some sort of Russian sleeper spy. Service to country doesn’t always have to entail killing people in some foreign country.As for why those people came over here 200 hundred years ago, it was for religious freedom, not governmental freedom. those settlers still considered themselves subjects to their respective rulers. And they weren’t saints by any stretch of the imagination either.
superbooks7 commented on Sep 03 09 at 8:10 pmI agree with what mistress scorpio wrote there about the video.
Eric commented on Sep 03 09 at 11:03 pmCitizen mom, I agree that our founders came here for religious freedom; but if the government controls the practice of religion, don’t they want governmental freedom as well? As for what they considered themselves, Thomas Jefferson said:
“Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. The federal government is our servant, not our master!”
Furthermore, with regard to your mistaken belief I find Jefferson again most poignant:
My God! how little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!”
We are not subject to any man. We are subject to the laws of the this country and to God. No man is our master.
Lisa commented on Sep 04 09 at 1:10 amWell said, Carefree childhood.
I’m not very lefty, and don’t think these are radical or left notions.
Also, “in which celebs pledge to clean up the environment, find cures for Alzheimer’s and autism and other absurd notions.”
Was the last bit meant to be sarcastic? Because it doesn’t read as humourous just cynical or confusing.
jeannesager commented on Sep 04 09 at 4:31 pmLisa – yes, it was meant to be sarcastic. Sorry for the confusion! And I can agree with everyone who said that the celeb worship is over-the-top – if that’s what these parents were complaining about, I might have agreed with them.
Melissa commented on Sep 08 09 at 4:45 pmComments I can agree that the wording about being a servant to our president may not have been well chosen. However over all I didn’t have a problem with the ad. It’s very much along the lines of Kennedy’s thinking about what you can do for your country. It would’ve been better to pledge to help mankind and leave it at that. I have no problems with having celebrities delivering the message since that has really been done for years to get the attention of people watching. My kids wouldn’t even know these celebs however. But…I think that it would be more appropriate to show this tv during kids programming rather than at school. But I certainly wouldn’t really care if they saw it at school. I think that kids should think about doing their part.
Melissa commented on Sep 08 09 at 4:46 pmI can agree that the wording about being a servant to our president may not have been well chosen. However over all I didn’t have a problem with the ad. It’s very much along the lines of Kennedy’s thinking about what you can do for your country. It would’ve been better to pledge to help mankind and leave it at that. I have no problems with having celebrities delivering the message since that has really been done for years to get the attention of people watching. My kids wouldn’t even know these celebs however. But…I think that it would be more appropriate to show this tv during kids programming rather than at school. But I certainly wouldn’t really care if they saw it at school. I think that kids should think about doing their part.
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