The NRA and Violence in Children's Books
In the USA, the right to bear arms, enshrined in the
Constitution, is vigorously upheld by many people, and especially by the
members of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA). Faced with
increased opposition from people concerned about the loss of life from
criminal, deranged and accidental shootings, and aiming to stop gun
violence with tighter controls on gun ownership, the NRA and its
supporters have resorted to more and more radical methods, including
some instances of armed resistance to law enforcement agencies. Perhaps
most sinister of all, is their recent activity in rewriting children's
classic fairy tales featured on their family website, putting firearms
in the hands of formerly innocent characters such as Little Red Riding
Hood and Hansel and Gretel. This attempt at early indoctrination
threatens to have a seriously detrimental effect on the development and
welfare of America's children.
The classic fairy tales, like all good children's books, are reread and retold, generation after generation, for the beneficial effects they have, both short-term and long-term. Often read at bedtime, these time-honoured stories, by showing that right prevails and bad situations can have a happy ending, induce pleasant thoughts and aid sleep. In the longer term, they are aids to education, encouraging reading and planting the seeds of moral conduct, expressed in the desire to be a good person. If the central characters are now to use firearms to assert their rights, all these benefits are at risk.
Mass shootings on school compounds have become a recurring feature of modern life in the USA and the impact is magnified by the extensive reporting in the news media. Many children entertain a fear that such an occurrence could happen at their school and the fear is refreshed daily by warnings and weapons searches. In spite of precautions, there are frequent reports of children bringing guns and other weapons to school, and more can be expected if this is the way they are told fairy tale characters protect themselves. In an atmosphere of increased anxiety, reading fairy tales featuring guns at bedtime is liable to induce nightmares and sleeplessness in timid children, just as it will reinforce the aggression of those inclined to be bullies.
Violence in children's stories, especially those told at bedtime, should only be of the cartoon variety. Bringing guns into stories inevitably introduces violence of the irreversible kind. A big danger of telling tales of armed Hansels and Gretels lies in instilling the belief that might is right. This undermines democracy and encourages disrespect for the law and law enforcement. It breeds the type of character so often exhibited by members of the NRA who act as though they believe with Mao Zedong that 'political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' If the Constitution which enshrines the treasured right to bear arms cannot be changed, all peace loving people must take the same view of the time-honoured texts of the classic fairy tales.
The classic fairy tales, like all good children's books, are reread and retold, generation after generation, for the beneficial effects they have, both short-term and long-term. Often read at bedtime, these time-honoured stories, by showing that right prevails and bad situations can have a happy ending, induce pleasant thoughts and aid sleep. In the longer term, they are aids to education, encouraging reading and planting the seeds of moral conduct, expressed in the desire to be a good person. If the central characters are now to use firearms to assert their rights, all these benefits are at risk.
Mass shootings on school compounds have become a recurring feature of modern life in the USA and the impact is magnified by the extensive reporting in the news media. Many children entertain a fear that such an occurrence could happen at their school and the fear is refreshed daily by warnings and weapons searches. In spite of precautions, there are frequent reports of children bringing guns and other weapons to school, and more can be expected if this is the way they are told fairy tale characters protect themselves. In an atmosphere of increased anxiety, reading fairy tales featuring guns at bedtime is liable to induce nightmares and sleeplessness in timid children, just as it will reinforce the aggression of those inclined to be bullies.
Violence in children's stories, especially those told at bedtime, should only be of the cartoon variety. Bringing guns into stories inevitably introduces violence of the irreversible kind. A big danger of telling tales of armed Hansels and Gretels lies in instilling the belief that might is right. This undermines democracy and encourages disrespect for the law and law enforcement. It breeds the type of character so often exhibited by members of the NRA who act as though they believe with Mao Zedong that 'political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.' If the Constitution which enshrines the treasured right to bear arms cannot be changed, all peace loving people must take the same view of the time-honoured texts of the classic fairy tales.
Saint George, Rusty Knight, and Monster Tamer is a series of nine
self-contained historical short stories which introduces George, a
hapless knight who has an unusual skill for monster taming, and which,
with wit and delightful aplomb takes the young reader on an adventurous
journey though some significant moments in history.
Historical Novel Society, February 2016
http://www.amazon.com/Saint-George-Rusty-Knight-Monster/dp/1910508195/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-George-Rusty-Knight-Monster/dp/1910508195/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EEZ4CA5ZNVKJ0ZZNGTN
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_Powell/921287
Historical Novel Society, February 2016
http://www.amazon.com/Saint-George-Rusty-Knight-Monster/dp/1910508195/ref=cm_cr_pr_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saint-George-Rusty-Knight-Monster/dp/1910508195/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1EEZ4CA5ZNVKJ0ZZNGTN
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