New Kids Book Teaches Neo-Liberal Activism Kira Davis January 13, 2015 Opinion, Rebel Pundit 1 Comment Sick of the same old sexist, patriarchal fairy tales and typical, boring ABC books for your babies? Ever wish you could find a way to explain the ins and outs of the protest culture to your toddler? Do you find “Green Eggs and Ham” a little wanting in the “justice” department? Well fear no more. One brave activist has found a way for concerned parents to change their offspring from boring old babies to conscientious objectors. It’s as easy as ABC! Innosanto Nagara is a graphic designer in Oakland, CA who prides himself on working for “the Movement.” When Nagara became a father he found it troubling that there weren’t a lot of children’s books out there that were properly teaching about the philosophies that brought us North Korea, the Castros and shared oppression. He decided to use his skill set to create an early childhood indoctrination boardbook – ‘A is for Activist.’ I took the liberty of lifting a couple of the sample pages from Nagara’s book (available at his site for free viewing) and fixing some of the ideas. Here are some examples of the how I think this book could be made better. C is for Corporate Vultures! My version: I would never discourage your creativity. You can be whatever you want to be. Unless it’s a business owner with the audacity, To grow his business so large he needs many employees. If you become too good at what you do And earn enough to support what’s important to you, Keep in mind I’ll call you a vulture too And curse you for your revenue. So remember to work hard but not too hard, son. Or we’ll call you a sellout, protest you and shun All the good that you do with your profits hard-won. Achievement is a shame from which you must run. D is for democracy! My version: Democracy is mob rule but sometimes MOBS RULE! Looking out for the minority isn’t very cool. We live a Republic, from sea to shining sea, Where the individual is the smallest minority. Democracy means only the majority matter. Any other views are simply useless chatter. In a democracy we would never have had a Martin Luther King, A Civil rights movement or discussions that might bring More freedom and rights to the weakest among us. The right to sit at the front of the bus. The majority would never have voted for that And tyranny would have remained our habitat. Our Republic is flawed but by far the best choice, For it gives both the strong and the weak an audible voice. P is for pro-pro-protest! Q is for Question! My version: Poo-poo-pooping. Pooping on cars. Throwing Molotov cocktails and Getting thrown behind bars. It’s cooler than voting And easier than work. We could vote for change But its more fun to be a jerk. Stand in the street, Block commuters from their jobs. Supporting your family Is clearly for snobs. Nothing says “We fight for the little guy” More than preventing him from driving by And going to the job that feeds his kids. When you’re making a point Who cares who hits the skids? Q is for question It is important to ask questions And encourage curiosity. Like Why does Al Gore have a 12,000 square foot mansion but discourage the same for me? Why do famous green activists lecture About oil and carbon footprints From the comfort of their gas-guzzling yachts And their jets fit for a prince? Why do you say the government Has no business in your womb, But when it comes to birth control You scream “Pay for it!” as you fume. Why are people who scream loudest For tolerance and open minds Usually the most hateful, the most demanding And the most unkind? Why do they limit their tolerance To only those whom agree? And shout, “You must be evil, If you don’t think just like me!”? What if we all could argue, And debate and have our say, While recognizing we are all valuable And worthy at the end of the day. S is for Selfish! My version: S is for selfish. It is selfish indeed To ignore the plight of poor families in need. That “sludge” gives the single mother affordable heat So she can use her scarce earnings to eat. Oil is the fuel that powers freedom. It provides cheap energies to those Who really need them. Ethanol is expensive And steals food that we need. Solar panels burn birds alive With tragic speed. Water we drink, so that’s not good fuel. Windmills steal open space And chop birds. Now that’s cruel! Oil has one purpose – To serve our human progress. Those who struggle should have more Not be making due with less. Nagara’s goals are noble. He wants to teach his son to be a part of a larger conversation about caring for your fellow-man. To this end, he includes some positive historical figures in his book such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. Unfortunately they are included alongside disturbing figures like racist homophobe Mahatma Gandhi and socialists Dorothy Day and Caesar Chavez. As a former socialist I know that such conversations – while initially noble – almost always end up in oppression, starvation and the suppression of individuality and creativity. And so, in closing I’d like to add: I guess I’ll leave my activist friends With one last thought for the day. I see you have passion for change And I think that’s okay. But don’t forget the blessings That our great nation does provide. The precious right to earn and love And build and create and thrive. America is not perfect. Mankind is not without flaw. But our unique brand of freedom Remains a steady draw To those who seek our lifestyle Of freedom and opportunity. Never forget how many have died For the chance to be you and me. Feel free to add your own “letters” in the comments. One Response Nana January 19, 2015 Thank you!!! I love it!! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.