November 14, 2003
Lessons For Children
Salon.com Life | Madonna the conformist
Mr. Peabody is a schoolteacher and baseball coach. One day, a boy named Tommy Tittlebottom sees Peabody apparently steal an apple from the local grocer. He tells his friends. Soon the whole town believes their beloved teacher is a thief. As soon as he hears about it, Peabody proves his innocence. The grocer confirms that Peabody pays in advance each week for an apple a day. Tommy apologizes to Mr. Peabody and asks how he can make amends. But instead of telling Tommy it's OK and forgiving him, Peabody has him slice open a pillow and let the feathers blow across a field. He then tells Tommy to pick them up, which is impossible. "It would be just as impossible to undo the damage that you have done by spreading the rumor that I am a thief," Peabody says. "Each feather represents a person in Happville."
You know what that is? That's the plot to Madonna's latest book. Gawd, way to traumatize children, Madonna! Messed.... up!
Update: Well, I've gotten a couple of responses from people who didn't see my point. So, here's my point. :-)
It's a children's book, and that's the end of the book. It would be traumatic to conscientious kids because of the whole scenario of if you make a mistake and assume the wrong thing, then you could ruin someone's life. The lessons in kids books are larger than life to kids. Peabody's lecture may be real-life truthful, but it's not appropriate for a book for young kids when the kids don't have the perspective to balance possible mistakes with possible successes. Conscientious kids are petrified of making mistakes, and they need to be encouraged that it's ok to make mistakes if you learn from them, not be told that they have done permanent damage and were simply wrong to do it in the first place.
Here's another point. Who does Madonna really personally relate to in this story? Tommy, or Peabody? The unwise person that misrepresents someone to the public, or the person that is wronged by the public misrepresenting them? I think Madonna is messed up and is foisting upon children her demons of how wronged she feels by tabloid journalism. Good childrens books are written by authors that relate to the children. Instead, these poor kids are going to be getting a nicely illustrated lecture from the perspective of one who views the child - the character the reader will identify with - as an antagonist.
Finally, I mean, COME ON. A million fluffy feathers floating across the field, and every single one of them is something wrong you did??? Excuse me if that pisses me off!
I would say based on what your blog entry states, your reaction is a bit exaggerated. That has no hint of trauma to it.
Posted by: Deborah at November 14, 2003 03:49 PMWhen I was a young child, maybe 6 years old, my brother stole something while we were at the store with my mom. She discovered it after we left the store and my mom made him return it and apologize for stealing.
When we got home, she sat us down at the kitchen table, turned the stove burners on high until they glowed orange and continued to tell us if we ever stole anything (it now included me even though I didn't steal anything) that we would come to understand what those glowing orange burners felt like.
I was not traumatized by my mother that day and I did not fear making bad choices in the future. I learned that stealing was wrong and that I would not like the consequences of my actions if I chose to partake in it. I can tell you I've never had a desire to take what wasn't mine.
I'm not saying fear is the proper way to parent, but I think society's values are at risk if we don't teach our children the lesson that Mr. Peabody tried to teach Tommy. That his actions have consequences and those consequences involve other people and before he acts he should think about it. In my mind, it is teaching Tommy a couple of valuable lessons. In my interpretation, it was soft and not the traumatic event you describe.
Posted by: Deborah at November 15, 2003 03:05 AMThat above comment makes me shudder. Not being bothered by the fact that your mother was prepared to BURN you for stealing and then going so far as to say that the rest of us shouldn't react to these sorts of things you find perfectly normal.. that's beyond fucked up. If you don't think it's "traumatic" that's one thing.. but don't go telling other people to swallow what they feel and "suck it up" as if YOU are the example of what's "normal" to feel when you can't, yourself, even see abusive childrearing behaviour in something that happened to you personally.
Posted by: Erin Zimdall at November 15, 2003 09:34 PM