Garling Gauge

Conservative Children’s Books Combat Evil

The New Witch Hunt: Eric Jackson vs. The Rainbow Fish

Broadcast on Fox News, June 8, 2007, conservative publisher and president of World Ahead Media, Eric M. Jackson asserted that there is a “liberal bias” in children’s books. The poor sap. In particular he noted that the popular award-winning children’s book The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister promotes socialism.

Really? The fish book? Eric Jackson truly believes that children will deduce socialism is the moral of the story? Not perhaps, oh you know…sharing?

Sigh.

Let me get this straight. Conservatives see a liberal bias in higher education, the mainstream media, entertainment, and now children’s books?

If true, then conservatives are out of step with those with the most knowledge, the professionals observing and documenting our world, those in tune with what we enjoy, and authors teaching our children important lessons in life.

That leaves conservatives in the margins of those with lesser education, a skewed perception of the world, a failure to delight others, and bad parenting. Nice company there.

Back to the fish.

Wikipedia describes The Rainbow Fish plot in the following way:

The story revolves around the Rainbow Fish, who, because he is covered in beautiful shiny scales, feels that he is better than all the other fish and therefore will not play with them. When one small fish asks the Rainbow Fish for one of his scales, he refuses. The other fish refuse to talk to him after this and so, desperate, the Rainbow Fish visits the wise female octopus, who advises him to give away his scales to the other fish.

When he once again encounters the small fish, the Rainbow Fish gives him one of his precious scales and is soon surrounded by other fish requesting scales. Eventually, the Rainbow Fish has only one shiny scale left, but he is no longer vain. He spends his days playing happily with the other fish.

Oh wait, that’s right, Wikipedia–the free online encyclopedia that allows anyone to edit it thus forcing users to arrive at a consensus–ALSO has a liberal slant, demonstrated by the need for a Conservapedia.

Sigh again.

One of the formative lessons people are taught is to share. Those who interpret this book as promoting socialism over sharing have a craven view of egalitarianism and life’s early lessons. If anyone needed a second childhood it would be Eric Jackson.

Oh by the way, here is the World Ahead Publishing mission as described on their website:

Our mission is to publish provocative and entertaining books for general audiences that make the case that capitalism and free markets are critical for preserving liberty and combating the spread of evil.

Yes, you read that right, they publish children’s books with a decisive conservative slant in an attempt to combat evil.

And the witch hunt continues.

Stay vigilant conservatives! The Very Hungry Caterpillar could be gnawing away at your ‘American Values’ next.

See also: Doug Giles and the Twelfth Commandment

• Read The Rainbow Fish for yourself
• Look inside the book
• Cover image from Amazo
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar image
• http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Stumble it!