shield my son from commercialism

So last week some time, my son strats drawing on himself (not a rare occurrence). After working at it for a few minutes, he shows me his handiwork: McDonald’s-style M’s, on the backs of his hands and on his legs. And each one: crossed out. I asked him what he had drawn and what it meant. “Those are for McDonald’s and I hate McDonald’s.”

We had our basement redone recently, by a company I will not name. (They employ a certain pinkish panther as their advertising, um… thing.) Okay.

So.

As part of the remodel deal, we agreed to let them show people the job they did on the basement. That went fine. No one came into our actual house, just the basement.

But a couple days later I found some (company)-branded, pinkish panther coloring books down there.

I don’t want those things in my house. They are now in the recycling pile and I have done my part for world sanity.

No, really. I have.

Read this, about the possibility of more product placement in commercial television.

The solution is simple: continue with the no-commericial-television policy for my boy.

The interest in all things Star Wars has returned. He has never seen the movies, not even clips on You Tube. His entire understanding of the movies and the characters comes from 2 library books and one 5-year-old friend who, likewise, has never seen the movies.

But he is utterly captivated by these half-understood “facts.” Luke and Leia are brother and sister. Their father is Darth Vader. There are 4 (?) different R2D2’s. (Where did that one come from?) Etc.

And so, for now, this is what he wants to act out, over and over. When he’s not acting out his Godzilla monster stuff. Or bug stuff. Or whatever.

According to this chilling article, 20% of kids under 2 have TVs IN THEIR BEDROOMS!

Tonight, at the park with my boy, there was a little girl on the swing next to us. She was happy and friendly. And wearing an “Apple Bottoms” T-shirt.

From their website: “Apple Bottoms is a clothing line that caters to females of all shapes and sizes who are trendy and fashion forward. It’s their mission to celebrate and liberate the natural curves of a woman’s body. This unique brand is the mastermind of multi-platinum recording artist/superstar Nelly. The team of designers for Apple Bottoms seeks to highlight and accentuate the curves of a woman.”

For a 5-year-old girl. Sure. Way to go, commercialism! Another victory for you!

Ah, for the golden days of this post.

For today, my boy discovered Star Wars. He and his mother went to the library, and in the armload of books they emerged with was a book featuring all the costumes, creatures, and machines of one of the (new) Star Wars movies.

Oh, well.

I have been trying (again) to understand just what my problem is with this stuff. He loves stories. And monsters. And robots. And all kinds of stuff. He reads (and we read together) all the time. We just finished reading Carbonel, The King of Cats as our bedtime story, and before that, The Hobbit.

These books, like many things he reads or watches, really sparked something in him. He identified with this or that character, was driven to re-enact this or that scene.

And now, with Star Wars, it all seems so… base. As though, instead of coming to him from an author’s own imagination, it’s coming to him like sausage from a machine. (Okay, that image really bothered me.) I don’t think Hollywood entertainment is—in general—as good as other forms of entertainment. It’s intrinsically tied up with commerce, it’s violent, it’s lame-brain.

Yes, yes, of course Hollywood produces some good stuff. There’s some good stuff on TV. (Or so they tell me.) I just feel like Star Wars is his invitation into a much, much smaller world.

Oh, of course I’m overreacting. It’s what I do.

No more billboards (etc.) in São Paulo.

Okay. So, at the “resort” where we stay on Orcas Island (it’s a bunch of rustic cabins from the 30s), we borrowed some books from the office. One was the Lion King, which Gus had never seen/heard of. His innocence of all things Disney has been one of many blessings. He loved the book, because it involved lions and intrigue and danger. But man! This thing is violent. It’s not just that “people” are dying, but they’re being killed left and right. Really dark. What is up with Disney?

Saw a little kid (about 5 years old) with a Jelly Belly® bike helmet. Little jellybeans all over it and the Jelly Belly logo on the front. Why can’t I just look at it and say, “Yes, jellybeans are delightful”?

I don’t know, but I can’t.