The thought police have a new rule. We shouldn’t teach our children about the 45th president because it is propaganda. According to Think Progress, Teachers and parents are enraged over what they call “pro-Trump propaganda” from Scholastic in form of two books.
The books titled A True Book, President Donald Trump and President Donald Trump, have been met with criticism for elevating Trump while leaving out him being a misogynist and xenophobe. Teachers and parents are calling these books unacceptable and calling for it’s removal.
A True Book: President Donald Trump, for grades 3 to 5, included the phrase “They will also get to know his family and find out why his presidential campaign has been a source of controversy” in its description.
President Donald Trump, for 1st and 2nd graders will explore the way “Trump changed the face of American politics in 2016, when he was elected president.” because “he became the first U.S. president who never before held a political office or served in the military.”
This is unacceptable to liberals, who believe children shouldn’t learn about the historical significance of his presidency for fear of spreading pro-Trump messages.
StepUp Scholastic, a campaign that wants Scholastic to distribute books that “affirm the identity, history, and lives of ALL children in our schools” have been bombarding the company with letters and tweets (as if public schools aren’t already awash in diversity messaging). Thankfully Scholastic has yet to take the book off their website.
Teaching for Change, a non-profit with a social justice mission stated that, “y[Y]oung children should not see their leaders as limitless or all powerful and that books about any leader should includes more nuance than this one.”
You have to wonder what Teaching for Change thought of this song children were taught when Trump’s predecessor was elected.
Other books by Scholastic are Yes We Can! A Salute to Children from President Obama’s Victory Speech, Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, and I Am #9: John F. Kennedy. Books that completely ignore Jefferson’s alleged affair and children with one of his slaves. Or Kennedy’s promiscuous sex life while in office including his affair with Marilyn Monroe. These books paint a false picture of a past president that only show positive things about these men, ignoring their treatment of women. The exact same reason that people want the Trump books to be taken down.
If we are going to tell children the unvarnished truth no matter what, then these books should also be taken down.
