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Individual Blog Post From Stephen McDonald
Stephen McDonald is a writer whose work blends genres that have no business being together. In doing this, his goal is to always push to give the reader something they haven't seen before.
Sunday, June 22nd 2014
Posted Sun Jun 22 2014 20:57
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A former reporter is appalled by the insensitive toys she chose to purchase (h/t Isegoria):
After the arrival of the Playmobil fort, I tried to explain to my son that the Native Americans were protecting themselves and reacting to the expansion of American settlers into their land. My kids attend a school where they learn that the Native Americans were forced into California Missions and mistreated. Even in preschool they learn about civil rights and the fight of Cesar Chavez and the farmworkers. So I thought that dealing with this would be no problem.
The self-parody is strong in this one.
But putting out a set with pioneers and Indians killing each other without any context for the 5-year-old that will be playing with it is reckless. I'm sure not every kid who opens that fort is getting a lecture about Native Americans. And yes, we do live in liberal San Francisco. When my son talks about getting a Playmobil wedding set, I'm sure he wouldn't be at all surprised if the set had two men or two women on the altar. Now that is something I'd like to see, Playmobil.
Of course you would.