Mike Huckabee's Disinformation Series of Children's Books

[Fantine]

If ANY books should be banned from public libraries, these ought to top the list. Just imagining what is inside each title makes me cringe, and while I hope that libraries wouldn't waste their money on them, I am not a book banner and would just hope parents would have the good sense not to take them out.

I guess the first one was Kids Guide to Coronavirus (even the title seems to breed contagion). There is also Kids Guides to Immigration, Law Enforcement, the truth (?) about Climate Change, the Reagan Revolution, Media Bias and Fake News, Cancel Culture....

Former gov and first dad Mike Huckabee churns out new right-wing kids' book on climate

We should expect “Kids Guide” marketing campaigns to ramp up, now that his daughter’s signature school privatization and voucher legislation, Arkansas LEARNS, will soon reimburse homeschool families for education expenses.

Huckabee already cashed in with “The Kids Guide to the Coronavirus,” which the state of Arkansas bought in bulk in 2021 using federal pandemic relief money.


Anyone who sends a dollar Huckabee’s way, beware. Everbright Media gets some terrible reviews from customers, who went to the Better Business Bureau to complain. Some customers found it nearly impossible to cancel their subscriptions, and they were charged for the deliveries that kept arriving.

 

[Ave Maria]

I would honestly be interested in reading these books for myself to see whether they are factually accurate. I know that some people hold unscientific views on climate change, and I wonder if his books advocate this sort of view. Not only that, but I'm actually more interested in his other children's books. If I knew they were suitable for my son, I'd order them.

 

[FireDragon76]

If ANY books should be banned from public libraries, these ought to top the list. Just imagining what is inside each title makes me cringe, and while I hope that libraries wouldn't waste their money on them, I am not a book banner and would just hope parents would have the good sense not to take them out.

I guess the first one was Kids Guide to Coronavirus (even the title seems to breed contagion). There is also Kids Guides to Immigration, Law Enforcement, the truth (?) about Climate Change, the Reagan Revolution, Media Bias and Fake News, Cancel Culture....

Former gov and first dad Mike Huckabee churns out new right-wing kids' book on climate

Huckabee has become more of a kook as time has gone on. Which is too bad, at one time he was just a conservative Baptist pastor turned politician.

 

[Fantine]

As a governor he was far more moderate than his daughter. Now, as governor, she is getting the state to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars buying his materials.

There can't be much "fact" in the books with titles like "Fake Media" and "Cancel Culture." The book on climate change apparently reassures children.

The new book on climate change takes a don’t-worry-be-happy approach, spreading the good news that abundant oil reserves lurk under our feet and the Earth’s temps have always jumped around a lot, anyway.

Here’s how the book is described on the Kids Guide website, where you can sign up to claim this special offer:

“Our kids are terrified that the planet is facing a death sentence due to climate change, and they’re hearing that it could happen in their lifetime! As their teachers and the media are pushing an agenda that promotes fear and panic, kids need to understand the facts behind climate change so they can feel safe.”

 

[Ave Maria]

As a governor he was far more moderate than his daughter. Now, as governor, she is getting the state to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars buying his materials.

There can't be much "fact" in the books with titles like "Fake Media" and "Cancel Culture." The book on climate change apparently reassures children.

Why would there not be much fact in them based on those terms? Don't you believe that cancel culture is a real thing? What about fake media?

 

[Fantine]

Both of those phrases are conservative buzzwords to cast shade on things they disagree with.

To conservatives, "fake media" is any news outlet that writes stories unfavorable to their point-of-view. We need to judge media by their use of primary sources, or secondary sources combined with other corroborating evidence. If we are concerned about media, we can check their stories out on fact check or Snopes.

I am aware that news media can also err by failing to cover certain stories. I always check Fox News when there is a particularly busy news cycle--perhaps another Trump indictment--because they will almost assuredly be talking about Hunter Biden or some other less significant story.

I most often hear complaints about "cancel culture" from white Christian conservatives. I am white and Christian (not conservative) and I have never felt that anyone is trying to cancel my "culture" when criticism is leveled at some obvious excesses. I certainly do not feel that celebrating black figures in history or calling "Columbus Day" "Native American Day" is canceling my culture. For two long we have not recognized the contribution that many groups have made to American history and prosperity---and asking white Christians to 'share the spotlight' a little is not cancelling their culture at all.

 

[FireDragon76]

Both of those phrases are conservative buzzwords to cast shade on things they disagree with.

To conservatives, "fake media" is any news outlet that writes stories unfavorable to their point-of-view. We need to judge media by their use of primary sources, or secondary sources combined with other corroborating evidence. If we are concerned about media, we can check their stories out on fact check or Snopes.

Yup. Cancel culture is mostly about thin skinned people spending way too much time on the internet and being way too fragile.

Ironically, they do the same kinds of things they accuse their opponents of doing. The recent Bud Light boycott being a perfect example. All that rage against somebody for just getting paid to drink beer. Joe Rogan is more than a bit of an airhead most of the time, but at least he had enough humor to drink a Bud Light on air a few days after it blew over.

I really think that's a problem with alot of these people. They are utterly humorless and don't value any sense of playfulness. Which is probably why a beer company choosing a character like Mulvaney (who is goofy and camp alot of the time), to endorse their products could send them into a frenzy. But it's still rather sad and pathetic in my book.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

I really think that's a problem with alot of these people. They are utterly humorless and don't value any sense of playfulness. Which is probably why a beer company choosing a character like Mulvaney (who is goofy and camp alot of the time), to endorse their products could send them into a frenzy. But it's still rather sad and pathetic in my book.

If you had to speculate, if a company like say, Ben & Jerry's...a company that's traditionally had progressive values and built a largely progressive consumer base as a result... decided to hire a new marketing exec, and that marketing exec decided to collaborate with Ted Nugent to make a "Machine Gun Mocha" flavored ice cream in the name of "expanding their brand", what do you think the response would be to that? I suspect quite a few progressives would be more than a little miffed (and likely see it as a middle finger to them), and probably call for boycotts like they did for Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby if I had to guess.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

The article seems to only cite one example, is there anything that delves into any of the other points of concern with his "kids guide to covid" book?

This is the one they mention:
But the booklet doesn’t talk about the benefits of mask-wearing. Though they encourage children to social distance, wash their hands and use good hygiene, one section discouraging hoarding of supplies states in part that “face masks aren’t recommended as a way of preventing Coronavirus for healthy people.”


Depending on the timing of when it was released, it may not be that far out of line with what was being recommended at the time since the guidance was changing quite a bit during certain stretches of the pandemic.

In looking at the PDF, it looks like that snippet was in the section about not hoarding supplies "because they need to be saved for the doctors and nurses that need them" It says the book deal happened in 2020...

A timeline of the CDC's advice on face masks

Rules and guidance about face masks have changed throughout the pandemic. Here's how the CDC's advice has evolved.

www.latimes.com

Depending on the timing of when the book was written in 2020, it looks like it could've been right in line with the CDC messaging and guidance from late march 2020.

The pamphlet still encouraging hand hygeine, social distancing, and has content like this:

So it doesn't sound like this pamphlet was a "downplay the dangers of covid" kind of thing... and doesn't read like something trying to convince kids that "covid is no big deal" or anything like that.

Could this simply be a case where the materials were put together in 2020, but by the time it was actually purchased/released, the guidance had simply changed?

I also notice that pamphlet is still touting the benefits of vaccination in general with content like this:

 

[Fantine]

Rob, I guess that reading one was enough.
I looked to see if they might be on our online library service, but they weren't.
The very titles of these books point to a slanted, biased negative view destined to make these homeschooled kids rush out tilting at windmills at every turn.
Christian nationalists are not the most persecuted people in America. No one wants to destroy their way of life. They just want to stop them from interfering with everyone else's.
They have manufactured a false history and are now trying to squeeze it into the Constitution, but like a Rubenesque lady trying on spanx, it just doesn't fit.

 

[durangodawood]

For non-fiction books, I'm completely fine with libraries exercising some discretion about what books to buy - based on their factual reliability.

Not every crackpot idea is entitled to equal shelf space.

 

[FireDragon76]

If you had to speculate, if a company like say, Ben & Jerry's...a company that's traditionally had progressive values and built a largely progressive consumer base as a result... decided to hire a new marketing exec, and that marketing exec decided to collaborate with Ted Nugent to make a "Machine Gun Mocha" flavored ice cream in the name of "expanding their brand", what do you think the response would be to that? I suspect quite a few progressives would be more than a little miffed (and likely see it as a middle finger to them), and probably call for boycotts like they did for Chick-fil-a and Hobby Lobby if I had to guess.

Not analogous. There's a difference between paying a playful and camp personality to sell beer, and actively funding hate groups and treating your employees badly in the name of your religion.

Most of the "boycotts" against Chick-Fil-A were relatively quiet. It didn't involve guns and death threats.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

"That first delivery runs only $1 to cover old-fashioned shipping and handling, but is followed by a domino effect of deliveries every three or four weeks. Those deliveries will cost you $21.90 a pop unless and until you remember to cancel."

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Not analogous. There's a difference between paying a playful and camp personality to sell beer

It'd be a similarity in that I would assume the left dislikes Ted Nugent as much as some on the right dislike Mulvaney, so if a company that's been traditionally left leaning decided to make him a spokesperson, that probably wouldn't be well received and cause some backlash, correct?

 

[Ana the Ist]

If ANY books should be banned from public libraries, these ought to top the list.

Are they also pornographic?

Just imagining what is inside each title makes me cringe, and while I hope that libraries wouldn't waste their money on them, I am not a book banner and would just hope parents would have the good sense not to take them out.

Well they're children's books...so I would imagine children could check them out.

I guess the first one was Kids Guide to Coronavirus (even the title seems to breed contagion). There is also Kids Guides to Immigration, Law Enforcement, the truth (?) about Climate Change, the Reagan Revolution, Media Bias and Fake News, Cancel Culture....

Lol wow....big surprise, right? Kick open the doors on childhood political indoctrination and you suddenly see you political opponents attempting to indoctrinate children.

Imagine if a Republican gets in office and puts Huckabee in his cabinet at the Department of Education. These suddenly become textbooks and your kid comes home asking why you support allowing rapists and terrorists to enter the country lol.

Former gov and first dad Mike Huckabee churns out new right-wing kids' book on climate

I don't think he's going to see much success. If he wants kids to be OK with climate change, you gotta make it fun. Stories of how your grandparents in Arizona now have beachfront property or perhaps we follow the adventures of a polar bear who was lonely his entire life till climate change allowed him to explore South of the Arctic where he got to meet all sorts of new animal friends who also left their environments.

 

[durangodawood]

It'd be a similarity in that I would assume the left dislikes Ted Nugent as much as some on the right dislike Mulvaney, so if a company that's been traditionally left leaning decided to make him a spokesperson, that probably wouldn't be well received and cause some backlash, correct?

Hard to say.

I know all about The Nuge because his guitar playing rocks and his terrific (but sometimes kind of creepy) songs were all over the radio back in the day. So he got some big fame before talking about blacks as inferior, nuking Iraq, killing pres Obama and calling him a subhuman mongrel, and then going all maga.

I'd literally never ever heard of Mulvaney before this kerfuffle. Who is she? What did she do that was so bad to justify a backlash?

 

[FireDragon76]

Hard to say.

I know all about The Nuge because his guitar playing rocks and his terrific (but sometimes kind of creepy) songs were all over the radio back in the day. So he got some big fame before talking about blacks as inferior, nuking Iraq, killing pres Obama, and then going all maga.

I'd literally never ever heard of Mulvaney before this kerfuffle. Who is she? What did she do that was so bad to justify a backlash?

She's a Tiktok personality that got popular with young people. She's also a trans woman, and has a campy persona (she used to identify as a gay man years ago, not uncommon among transwomen in general). And I guess that made some people upset, when InBev decided to partner with her for a product placement.

I think the outrage is due to a mixture of jealousy mixed with hatred of LGBT people, and the fact a company like InBev/Busch isn't giving a certain demographics prejudice any deference. There's really very little I see as remotely offensive about her, and she only has the garden variety narcissism of many people in our society (hardly exceptional, we live in an age dominated by that), beneath her camp goofiness seems to be a decent person, unlike some of her dectractors that seem to peddle alot of hate and disgust for all sorts of people.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Rob, I guess that reading one was enough.
I looked to see if they might be on our online library service, but they weren't.
The very titles of these books point to a slanted, biased negative view destined to make these homeschooled kids rush out tilting at windmills at every turn.
Christian nationalists are not the most persecuted people in America. No one wants to destroy their way of life. They just want to stop them from interfering with everyone else's.
They have manufactured a false history and are now trying to squeeze it into the Constitution, but like a Rubenesque lady trying on spanx, it just doesn't fit.

Is your primary objection that these books have an indoctrinating element, or that it's an indoctrinating element that's favoring a conservative viewpoint?


It would seem as if books like these may be trying to accomplish something similar (adults authoring children's books as a means of inculcating kids with their own values)

Now, if you want to make the argument that indoctrination itself can be problematic, then we'd likely have a lot of agreement. I don't see it as a good thing when adults seek to use children as "ideology propagation vessels". However, if your issue is strictly that there are indoctrination attempts are aimed at values that contradict your own, then perhaps you see the dilemma here?

Perhaps it's time that adults take a few steps back, and stop trying to give kids a concrete opinion on subjects that (absent indoctrination efforts from adults) would be above their level of comprehension and not something they'd ever think about on their own until later.

Absent repetitive prodding from adults, I wouldn't expect a child to develop a serious opinion or meaningful viewpoint at age 9 on the topics like climate change, non-binary pronouns, and the dynamics of media bias, for the same reasons I wouldn't expect them to develop a serious opinion or meaningful viewpoint on international trade agreements or interest rates.

 

[FireDragon76]

Some of those books you mention aren't as heavy on outright propaganda and lies, even if they are heavily emphasizing one viewpoint. Just discussing atheism or science with your kids isn't the same as "indoctrination".

I grew up in a Methodist family. We weren't the most devout, but we went to church regularly. I had all kinds of books as a kid, and my parents encouraged wide ranging interests and curiosity about the world. I think that's normal and healthy. It's not normal and healthy for Christian parents to shelter their kids and only give them propaganda to read.

 

[Always in His Presence]

If ANY books should be banned from public libraries, these ought to top the list. Just imagining what is inside each title makes me cringe, and while I hope that libraries wouldn't waste their money on them, I am not a book banner and would just hope parents would have the good sense not to take them out.

Perhaps instead of relying on your imagination and a left leaning news source, you could quote parts of the books you disagree with.