A new coloring book has hit the shelves that is based on the Tea Party and openly advocates for the principles espoused by the right-wing movement. The publishers say that sales are brisk. But this has resulted in an unforeseen problem that could dampen demand for the book.
There is now a worldwide shortage of white crayons. In order to properly fill in the Tea Partiers portrayed in the book, kids have exhausted the current supply of white drawing implements. America’s children are eager to represent the movement accurately, and this has caused a run on many toy stores. Parents have begun advertising on Craigslist and other sites in a frantic search to satisfy the desires of their kids.
Some parents, in a fit of desperation, are trying to to persuade the young artists to use other colors. “That’s why they call them ‘colored people,'” one anxious mother vainly tried to explain to her crestfallen son.
In addition to the marketplace chaos, the coloring book’s content has political connotations. I wonder what Sean Hannity would have to say about this. He, and many other Fox News shoutcasters, have railed against President Obama for what they called “indoctrination” of children whenever the administration spoke to students or distributed learning materials to schools. And it didn’t have to be a government entity to stir up the Foxies wrath. Private companies and non-profit groups received the same treatment and were likened to Nazis poisoning the minds of our youth. Yet this book has not generated the same criticism despite its explicit advocacy of partisan opinion, as seen in this excerpt from the book:
“When taxes are too high, the high tax takes away jobs and freedom. In 1773 we had a Tea Party and this led to freedom from high taxes. Today we are having another Tea Party and this will lead to freedom from high taxes again!”
The reaction to this book from Fox News isn’t nearly as hostile as their response to anything similar from the White House or those who published more liberal fare. In fact, Fox provided valuable airtime to promote the book and its publisher, which should serve to boost sales. The selective outrage exhibited by Fox and other conservatives demonstrates that indoctrination is not regarded as threatening if it is coming from the right.
Revised and corrected cover of the The Tea Party Coloring Book:
what impresses me so much about the coloring book is that the text is just as appropriate for the average Tea Partier’s reading level as well.
Ha! Fantastic.
On a side note, we didn’t revolt against high taxes in 1773; we were perfectly ok with getting taxed. What we were upset about was (which should be well known to the ‘well educated’ tea baggers) a little something called taxation without representation. They should stop bragging about their intelligence if they would lose on ‘are you smarter than a fourth grader’. Well educated my ass. They prove otherwise every chance they get.