Woman Blows A Wiggy Over "Go the F*** to Sleep"
Karen Spears Zacharias has a book coming out, and apparently feels she has a better shot at selling it by writing a shrill screed on CNN.com against "Go the F** to Sleep. Zacharias' stretches here are so ridiculous, her piece is somewhat funny:
"Imagine if this were written about Jews, blacks, Muslims or Latinos," says Dr. David Arredondo. He is an expert on child development and founder of The Children's Program, in the San Francisco metropolitan area, which provides consultation and training for those working with troubled youths.It is hard to imagine this kind of humor being tolerated by any of the marginalized groups Arredondo cited. Consider the lines on page 3:
"The eagles who soar thru the sky are at rest
And the creatures who crawl, run and creep.
I know you are not thirsty. That's bulls**t.
Stop lying.
Lie the f*** down, my darling, and sleep."The irony, says Arredondo, is that the people buying the book are probably good parents.
...The violent language of "Go the F*** to Sleep" is not the least bit funny, when one considers how many neglected children fall asleep each night praying for a parent who'd care enough to hold them, nurture them and read to them.
This CNN.com commenter pretty much says it:
JCC0222
Zacharius must be one of the few unfortunate baby boomers who came of age without the influence of MAD magazine. This subject which she doesn't recognize is humor, more specifically SATIRE, and satire about reading kids to sleep doesn't have the first damn thing to do with how many kids do not get read to sleep every night by loving, role-model parents. That's like saying SNL shouldn't make fun of cereal commercials (remember "Colon Blow"?) because there is still hunger in parts of the world. The argument holds no water - get real, lady...
UPDATE: BEAUTIFUL, simply beautiful response by Popehat --
A Brief But Heartfelt Response To Karen Spears Zacharias
Oh Karen, my Karen, our vile culture is rife With "fuck!" and "cocksucker!" and other such strife Nobody's polite. Nobody keeps cool. Nobody uses nice words for their stool. Instead of discoursing in the way that we should, We all swear like that guy getting blown on Deadwood.Even kids -- O, sweet Children! -- are subject to scorn,
We curse them! We rue the day they were born!
We damn their behavior, we laugh when they weep,
We employ cruel invective to tell them to sleep!Well, not to their faces. We're not all that rude.
But in private, our venting is terribly crude.
It's as if we were human, and sorry to say --
As if parenting's foibles were funny! No way!You know better, dear Karen. You know kids are no joke
You know bad words hurt those about whom they're spoke
Even if they don't hear them. Bad words hurt us all
They cheapen the culture, they lower the wall.
Between us and barbarians. For isn't it said
That the Etruscans, who cursed, are all now mostly dead?
And I loved this blog item title about Zacharias' piece by Blunt Object:
How many pearl-clutching prudes does it take to change a lightbulb?
Imagine if this were written about Jews, blacks, Muslims or Latinos
I...that's...what? There's not even an analogy there to make fun of. Hope he's getting adequate medical care for the injury he sustained during that reach.
The violent language of "Go the F*** to Sleep" is not the least bit funny, when one considers how many neglected children fall asleep each night praying for a parent who'd care enough to hold them, nurture them and read to them.
Also, "It's a Hard Knock Life" is not the least bit catchy when one considers how many neglected children fall asleep each night praying for a bitter, alcoholic orphanage manager who'd care enough to let them sing rousing songs while scrubbing the floors.
NumberSix at July 27, 2011 1:44 AM
Liberalism is a mental disorder. I think it's time to build the asylum.
brian at July 27, 2011 5:19 AM
She doesn't like it, she wrote why, and she's trying to sell a book. WHo cares? The authors of the fuck book were trying to sell one, too. I've read exerpts of it, I don't find it funny, I think it goes too far. So I won't be buying it. Easy enough.
momof4 at July 27, 2011 5:23 AM
Conveniently enough, I can apply my Anti-Choice Abortion Rule here: if you're against them, don't have one.
If you find the book offensive, don't buy it. Also, that entire paragraph is a non-sequitur. I fail to see what minorities have to do with the book, at all, and I'm at a loss as to what "marginalized groups" have to do with the humor in the book. I also don't get how what kind of parents the book's purchases are is relevant in the slightest - if you're a good parent before purchasing the book, I doubt buying the book is going to turn you into a belt-whipping abuser.
And this just my personal bias, but I've found that those "experts on child development" tend to know sweet fuck-all about children.
Choika at July 27, 2011 5:35 AM
I adore "Go the F*** to sleep". It's not made for children, and has nothing to do with children. It's made for parents who have spent years trying to get their children to go to sleep on time. The version of Samuel Jackson reading it aloud is awesome!
Cat at July 27, 2011 5:50 AM
It has been my experience that fanatics are generally lacking in a sense of humor.
BarSinister at July 27, 2011 7:41 AM
Is there nothing we can joke about anymore? Any parent out there who will tell you that they've never once wanted to tell their kid to "go the F*** to sleep" is a liar. I've laughed many times with other parents about the annoying things our kids do and some of the extreme responses we would like to let fly. Of course we're joking. I'm human and have my days where I'm cranky and my kids get on my nerves. Don't we all? I guess my kids will need massive therapy because at times I've joked with them and asked them to please write letters to Brangelina begging to be adopted. People need to get a grip!
Kristen at July 27, 2011 7:44 AM
As a first-time mom of a 4-week old who has reflux, I found this book hysterical. Does that somehow make me a terrible mother? I need something to laugh at during the sleep deprivation. I still love my child with all my heart.
People need to have a sense of humor. I totally respect if this doesn't make you laugh, as with momof4, but how does that mean it can't be funny to me? If you hate it, don't buy it. And it has nothing to do with any other group. Why the hell would I be telling specifically an African-American to go to sleep, anyway?
Jessica F. at July 27, 2011 8:49 AM
I bought the book for my son for Father's Day when his son was 11 months old. I think it's hysterical and I love my son and grandson more than anything.
Zacharias is a nut job with no sense of humor. I won't buy her book on that principle alone.
GAWD! What CAN we joke about???
Just Sayin' at July 27, 2011 9:26 AM
I used to sing this (to the tune of the standard Lullaby song):
Lullaby, say goodnight,
Go to sleep or I'll kill you...
Only until they were old enough to understand, of course. My kids and I laugh about it now, because I raised them to comprehend humor.
Michael P (@PizSez) at July 27, 2011 9:34 AM
LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. I bought it. Of course my daughters are 17, 21 and 23 now. I nearly fell over laughing and was in tears when I first read this book because I remembered those feelings oh so well. My middle daughter didn't sleep much at all. She would call to me all hours of the night...where are you? What are you doing? I was constantly exhausted from lack of sleep! Thankfully, I didn't lose my sense of humor when I lost all that sleep and can laugh at the premise of the book. Kids sometimes suck at bedtime and parents just want them to go the fuck to sleep! Well at least I did.
sara at July 27, 2011 10:28 AM
I'm politically incorrect, so this kind of book is right up my ally, and I'll read it whenever the fuck I want.
That said, when my girls were babies, and they were crying for whatever reason (wet diaper, hungry, etc., or just being miserable) I used to sing R.E.M.'s "End of the World (as we know it)" and it used to calm them right down. Got to the point where even my da started singing it to them. We still sing it to this day, whenever someone starts complaining about something or other. Gets a laugh, anyway.
Flynne at July 27, 2011 10:42 AM
"That said, when my girls were babies, and they were crying for whatever reason (wet diaper, hungry, etc., or just being miserable) I used to sing R.E.M.'s "End of the World (as we know it)" and it used to calm them right down. Got to the point where even my da started singing it to them."
Love it too much! What I used with my kid was plainsong hymns like "Now My Tongue" and such - tender, slow and boooooooring. Knocked his ass right out, but then he was pretty easy. I could get him to fall asleep just by holding him and slowing my breathing down until he did the same and fell asleep.
Jim at July 27, 2011 10:56 AM
Here is a graphic that reminds me of Zacharias:
http://www.alertlogic.com/assets/images/miscellaneous/missing_point.JPG
So, adults aren't allowed to do or enjoy anything alone or with other adults that might be inappropriate for children?
sofar at July 27, 2011 11:25 AM
Minorities? Hell, Samuel L. Jackson narrated it for them.
Or does he not count as a minority because he's a celebrity?
WayneB at July 27, 2011 1:51 PM
How many bowls of your cereal would you have to eat just to equal the fiber in one bowl of colon blow?
Eric at July 27, 2011 1:53 PM
wasnt it 10 million
lujlp at July 27, 2011 3:30 PM
I sent a link to the Jackson narration to two families I know who're planning on kids; they loved it.
The words from one husband were along the lines of "Oh God, I needed that today!"
Zacharias can kiss our collective ass
Firehand at July 27, 2011 4:18 PM
>> wasnt it 10 million
I can't remember, but I think it was Phil Hartman in the commercial. I remember the next day laughing our asses off about it at work in a very stodgy environment.
Eric at July 27, 2011 4:41 PM
This reminds me of that movie Three Men and a Baby. One of the dads is reading the daughter to sleep with an axe killer type story, in this sweet little sing-song voice.
I think some people believe it's their civic duty to be perpetually offended.
Meloni at July 27, 2011 7:06 PM
"Also, that entire paragraph is a non-sequitur. I fail to see what minorities have to do with the book, at all, and I'm at a loss as to what "marginalized groups" have to do with the humor in the book. "
The purpose of those words was Lefty tribal identification. Our opinion of it was not a consideration. If Zacarias was being honest, she'd say, "Those words were for domestic consumption. You were not intended to hear them."
Cousin Dave at July 27, 2011 7:23 PM
Fnord.
brian at July 27, 2011 9:21 PM
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