Thursday 14 August 2014

Because It’s Perfectly OK When We Meddle With The Kiddies…

Sue Palmer (apparently, a ‘UK childhood expert’, independent consultant and author of the book, Toxic Childhood) on the latest thing to furrow the brows of wackademics:
I‘ve been watching with interest as Lego struggles under the spotlight of Greenpeace’s latest campaign.
Nope, I didn’t have a clue what she was on about either, being:

a) too damn old to play with Lego,
b) not a parent, and
c) not a wackademic with an agenda.
Alongside three-quarters of a million petition signatories, the environmental campaign group is calling on Lego to drop its line of Shell-branded cars and quit endorsing Shell for good.
Gosh, ¾ of a million people clicked a petition & filled in their names (or more likely, a false name)? Yeah, I’m sure Lego will get right on that
Lego was formed in the 1930s by philanthropist Ole Kirk Kristiansen. His vision was to make it a stalwart cultivator of creative play and contribute to healthy child development. This idea was enshrined within the company. Even Lego’s name translated from Danish means “play well”.
Indeed so. Lego was rumoured to refuse to make green & brown LEGO bricks, in case children used them to build military weapons.

Because little boys would simply be unable to make a tank or a rocket in yellow, blue or red…
As a specialist in child development, I’ve had growing concerns that now even Lego has lost its way. Its new products veer further away from its innocent beginnings. Increasingly Lego churns out lucrative but unimaginative lines of “must-have” sets to promote new movies, games and videos. These little boxes, which come with instructive pictures on the front, unlike the traditional Lego bricks, do not result in child-directed, open-ended “real play” . They do not promote imagination; they stifle it. They do not allow children to be creative and learn to think for themselves; they tell children what to think, instilling consumerist values that risk increasing rates of stress for parents and children alike.
Good lord, what a screed! Just because a few ‘branded’ sets are brought out, you’d think it’s the End of Civilisation as We Know It…
By creating Shell sets, Lego is allowing a controversial multinational to misuse its trusted brand to advertise to children and employ “pester power”. On top of that, Shell is a company whose interests lie in direct contrast to children’s, embroiled on the wrong side of the struggle to limit global warming and prevent its worst impacts.
Oh, really, this is too damned absurd! It’s not in the ‘interests of children’ to have lighting, power and heat in the future?

8 comments:

Ed P said...

This is too idiotic to deserve a comment.

Anonymous said...

The biggest hazard Lego poses is when you step on one barefoot in the dark and threaten guilty party who left it there with dire consequences. Some people have too much time on their hands.
Is she mates with the bloke who found Gardeners' Questions racist?

Greencoat said...

'The biggest hazard Lego poses is when you step on one barefoot in the dark...'

Or when a stray piece of 'Blackbeard's Galleon' blocks up the vacuum cleaner.

I think this may be the same 'journalist' who warned us about the hybrid Swine-Bird-Hamster flu virus that was going to wipe out mankind in three days.


andy5759 said...

Oh, ffs, Shell are probably pouring millions into the "green" industry. It suits them to have grossly inflated fuel costs due to taxation. Progressive greens are only seeming to attack big oil, the reality is that they are attacking us.

Anonymous said...

She has a point about the lego sets that build into one toy. Where's the fun and imagination in doing a jig-saw when - with the old bricks - you were painting a picture? I used to make all sorts of things and play with lego for hours. The lad got a spaceship set, built it, and that's it on a display stand.
One-off following of instructions vs. constant invention and imagination.

ivan said...

What is wrong with the twit? Doesn't she see that by following the instructions to the letter the kids are showing that the brainwashing they receive is working. When they are adults the 'powers that be' will just give instructions and the population WILL follow them to the letter.

Barp said...

Uh, Lego had Shell stuff when I was a nipper, i.e. 30 years ago.

JuliaM said...

"The biggest hazard Lego poses is when you step on one barefoot in the dark..."

Been there, done that... :(

"Oh, ffs, Shell are probably pouring millions into the "green" industry. It suits them to have grossly inflated fuel costs due to taxation."

Indeed... :/

"Uh, Lego had Shell stuff when I was a nipper, i.e. 30 years ago."

Really? Blimey!