By now you have probably heard of the parody of children’s books “Go The F’ To Sleep.” However not everyone is laughing.
Link
Go the F*** to Sleep" is being hailed as a cathartic children's book for parents. Beautifully illustrated and written in the same witty prose style as generations of beloved bedtime storybooks, this read has made a startling climb to the No. 1 spot on Amazon and as a New York Times Bestseller.
Who can explain it?
As the title suggests, "Go the F*** to Sleep" mocks the parental frustrations of trying to lay a child down to bed. Crass in concept and execution, this is an expletive-filled bedtime story intended solely for the amusement of parents.
Joan Demarest is an attorney in Corvallis, Oregon, and the mother of three young boys. Demarest told me that initially she thought the book was funny. That was before she read it. "Now I find it unsettling. I don't like violent language in association with children."
Link
"A is for Amy who fell down the stairs."
"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."
Is basically all she's saying.
The unfortunate thing is, from what I've gleaned the reviewer has written a lot of good and useful stuff, but now she's The Humorless Twit Who Wrote That Bunk on CNN. Given how viral this story's gone, it's a prime case study on how to poop all over your own reputation.
I don't personally care one way or the other about this book.
About humor that can be crass or offensive: watch some Louis C.K. Some will like it, some will hate it.
That's true, but at the same time there will always, ALWAYS be vocal detractors of anything you could possibly imagine.
Adorable YouTube videos of kids putting a hat on their sleeping dog? You can bet that there will be accusations of animal cruelty nestled somewhere in the comments.
If people are genuinely unable to separate the humor in this book from the way that responsible parents should be treating their children, I think there's a more significant, bigger-picture problem with society that needs to be addressed before we start crusading against this one book.
@Natey You have a point there, I do not think people generally act out of reason, but generally react emotionally, so it is probable that there will be such detractors even of benneficial endeavours.
"A man will rip off your arm and throw it into a river, but he will leave you as a human being intact. He won't mess with who you are. Women are non-violent but they will shit inside of your heart." - Louis CK
Around age 13, I was frustrated with my sister and said "I'm going to kill you" my mother saw no relation to her own use of the expression and called the police. I was arrested, charged and convicted of uttering death threats. I got rid of the habit pretty quick, but my mother still expresses herself this way.
Context!
Sort of that reaction I was suggesting earlier. She felt so justified in her anger toward the child and I wasn't helping, so she hates me too. But I couldn't stand it.
Violent language, as in, "...when the bough breaks / the cradle will fall / and down will come baby / cradle and all"?
////////////
Adam B
Jun 29th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
The woman is a humorless toad...
... It's a charge that is simultaneously simple-minded and cheap, which leads me to believe she must be a Fox News viewer.
///////////
Ouch!
People shouldn't lose their sense of self just because they have become parents. It's perfectly normal for a parent to want their kid to "Go the F**k to Sleep" in order to get some time to themselves.
As someone who works in a school, everyday I see that parents who put their children above all else, cater to their every whim, and completely devote every living minute to them, are the parents who raise brats. Brats who grow up to have unrealistic expectations of how others should treat them.
Don't you media whores who never did your own research in your lives forget it!!!
http://www.devpsy.org/teaching/parent/baumrind_styles.html
You showed it to your "partner"? Do you mean your business partner?
I'm just curious. Why don't you use the term "husband" or the generic "spouse"? Is there something you find offensive or bothersome about those words?
You can understand that maybe some people are bothered by words that you're not, and that you may be bothered by words that they're not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Kxal89xdI
If Samuel L Jackson calls, I'll let you know!