Toughened your nipples, didn't it?

shannonsunrise:

joshishollywood:

jumblejo:

mikedurstewitzsodmg:

jumblejo:

THANK YOU.

hate this book and everything it promotes about entitlement complexes and codependent relationships and abusive egotistical assholes and ugh.

It’s a children’s book

Which makes it even worse.

This book encourages selfish, entitled behavior where this boy continues to ask for and take everything from the tree for his own use/gain until nothing but a stump remains.  How is this a message we want to send to children?

Where is the positive concept?

Is it in the boy’s behavior?  He continually shows up and asks for the tree to give to him.  No basis or reasons why, he just asks for things from the tree because he knows the tree will provide.  It starts by using the tree’s leaves and shade, harmless enough I’ll grant.  But then it evolves to taking the tree’s apples, to finally cutting the tree down for wood?  That has some seriously disturbing implications.  He also never provides anything in return, even saying something simple like “thank you.”  Not once.

Perhaps we can take positive message away from the tree itself?  The tree gives to the boy because she loves him.  Sure, that can’t hurt, can it?  She needs him and loves him, even though she can’t provide the things he wants, she can give from herself so that he’ll be happy.

Except it’s a terrible concept.  The “tree” (if we want to continue pretending the analogy isn’t supposed to extend to people) continues to give and give until there is NOTHING LEFT.  Clearly this is a role model we can provide for young children.

Let’s not even start on the enforced gender roles, where the boy is constantly taking and the ‘girl’ is perpetually giving.

So.  This is a children’s book, and I might show it to my kids, but only so I can teach them what NOT to do.

I’m not going to comment on whether or not this scathing criticism of a children’s book about a nice old tree is really valid or not

But whenever I read this stuff all I can think about is how exhausting the act of trying to hold a conversation with someone like this would be

lol k this book is heartbreaking because you feel incredibly bad for this poor tree and the book sends a message NOT to take advantage of people because they will end up stripped and alone. in the end the tree is not happy. i really do not think the message is “yay take everything you want from people and everything will be great”

…..

This^

That was always the message I took from this book. The whole message was a two parter. If you always give everything people ask for you will ruin yourself in the end, and that it is unfair to ask for everything from people because if you take too much it hurts them.

Like, srsly, did you fools even READ this book? Good god.

(Source: beadsandsmoke)