Khrushchev Would Be Proud

I was a child during the Cold War. I remember the scene of Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the table and later saying he would “Bury us” and I also remember how many speeches I had in my head of how I would tell him a thing or two if I ever had the chance. But my little young fury really wasn’t over a system of government, but was centered on the fact that he wouldn’t allow his people to know about God. Well God and I were just going to set him straight on that. I think I was about 10 at the time.

And now, after going to Story hours for the last few weeks, all I can think is, “Khrushchev would be proud”. Proud of the way America did finally get on the bandwagon and scrub God out of things as Russia had. References to him being deftly omitted, plot lines being changed, and no one seems to be the wiser. There we all were, a room full of toddler moms and of course a few Nona’s, repeating along the lines of the well known “Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn Around”, a rhyme Elena and I have been saying since she was about 6 months old. She knows it well, and the hand gestures that go with it, so imagine our surprise when the part “Teddy Bear Teddy Bear go upstairs, Teddy Bear Teddy Bear say your prayers” was missing. While our hands were folded in prayer, the librarian just had them marching and marching up stairs. And this in TN where there seems to be a church about every block, and Farsi didn’t seem to be the predominant language in the group.

Next came the “Little Engine that Could” another classic from the early 1900’s. With a little research, I see it first appeared in a Sunday school publication, and later was picked up by the Book House collection I mentioned the other day. Which, as it turns out, was first published in England (ergo the wonderful illustrations) in the 1920’s and sold in the US later by door-to-door salesman. The Aunts who bought it for me must have been a soft touch. Well, that is the version I am most familiar with, and Elena too, and there the little engine is trying its hardest to get the toys over the mountain in time for Christmas. Now apparently he is just re-stocking Wal-Mart. I just found it so sad and that something very rich in our heritage is being lost. Not just the richness of the language, as I mentioned the other day, but the reflection of who we were, who some of us still are.

For that matter, while I am ranting against political correctness taken to absurd levels, in the “My Book House” collection, I have the original “Little Black Sambo”, another book taken off the shelves, for what reason? Was it racial insensitivity? If so, it actually reflects our globally-unaware selves. That story is set in India. Tigers are found in India, not Africa. Little Black Sambo is dressed in Indian garb, and when they race around the tree they turn into Ghi, the Indian word for butter. Heaven knows that’s an insulting book. Boy cleverly evades being eaten by 4 tigers, which chase each other out of vain ambition, turning themselves into butter, and in the end, there is a feast of pancakes to be had. By all means, remove it from the shelves immediately.

Enough ranting Pat. Back to nature with the next one, but this is a Sunday blog and you may remember those are devoted to God topics. So, it seems I haven’t changed that much since I was 10, still willing to give someone a piece of my mind!

Well, obviously we have hit a raw nerve here, but again, it just saddens me for what is lost. And none of those young moms will know what has been altered. Again, Khrushchev would be proud.