I’m all for showing respect and using the proper terminology, but I do feel that sometimes the move toward political correctness can go a little too far. This is also the opinion of author James Finn Garner, who, in response to the plea for more political correctness, penned his books “Politically Correct Bedtime Stories,” “Once Upon a More Enlightened Time,” and “Politically Correct Holiday Stories,” all of which are an absolute riot to read.
In “Once a More Enlightened Time,” we find stories such as “Sleeping Persun of Better-than-Average Attractiveness.” You see, we can’t say “person” because it ends with s-o-n, which means male, and that might offend women, so we’ll say “persun” instead. We’ll also read “The Little Mer-persun,” spelled that way for the same reason.
In “Hansel and Gretel,” we find that the witch is really a Wiccan, and we are not to believe the lies and propaganda spread about her. Hansel and Gretel decide to leave behind the life of the tree murders and join the Wiccan instead as she communes with the earth and “engage in many deep ecology actions to protect their arboreal home.”
“The Ant and the Grasshopper” teaches us important lessons about the work force and laborer’s rights, while in “Puss in Boots,” we learn how to contest a will in probate. All tongue-in-cheek, of course.
And with the recent movement to abolish the word “Christmas” from our holiday season, let’s not forget, this next year, to read such heart-warming stories as “T’was the Night Before Solstice,” “Frosty the Persun of Snow,” and “Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer.” With a slightly irreverent flair, the author points out how very silly it is to remove all mention of every religion from our celebrations and what a mockery of the season it makes.
So if you’re in the mood to laugh a little bit at some of our strange societal conventions (taken with a grain of salt) these might be books for you, but if you don’t care for tongue-in-cheek satire, maybe not so much.
Related Blogs:
Do You Have Issues with Holiday Greetings?
Pirates of the Caribbean Gets a Facelift