General Information

Description

Discussion with author James Finn Garner, who has updated and rewritten classic fairy tales and bedtime

stories such as "Cinderella" and "Rumpelstiltskin" to make them politically correct.

Keywords

Politically Correct, Fairy Tales, Stories, Bedtime, Children, "Snow White", "Cinderella",

"Rumpelstiltskin", Language, Racist, Sexist, Violent, Message, Oppressed, Educators, Teachers, Over-

Sensitive, Satire, Humor

Citation

MLA

"Politically Correct Bedtime Stories." Jack Ford, correspondent. NBC Today Show. NBCUniversal Media.

Politically Correct Bedtime Storieshttps://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=2181

Source: NBC Today Show Resource Type: Video News ReportCreator: Jack Ford Copyright: NBCUniversal Media,

LLC.Event Date: 08/14/1994 Copyright Date: 1994Air/Publish Date: 08/14/1994 Clip Length 00:02:02

Page 1 of 3© 2008-2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

14 Aug. 1994. NBC Learn. Web. 2 December 2017

APA

Ford, J. (Reporter). 1994, August 14. Politically Correct Bedtime Stories. [Television series episode].

NBC Today Show. Retrieved from https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=2181

CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE

"Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" NBC Today Show, New York, NY: NBC Universal, 08/14/1994.

Accessed Sat Dec 2 2017 from NBC Learn: https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-

12/browse/?cuecard=2181

Transcript

Politically Correct Bedtime Stories

JACK FORD, co-host:

On SUNDAY EXTRA this morning, politically correct fairytales.  Many of the stories we heard as

children have some, quote, "problems": racist or sexist language, outdated ideas or too much violence. 

But trying to fix them in these days of political correctness can be just as much of a problem.  Joining us

this morning is the author of the book, "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories.”  How and why did you

decide to write this book?

Mr. JAMES GARNER: I came up with the idea after reading about a educators group--an educators group

that advised teachers not to read "Snow White" and "Rumplestiltskin" because they're inherently sexist

and—and would warp our children beyond recognition, so.

FORD: So you're number four, I believe, on The New York Times best-seller list--on the list for about

eight weeks, and yet you had a real tough time getting it published.

Mr. GARNER: Yeah.  We went through almost 30 publishers to get this published. Everyone seemed to

enjoy reading it, but everyone thought it was kind of a trend, and I knew it wasn't a trend.  It was a social

fact that this book could--could do well.

FORD: Let me read a passage, one of my favorite sections in the book. It's--it's from your Cinderella

version, and it's talking about the—the ball that starts off--the entire story of Cinderella.  And it reads,

"The prince was celebrating his exploitation of the dispossessed and marginalized peasantry by throwing a

fancy dress ball."

Mr. GARNER: Mm-hmm.

FORD: How did you decide what stories needed changing and how you'd change them?

Mr. GARNER: Well, they all could use changing because they're--they're of a time- they're of 100 or 200

years ago.  But I decided to take the ones that were familiar to us so people could tell what I was pulling

apart and switching around, and I had to be able to change the endings so that the traditionally oppressed

groups--say the wolf or the troll or whoever, the ogre in the story--they came out on top.

FORD: Do you think we're going to see a change--a lessening of this--the intensity of political

Page 2 of 3© 2008-2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

correctness?

Mr. GARNER: I think it's--it's a pendulum thing.  It's--our sensitivity is way too--way too tight right now,

and I think if people just lighten up a little bit more--humor is a very important social pressure valve—a

release valve, and there are a lot of things going on in the country in the next 20 years, and I think it will

be a great time to be alive.  We have to be able to laugh with each other and at ourselves.

Page 3 of 3© 2008-2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.