Reading about the most commonly challenged books in Pennsylvania, many of which are kid's books with things parents think are vaguely anti-racist or anti-homophobia in the most intro child-friendly way possible, is making me rethink some kids' media that I thought was clumsy or heavy-handed.
For instance, I love Bravestarr, but there was one episode I felt awkward about. This evil government lady wants to put the little ewok-esq aliens into small cramped reservations so they can steal their land, and the characters turn to the camera and say "This is just like what people did to the Indians!" I cringed a little; it's the sort of thing a progressive-ish but dated children's show would do.
But you know what, it was 1987. It's a show with a Native American lead character. For many six year old white kids, this might have been the first time they ever heard about reservations. Why should I, an adult in the 2020s, act like it was made for me?
