When the agenda is more important than art

Star Chris Evans in same-sex kiss in new Buzz Lightyear movie sigh“It makes me happy. It’s hard not to feel frustrated even having to be the subject of discussion.”

Of course, the focus of this launch was controversy, because that’s how the film made headlines. More importantly, however, it’s the highlight of the film and Evans Brownie in Hollywood, where the agenda, not the art, is the main focus. Evans’ claim that he doesn’t want to spend time talking about the kiss is laughable — it’s a media gift during Pride month, esp.

“Our goal is that we can get to a standard that’s not necessarily some uncharted waters, and ultimately that’s the way it is,” Evans continued.

Really listen to what he has to say here: the goal isn’t to make blockbuster or award-winning films; it’s to advance narrative and cultural adjustment.

What about readjustment? We used to be told that these media moments were there to encourage acceptance, but over the past few years it has apparently turned into recruiting as well. The effort is clearly working: 1 in 6 adults in Gen Z identify as LGBT, survey shows data Released from Gallup last year, most people identify as bisexual.

This has become a problem of social contagion. A Washington Post writer published a story Based on data reported by Gallup and interviewed with a student in my hometown of Montgomery County, Maryland, who identifies as “non-binary” and uses their/their pronouns. The article begins, “Jasper Swartz recently realized that almost all of their friends are ‘queer in some way.'”

This is what parents across the country tell me: Their middle and high school students are bored and uninteresting without some kind of “identity” they can proudly wear.

There are also consequences to refusing to engage in pride and LGBT activities.Recently, five members of the Tampa Bay Rays made the national team headline News Refuse to participate in the team’s Pride campaign and add a rainbow-colored logo to their uniform. The message of this national stigma is clear: it is no longer about “living and letting live.” You are either for us or we are against you.

Where does this leave parents? They won’t like this answer. This is not an easy solution. The reality is: it’s time to opt out of a lot of pop culture and fight back. It’s time for us as a society to consider that the goal of many activists is no longer pride and acceptance. They want to treat our children as gender activists and we cannot allow them to.

We’re seeing it play out across the country: it’s not enough to choose not to take your child to a pride parade when you know there’s going to be pornographic images out there; you have to make sure your child’s teacher isn’t reading a book about trans kids , nor drag the queen to your kindergarten. It’s not enough to miss “light years”; you have to affirmatively and consciously instill in your children the lessons and values ​​you want them to grow up to believe.That’s why I decided to co-found a children’s book series liberty herowhich aims to actively promote positive values ​​in children at a time when children’s literature is filled with radical gender and racial ideologies.

Americans have opted out of “Light Years”, This turned out to be a box office disappointment. Of course, those covering the industry try to explain the numbers, but the truth is that Americans are not interested in what they sell. However, it is not enough to simply avoid watching movies or boycott individual books, movies and TV shows. American parents must add, not subtract all the time.

The Washington Post in its article on the LGBT surge A student’s path is listed: “Jasper grew up browsing gay memes on Instagram and following transgender influencers on YouTube. They attended a diverse public high school in Montgomery County, Maryland, where health classes were taught. Take classes that teach about sexual orientation and gender identity.”

We’ve seen parents across the country protest this guidance at school board meetings, but parents too will have to take the tough next step, fighting the tide and saying “no” to smartphones and unlimited internet access. children. A local mother and professional working in the national drug policy field told me, “These kids are facing a reality that we don’t have to face, that we need to promote internet safety. In our small parish school, my son’s sixth grade Most kids have iPhones. People don’t realize what kids can access with iPhones. I don’t think teens should be allowed to use social media, but that’s not a reality of our lives.”

The fight is not just against school and Hollywood students, but our own kids who want to watch all the latest movies and shows and use their iPhones like their friends.

However, do we really want our children to be like other children of their generation? Even before COVID took its toll, data It’s clear: Depression and anxiety reach astronomical numbers in children and teens.Something went terribly wrong, and The alarm bells are ringing; we are clearly doing something wrong.

As parents, we have the power to right this ship, both in our own homes and in the wider culture. It’s not easy, but it’s rarely easy to do the right thing.

Bethany Mandel is editor of the children’s publishing house Heroes Of Liberty.