Should children’s books promote early appreciation of Karl Marx’s ideas?

[SolitarySolace]

A children’s book titled Communism for Kids: Learn What Communism Is and How It Has Changed the World for Babies, Toddlers, Kids and Young Children is being marketed to very young children.

Its full book overview says:

“This book is an introduction to communism for kids. It explains what communism is and how it has changed the world. Kids will learn about Karl Marx’s ideas. And they will also learn about the different attempts to make a communist society and why they all failed. Finally, kids will gain an appreciation for how Karl Marx’s ideas have made the world a better place.”

I have no objection to teaching children history, including capitalism, socialism, communism, fascism, and other political systems when they are old enough to understand them. But there is an important difference between teaching children what an ideology is—including its successes and failures—and explicitly seeking to cultivate appreciation for that ideology in babies, toddlers, and young children.

The description itself acknowledges that attempts to create communist societies failed, yet concludes by saying children will gain an appreciation for how Karl Marx’s ideas supposedly made the world better.

Should books for babies and young children encourage appreciation for Karl Marx’s ideas?

Yes

No

Updates

1 mo

This is an actual book available on @AmaZon for babies and young kids

“Communism For Kids: Kids will gain appreciation for how Karl Marx’s ideas have made the world a better place.” - x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2079588673796948253?s=46

[sage2021]

Not at all.

There's an old saying "Don't plant seeds" and that's what would happen if children learned about all of that because you don't know what effects it will have on their mind.

They could easily misinterpret it and believe that it's something good when it definitely not a good way to be.

[genericname85]

Oh you mean Marx's complete and utter ignorance of human nature? The naive believe that people would be willing to cooperate in order for everyone to have a nice live opposed to the truth that many people are actually willing to step on other peoples backs to get a better life than them? Yeah that's surely an infantile idea so it would best be treated as example to teach kids not to be naive. Don't build political ideologies based on naive ideas that aren't true.

[Kaneki05]

Well I voted yes but not to kids in primary, but highschool for sure.
Wish my highschool bothered to teach me anything about him instead they didn't and just wanted to only talk about hitler for several years as if we haven't got the idea hitler bad yet.
Political and history is a high school thing, maybe some light history for primary sure but you really aren't going to grasp Marx work in primary... so whats the point?

[CaptainSmartass]

Hell no! This isn't Russia, or East Germany. Anyway, communists shouldn't be allowed to breed.

Simples...

[strateguy632]

at the age they believe in santa clause and tooth fairy? no way!

[fishbone77]

Any one teaching this garbage to kids should be fired.

[exitseven]

As long as it tells the truth about communism. How it has failed every place it has been tried and cannot function without a totalitarian government it would be okay.

[SolitarySolace]

This is what the Amazon description says for the book:

This book is an introduction to communism for kids. It explains what communism is and how it has changed the world. Kids will learn about Karl Marx's ideas. And they will also learn about the different attempts to make a communist society and why they all failed. Finally, kids will gain an appreciation for how Karl Marx's ideas have made the world a better place.

[exitseven]

In other words it is pure propaganda.

[SolitarySolace]

Exactly

[canamlusciouslad73]

That's right, and gangsta captitalism enriches the corrupt few (Trump and Friends) at the expense of the 99.999999%.

[BonzoInBitburg]

I don't think kids should be exposed to any political ideology. They should be allowed to be kids.

[DonaldDarko]

All schools should teach children about Marx at some point and how many people died as a result of his ideas.

[canamlusciouslad73]

Yes, and they should be age-appropriately debated.

[SolitarySolace]

canamlusciouslad73 I actually agree that Marx, communism, capitalism, socialism, fascism, and other political ideologies should be taught and debated when students are old enough to understand them.

But that isn’t what my question is asking.

There is a major difference between teaching children what Marx believed and encouraging them to critically debate his ideas and publishing material for babies, toddlers, and young children with the stated goal of helping them develop an “appreciation” for how Marx’s ideas supposedly made the world better.

Education should teach children how to think, not tell them which political ideology they should appreciate.

So yes to age-appropriate historical education and debate. No to ideological promotion disguised as education.

[canamlusciouslad73]

America indoctrinates children to accept Social Darwinistic gangsta capitalism. What's the difference?

[SolitarySolace]

@canamlusciouslad73 That doesn’t answer the distinction I made.

“Social Darwinistic gangsta capitalism” is your characterization of American society. My poll is about a specific children’s book whose own description explicitly says babies, toddlers, and young children will “gain an appreciation” for Karl Marx’s ideas and how those ideas supposedly made the world better.

There is a difference between teaching children that the United States has a predominantly capitalist economic system and deliberately publishing ideological material intended to cultivate appreciation for a particular political thinker and his ideas.

And my standard is consistent: if somebody published a book for babies and toddlers explicitly designed to make them “gain an appreciation” for capitalism, libertarianism, conservatism, fascism, or any other political ideology, I would distinguish that from neutral education too.

When students are old enough, teach them Marx. Teach them Adam Smith. Teach capitalism, socialism, communism, fascism, their histories, arguments, successes, failures, and consequences. Then let students critically evaluate them.

But education and ideological cultivation are not the same thing.

So the answer to “what’s the difference?” is exactly what I said before: teaching children what an ideology is versus telling very young children which ideology they should appreciate.

[Staximus]

Karl Marx was a piece of shit in real life

[Cidknee]

Hell No!