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Politically Correct Bedtime Stories #1
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
Once upon a time, in the olden days, heavy-set middle-aged men would congregate in their elitist clubs, sit in over-stuffed leather chairs, smoke air-choking cigars, and pitch story ideas and plots to each other. Problem was, these stories, many of which found their way into the general social consciousness, reflected the way in which these men lived and saw their world: that is, the stories were sexist, discriminatory, unfair, culturally biased, and in general, demeaning to witches, animals, goblins, and fairies everywhere.
Finally, after centuries of these abusive tales, which have been handed down--unknowingly--from one male-biased generation to the next, James Finn Garner has taken it upon himself (that's right, yet another man) to enlighten and liberate these classic bedtime stories and retell them in a way that is much more in keeping with the society in which we live today.
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, then is the fruit of Garner's labors. We'd like to think that future generations of fairy-tale fans will see this as a worthy attempt to develop meaningful literature that is totally free from bias and purged from the influences of a flawed cultural past.
Finally, after centuries of these abusive tales, which have been handed down--unknowingly--from one male-biased generation to the next, James Finn Garner has taken it upon himself (that's right, yet another man) to enlighten and liberate these classic bedtime stories and retell them in a way that is much more in keeping with the society in which we live today.
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, then is the fruit of Garner's labors. We'd like to think that future generations of fairy-tale fans will see this as a worthy attempt to develop meaningful literature that is totally free from bias and purged from the influences of a flawed cultural past.
79 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1994
296 people are currently reading
4703 people want to read
About the author
James Finn Garner
49 books105 followersJames Finn Garner is an American writer and satirist based in Chicago.[1] He is the author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories,[2] Tea Party Fairy Tales, and Honk Honk, My Darling.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 967 reviews
December 2, 2025
When your memes show up in real life...
This little novella transverses the most common fairytales and throws a completely new spin on them. A completely and utterly politically correct spin on them.
This was certainly a fresh take on some old stories!
I saw this on ifunny about 1-2 years ago and thought it was hilarious. Well...turns out, it was a real book. I picked up this copy in a little hole-in-a-wall used bookstore. Lucky find!
This little novella transverses the most common fairytales and throws a completely new spin on them. A completely and utterly politically correct spin on them.
The amount of sass condensed in this book is overwhelming.
"Cinderella arrived. She was dressed in a clinging gown woven of silk stolen from unsuspecting silk-worms. Her hair was festooned with pearls plundered from hard-working, defenseless oysters. And on her feet, dangerous though it may seem, she wore slippers made of finely cut crystal."
Hilarious in the extreme. My mother, sister and I took turns reading these stories out loud on a car ride. We had several moments where we literally could not speak because we were laughing so hard.
"Red Riding Hood screamed, not out of alarm at the wolf's apparent tendency toward cross-dressing, but because of his willful invasion of her personal space."
This was certainly a fresh take on some old stories!
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"One day an invitation arrived at their house. The prince was celebrating his exploitation of the dispossessed and marginalized peasantry by throwing a fancy dress ball."
January 5, 2016
This was so much fun to read. I saw this post in tumblr:
and after reading that, you bet your sweet ass I have to find the book and read it immediately.
James Finn Garner did an amazing job in retelling the stories in a politically correct way best suited for modern times.
My favorites are the following:
The Little Red Riding Hood
“And just what do you think you’re doing?” asked Red Riding Hood.
The woodchopper-person blinked and tried to answer, but no words came to
him.
"Bursting in here like a Neanderthal, trusting your weapon to do your thinking for you!" she exclaimed. "Sexist! Speciesist! How dare you assume that womyn and wolves can't solve their own problems without a man's help!"
The three little pigs
By now the wolf was getting angry at the pigs' refusal to see the situation
from the carnivore’s point of view. So he huffed and puffed, and huffed and
puffed, then grabbed his chest and fell over dead of a massive heart attack
brought on by eating too many fatty foods.
Rumplestiltskin
"That is how you turn straw into gold." Then his expression became
menacing. "Now that I have done my work, you must fulfill your part of the
bargain. You must give me your first-born child!"
Esmeralda shot back at him, "I don't have to negotiate with anyone who
would interfere with my reproductive rights!
I can't wait to see the other book because, hey, it's fun to read something "right" without insulting another party.
February 6, 2013
George Bernard Shaw once said that if something is funny, search it for truth. This book is full of truth, and it boldly and plainly illustrates the absurdity of political correctness. I love sarcasm and satire, and this book has plenty of it, so I found it delightful. It provides a marvelous picture of the current social and political landscape, and reveals the whole political correctness dogma for the foolish fraud that it is. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. We are the ones that decide to be offended, no matter what anyone else does. Anyone who doesn't find a least a little humor in this book needs to sit down and have a long talk with a mental health professional. Easy read; I finished it in just a few hours, even with interruptions. Highly recommended.
May 13, 2011
Well, I find this book somewhat funny yet strange. Prior to this, my only idea of politically correct statements is not to say "poor" but say "financially challenged" or "short/dwarfish" but "vertically challenged". The reason is that most of us Filipinos speak pure English only when we talk to foreigners and because they are visitors here, they are probably too polite not to require us to be very careful with our language (as long as we don't curse or use vulgar terms) to the extent of using politically- correct statements. In our own language, the equivalent of these statements should be the S.I.R. (smooth interpersonal relationship) statements like when we say okay lang (she's okay) when we are referring to the looks of an ugly person. Communicating per se with a non-Filipino in the office is already somewhat of a struggle (we call it nosebleed) so requiring everybody to be politically correct will be quite difficult to do.
This is the reason why I could not give this more than a 3-star rating. I find this book somewhat not too relevant. Yes, the way Garner tried to incorporate his politically correct statements and scenarios is commendable and for sure, it required a lot of his efforts and imagination. Also, tampering these well-loved classic fairy tales is a bit strange for me. I mean, while reading, I got reminded of the story of say Jack and the Beanstalk that I thought I only heard when I was still very young and while reading I was in a reminiscing mood trying to remember the kind face of my now dead teacher who I loved very much. So, the politically correct angle that Garner tried to incorporate in his version actually bot me distracted and made me want to find which of my Aesop, Grimms, Andersen books has that story of Jack and the Beanstalk so I can re-read it and remember how much I adored my dead teacher.
But still I appreciate my friend for lending me this book that he rated with 5 stars and I do not want to break his heart so I am giving this 3 stars :)
This is the reason why I could not give this more than a 3-star rating. I find this book somewhat not too relevant. Yes, the way Garner tried to incorporate his politically correct statements and scenarios is commendable and for sure, it required a lot of his efforts and imagination. Also, tampering these well-loved classic fairy tales is a bit strange for me. I mean, while reading, I got reminded of the story of say Jack and the Beanstalk that I thought I only heard when I was still very young and while reading I was in a reminiscing mood trying to remember the kind face of my now dead teacher who I loved very much. So, the politically correct angle that Garner tried to incorporate in his version actually bot me distracted and made me want to find which of my Aesop, Grimms, Andersen books has that story of Jack and the Beanstalk so I can re-read it and remember how much I adored my dead teacher.
But still I appreciate my friend for lending me this book that he rated with 5 stars and I do not want to break his heart so I am giving this 3 stars :)
June 9, 2016
Fairy tales are strange, but these are the stranger.
Examples are the “7 Towering Giants” and the Prince thinking they could use the comatose Snow White as a cure for impotence and at midnight Cinderella’s clothes disappear into rags which has a weird effect on other women and the men wind up dead.
Every negative stereotype of PC is exaggerated beyond meaning, such as the guilt trip of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff and Goldilocks as an unethical academic. The PC targets are not always consistent. In Rapunzel capitalism is bad, but in other stories commercial success is a happily ever after.
I wondered if this were part of the 1990’s backlash: The witch who imprisons Rapunzel is female; but Cinderella has a godperson; the foolish Chicken Little, Henny Penny and Loosey Goosey are females and Foxy Loxy, the lawyer is male and Goldilocks appears as a villain. “Womyn” obsessed with beauty is a theme, and in their liberation from it they wind up marketing some aspect of it.
I’d like to see a real PC fairy tale book, or one with role reversals or one free of the macabre themes that characterize the genre.
March 10, 2022
this is a book that i for some reason legitimately read in childhood.
can't stress this enough: i was so cool and normal. i always have been.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago, if a review is two barely relevant sentences
can't stress this enough: i was so cool and normal. i always have been.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago, if a review is two barely relevant sentences
September 15, 2022
Poate chiar 3,5 steluțe. Te-ai născut bărbat, ești ,,supi'' că trebuie să cari mereu bagajele și vrei să fii femeie? Nu-i nimic! Nu e nevoie să cauți tratament psihiatric sau măcar psihologic! Ia repede niște hormoni, apoi participă la competiții feminine și plânge-te că nu există drepturi egale între sexe! Țiganul (pardon, rromul!) ăla care miroase urât și se tot uită la geanta ta? Nu a avut timp să se spele pentru că a învățat pentru un examen și doar ar vrea o geantă la fel pentru pirandele lui, dar nu își permite pentru că oamenii sunt nedrepți și nu îi dau șansa să muncească onest. Bineînțeles că femeii aceleia obeze îi stă bine cu fusta aia plisată. Și ea poate fi frumoasă în aceleași haine ca una la care îți poți da seama unde are talia. Iar bărbatul acela e perfect normal să stea în halat roz și pufos și să plângă la Titanic. Oricine are dreptul să plângă când vede cum niște actori își fac datoria. Dacă nu vrei să vezi cum o femeie își trântește sânii pe masa unui restaurant și alăptează, nu te obligă nimeni să îți ridici privirea indiscretă din farfuria ta pentru care ai plătit. Sânii nu mai sunt părți intime, dacă un copil e agățat de ei. Și ce, tu nu mănânci în public? Adică vedetele de ce își permit să își arate sânii? Bine, ele sunt niște cu*ve, în schimb ce femeia aceea face magie. Copiii care au luat note mari primesc diplome și câte o cărticică? Dar asta e discriminare față de cei care poate au stat degeaba tot anul, probabil pentru că părinții le-au spus că notele nu sunt importante, e mai important să își trăiască copilăria fără responsabilități.
Ei, bine, cred că tocmai am explicat felul în care înțeleg eu termenul ,,politically correct". Cartea asta o să enerveze multă lume. Partea bună este că îi enerva doar pe cei care cred că sunt discriminați pentru că sunt speciali și vor să fie tratați pe măsură. Dar, totuși, să nu fie tratați prea diferit, pentru că și atunci e discriminare. Cum ar fi homosexualii care fac parade. Dacă toți heterosexualii ar zbiera pe stradă că le place sexul oral... Unele povestiri sunt plictisitoare și ideile devin repetitive la un moment dat, dar majoritatea au reușit să mă destindă. Scrisă cu umor care nu cruță nicio clasă socială și tipologie de oameni, sarcasm și inteligență, zic eu, ,,Povești corecte politic de adormit copiii'' fie o să vă amuze foarte tare, fie o să vă activeze multe impresii despre nedreptate. Am lăsat în articol și varianta de aici a poveștii Scufița Roșie, ca să vă faceți o idee despre ce vă așteaptă. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3qFOjkR.
,,Of, ce mai agitație și ce de țipete se iscară la gestul lui! Și așa era destul de grav că, oferindu-i Clarei păpușa cu pricina, accentuase rolurile acordate în funcție de sex, însă mai presus de toate, să-i dai lui Friț, un băiețel atât de sensibil și de emotiv, un simbol atât de evident al castrării și al emasculării, asta chiar constituia un gest impardonabil!'' (din Spărgătorul de nuci)
Ei, bine, cred că tocmai am explicat felul în care înțeleg eu termenul ,,politically correct". Cartea asta o să enerveze multă lume. Partea bună este că îi enerva doar pe cei care cred că sunt discriminați pentru că sunt speciali și vor să fie tratați pe măsură. Dar, totuși, să nu fie tratați prea diferit, pentru că și atunci e discriminare. Cum ar fi homosexualii care fac parade. Dacă toți heterosexualii ar zbiera pe stradă că le place sexul oral... Unele povestiri sunt plictisitoare și ideile devin repetitive la un moment dat, dar majoritatea au reușit să mă destindă. Scrisă cu umor care nu cruță nicio clasă socială și tipologie de oameni, sarcasm și inteligență, zic eu, ,,Povești corecte politic de adormit copiii'' fie o să vă amuze foarte tare, fie o să vă activeze multe impresii despre nedreptate. Am lăsat în articol și varianta de aici a poveștii Scufița Roșie, ca să vă faceți o idee despre ce vă așteaptă. Recenzia aici: https://bit.ly/3qFOjkR.
,,Of, ce mai agitație și ce de țipete se iscară la gestul lui! Și așa era destul de grav că, oferindu-i Clarei păpușa cu pricina, accentuase rolurile acordate în funcție de sex, însă mai presus de toate, să-i dai lui Friț, un băiețel atât de sensibil și de emotiv, un simbol atât de evident al castrării și al emasculării, asta chiar constituia un gest impardonabil!'' (din Spărgătorul de nuci)
August 29, 2018
79 pages worth of garbage. Tries way to hard to be relevant. It also comes off as he just rushed into writing it and also that he plucked out sentences from the original and placed his in. His feminism is admirable but to me just comes off obtuse at times. I can do without political correctness because he destroyed the classic mentality of the original. Don’t make something into what it’s not. It just loses its value in showing how far we have come when it comes to the rights of others (yes we still have a ways to go). I really just despised everything about this book the unnecessary use of “big words” made him come off pretentious and irritating af.
December 27, 2007
James Finn Garner has taken 12 time-tested tales and retold them with the newfound sensitivity of our times. Here's a snippet from "Little Red Riding Hood":
The wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."
Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."
Leap into a fairy-tale world where trolls are "dirt-accomplished and odor-enhanced," witches are "kindness-impaired," and Cinderella wears a gown "woven of silk stolen from unsuspecting silkworms." We can only regret that Garner had to exclude "The Duckling That Was Judged on Its Personal Merits and Not on Its Physical Appearance" for space reasons.
The wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone."
Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."
Leap into a fairy-tale world where trolls are "dirt-accomplished and odor-enhanced," witches are "kindness-impaired," and Cinderella wears a gown "woven of silk stolen from unsuspecting silkworms." We can only regret that Garner had to exclude "The Duckling That Was Judged on Its Personal Merits and Not on Its Physical Appearance" for space reasons.
May 23, 2023
A clever and witty telling for old fairy tales from a new and "politically corrected" prospective.
June 19, 2018
پشت در خانه چوبی گرگ دوباره صدایش را گذاشت روی سرش: "خوک کوچولوها در را باز کنید بگذارید بیام تو."ا
خوک ها جوابش را دادند: "گورت را گم کن ای جانور درنده. ای امپریالیست ستمگر!"
گرگ خنده پنهانی کرد و پیش خود گفت:" چه قدر بچه اند. اصلا دلم نمی آید کلکشان را بکنم. اما جلوی پیشرفت را هم نمی توان سد کرد."
بسیاری از طنزهای این کتاب بازی با کلمات هست که باعث میشه خوندن نسخه اصلی واجب بشه و به نظر میاد بخش زیادی از زیبایی کتاب در ترجمه از دست میره. البته نباید به ترجمه زیبای آقای پوری هم ایراد گرفت چرا که تا جای ممکن سعی کرده کلمات ساختگی نویسنده رو به بهترین شکل ممکن بازگردانی کنه.
کتاب اصلی حاوی 13 داستان هست که در ترجمه 3 داستان حذف شده و 10 داستان جمع و جور که در کل نزدیک به 60 صفحه میشه باقی مونده.
در کل تجربه خیلی خوبی بود برای یک مطالعه کوتاه یک ساعته
نمره من به این کتاب 3.5 هست که به پایین گردش میکنم .
خوک ها جوابش را دادند: "گورت را گم کن ای جانور درنده. ای امپریالیست ستمگر!"
گرگ خنده پنهانی کرد و پیش خود گفت:" چه قدر بچه اند. اصلا دلم نمی آید کلکشان را بکنم. اما جلوی پیشرفت را هم نمی توان سد کرد."
بسیاری از طنزهای این کتاب بازی با کلمات هست که باعث میشه خوندن نسخه اصلی واجب بشه و به نظر میاد بخش زیادی از زیبایی کتاب در ترجمه از دست میره. البته نباید به ترجمه زیبای آقای پوری هم ایراد گرفت چرا که تا جای ممکن سعی کرده کلمات ساختگی نویسنده رو به بهترین شکل ممکن بازگردانی کنه.
کتاب اصلی حاوی 13 داستان هست که در ترجمه 3 داستان حذف شده و 10 داستان جمع و جور که در کل نزدیک به 60 صفحه میشه باقی مونده.
در کل تجربه خیلی خوبی بود برای یک مطالعه کوتاه یک ساعته
نمره من به این کتاب 3.5 هست که به پایین گردش میکنم .
June 11, 2017
As a card-carrying feminist carryover from the '60s, I've long been a proponent of concepts like gender equality and nonsexist language. That said, it's possible to cross the "roll up your pantlegs - it's too late to save your shoes" line at which political correctness becomes downright silly. Such is the case on occasion in this, a collection of well-known bedtime stories that have been revised for the modern generation. Still, it's amusing - and I got a kick out of all 11 stories that are in the version I read. Originally published in Great Britain in 1994, it's been updated and re-released, sent to me by our daughter-in-law who figured I'd enjoy it.
At just 89 pages, it can be breezed through in an hour or less - so for those enlightened individuals looking for a chuckle or two, I recommend it, taking into account the author's opening caveat: "However much we might like to, we cannot blame the Brothers Grimm for their insensibility to women's issues, minority cultures and the environment."
No, the good brothers did their thing long before Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women, so the only thing left for the author to do is clean them up.There's no point in detailing any of the stories just because the book is so short, but I'll cite a few examples to give you a better idea of what's going on. In "Little Red Riding Hood," for instance, the woodsman becomes a "woodcutter" or, as he prefers, a "log-fuel technician."
In The Emperor's New Clothes, the boy shouts to the crowd that the emperor is naked. "No, he isn't," the crowd fires back. "The emperor is merely endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle!"
Likewise, Cinderella's "sisters-of-step" are "differently visaged enough to stop a clock," and Cinderella has a "fairy godperson," a.k.a. "individual deity proxy."
And there you have it - at the very least, if you've set a goal for the number of books you hope to read this year, it's a quick and relatively enjoyable way to get there.
At just 89 pages, it can be breezed through in an hour or less - so for those enlightened individuals looking for a chuckle or two, I recommend it, taking into account the author's opening caveat: "However much we might like to, we cannot blame the Brothers Grimm for their insensibility to women's issues, minority cultures and the environment."
No, the good brothers did their thing long before Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women, so the only thing left for the author to do is clean them up.There's no point in detailing any of the stories just because the book is so short, but I'll cite a few examples to give you a better idea of what's going on. In "Little Red Riding Hood," for instance, the woodsman becomes a "woodcutter" or, as he prefers, a "log-fuel technician."
In The Emperor's New Clothes, the boy shouts to the crowd that the emperor is naked. "No, he isn't," the crowd fires back. "The emperor is merely endorsing a clothing-optional lifestyle!"
Likewise, Cinderella's "sisters-of-step" are "differently visaged enough to stop a clock," and Cinderella has a "fairy godperson," a.k.a. "individual deity proxy."
And there you have it - at the very least, if you've set a goal for the number of books you hope to read this year, it's a quick and relatively enjoyable way to get there.
November 4, 2015
Eh. It felt like the author created a PC feminist strawman and then wrote this book for it.
May 21, 2016
Have you heard of the emperor who made a clothing optional lifestyle popular in his kingdom? And how about the three little pigs that set up a model socialist democracy with free education, universal health care, and affordable housing for everyone after defeating the big bad wolf? Then there is Esmeralda who refused to negotiate with Rumpelstilskin on the grounds that she need not negotiate with anyone who would interfere with her reproductive rights. Surely, you must have heard of Cinderella who, along with her step-sisters, set up a clothing cooperative that produced only comfortable and practical clothes for women?
What do you mean, no? These are the fairy tales of legend, passed down through generations! Pick up a copy right now and read these stories to your child.
Disclaimer: I fully believe in political correctness, and I think that this book attempts to make a joke of it. But the way I read it, these stories also show us how racism, sexism, and other harmful biases had been normalised over the years and that there are always alternative ways in which we could tell stories.
What do you mean, no? These are the fairy tales of legend, passed down through generations! Pick up a copy right now and read these stories to your child.
Disclaimer: I fully believe in political correctness, and I think that this book attempts to make a joke of it. But the way I read it, these stories also show us how racism, sexism, and other harmful biases had been normalised over the years and that there are always alternative ways in which we could tell stories.
February 4, 2016
Insulting men is not politically correct. This book tried hard, but the result is what a non-feminist thinks a feminist believes / would say. Disappointing.
March 5, 2025
O lectura amuzanta si lejera. 😊
August 29, 2010
Political correct bedtime stories – Dongeng, hegemoni lelaki dan Barbie
"Once upon a time, there is life …………………bla bla bla.............
and they are live together. happy. ever after. forever."
Sebuah pakem standar dari dongeng pengantar tidur. sebuah dongeng yang pernah membawa fantasiku - dan juga hampir seluruh anak perempuan di dunia - terbang ke sebuah negeri antah berantah. menjadi seorang perempuan muda yang baik hati, ramah tamah, suka menabung dan tidak suka membuang sampah sembarangan. yang karena kebaikannya (plus kecantikan fisiknya) akhirnya dijemput seorang pangeran tampan berkuda putih, dan mereka hidup bahagia selamanya.
Tetapi siapa yang menyangka, ternyata di balik kisah2 dongeng tsb ada banyak hal lain yang "tersembunyi". tidak hanya sekedar hitam vs putih. juga tak sekedar kebaikan yang akan menang melawan kejahatan. Dalam buku ini, Garner mengangkat issue tentang gender, budaya patriarki, sexist, classist dan juga..Barbie.
Baru sadar, kalo memang banyak sekali unsur sexist dan gender di sini. Budaya patriarki dan laki-laki yang mendominasi. Kaum perempuan seringkali hanya dijadikan sebagai sebuah objek dan bukanlah subyek. Penilaian terhadap seorang perempuan lebih banyak didasarkan kepada apa yang diharapkan para pria tentang wanita. Dan contohnya adalah Barbie.
Barbie yang sempurna secara fisik adalah prototype dari fantasi pria tentang wanita secara fisik. Barbie dijadikan gambaran ideal tentang fisik seorang perempuan. Barbie adalah symbol penjajahan kaum adam terhadap kaum hawa secara fisik. Anehnya, Barbie pulalah salah satu hal yang bisa membuat jutaan kaum wanita rela melakukan diet ketat yang menyiksa, perawatan kecantikan dan salon yang juga tak kalah menyiksa (baik secara fisik maupun finasial) serta banyak lagi hal gila yang sanggup dilakukan kaum hawa hanya atas nama “kesempurnaan fisik”. Mulai dari operasi plastik, sedot lemak, botox, catox, brontox hingga menderita anoreksia, bulimia, anemia, insomnia, dan masih banyak “mia-mia” lainnya. Susahnya jadi wanita. Ups, bahkan kata “wanita” pun juga kata yang bias gender.
Wanita yang diambil dari kata “wani” dan “tata”. Orang yang ditata. Perhiasan. Damn, apakah hanya itu arti kaum hawa? sekedar makhluk tanpa otak, tanpa kepribadian yang hanya didandani dan dijadikan perhiasan bagi kaum lelaki? Harga diriku berontak. Aku tak kan pernah lagi mau menggunakan kata wanita (kecuali terpaksa…sekali). Kata “perEmpuan” terdengar jauh lebih bermartabat. Karena “perEmpuan” diambil dari kata “Empu”., yang memiliki. Pemilik. Orang yang dihormati. Satu point inilah yang membuatku tertarik dgn buku ini. Karena dalam seluruh penulisannya, Garner selalu menggunakan kata “perEmpuan” (dengan huruf E besar). Untuk mengingatkan arti penting kaum hawa yang sebenarnya.
Barbie oh Barbie. Hatiku mendua. Satu sisi, aku ingin melawan dominasi tak berdasar kaum laki-laki atas diri kaumku. “perEmpuan” adalah manusia bebas yang bebas menentukan nasibnya sendiri. Merdeka dari dominasi. Merdeka dari “keharusan2” yang ditimbulkan budaya patriarki. Merdeka atas hak reproduksi dan kesetaraannya sendiri. Termasuk juga merdeka dari keharusan berbadan ramping, tinggi, kurus dan berbodi seksi seperti Barbie. Akan tetapi, di lain sisi, aku belum bisa membuang Barbie. Aku masih belum mampu membuang, melelang atau bahkan menghibahkan puluhan koleksi barbieku yang berjejalan di lemari. I still luv Barbie. Ironis. Ternyata, aku belum merdeka dari Barbie.
"Once upon a time, there is life …………………bla bla bla.............
and they are live together. happy. ever after. forever."
Sebuah pakem standar dari dongeng pengantar tidur. sebuah dongeng yang pernah membawa fantasiku - dan juga hampir seluruh anak perempuan di dunia - terbang ke sebuah negeri antah berantah. menjadi seorang perempuan muda yang baik hati, ramah tamah, suka menabung dan tidak suka membuang sampah sembarangan. yang karena kebaikannya (plus kecantikan fisiknya) akhirnya dijemput seorang pangeran tampan berkuda putih, dan mereka hidup bahagia selamanya.
Tetapi siapa yang menyangka, ternyata di balik kisah2 dongeng tsb ada banyak hal lain yang "tersembunyi". tidak hanya sekedar hitam vs putih. juga tak sekedar kebaikan yang akan menang melawan kejahatan. Dalam buku ini, Garner mengangkat issue tentang gender, budaya patriarki, sexist, classist dan juga..Barbie.
Baru sadar, kalo memang banyak sekali unsur sexist dan gender di sini. Budaya patriarki dan laki-laki yang mendominasi. Kaum perempuan seringkali hanya dijadikan sebagai sebuah objek dan bukanlah subyek. Penilaian terhadap seorang perempuan lebih banyak didasarkan kepada apa yang diharapkan para pria tentang wanita. Dan contohnya adalah Barbie.
Barbie yang sempurna secara fisik adalah prototype dari fantasi pria tentang wanita secara fisik. Barbie dijadikan gambaran ideal tentang fisik seorang perempuan. Barbie adalah symbol penjajahan kaum adam terhadap kaum hawa secara fisik. Anehnya, Barbie pulalah salah satu hal yang bisa membuat jutaan kaum wanita rela melakukan diet ketat yang menyiksa, perawatan kecantikan dan salon yang juga tak kalah menyiksa (baik secara fisik maupun finasial) serta banyak lagi hal gila yang sanggup dilakukan kaum hawa hanya atas nama “kesempurnaan fisik”. Mulai dari operasi plastik, sedot lemak, botox, catox, brontox hingga menderita anoreksia, bulimia, anemia, insomnia, dan masih banyak “mia-mia” lainnya. Susahnya jadi wanita. Ups, bahkan kata “wanita” pun juga kata yang bias gender.
Wanita yang diambil dari kata “wani” dan “tata”. Orang yang ditata. Perhiasan. Damn, apakah hanya itu arti kaum hawa? sekedar makhluk tanpa otak, tanpa kepribadian yang hanya didandani dan dijadikan perhiasan bagi kaum lelaki? Harga diriku berontak. Aku tak kan pernah lagi mau menggunakan kata wanita (kecuali terpaksa…sekali). Kata “perEmpuan” terdengar jauh lebih bermartabat. Karena “perEmpuan” diambil dari kata “Empu”., yang memiliki. Pemilik. Orang yang dihormati. Satu point inilah yang membuatku tertarik dgn buku ini. Karena dalam seluruh penulisannya, Garner selalu menggunakan kata “perEmpuan” (dengan huruf E besar). Untuk mengingatkan arti penting kaum hawa yang sebenarnya.
Barbie oh Barbie. Hatiku mendua. Satu sisi, aku ingin melawan dominasi tak berdasar kaum laki-laki atas diri kaumku. “perEmpuan” adalah manusia bebas yang bebas menentukan nasibnya sendiri. Merdeka dari dominasi. Merdeka dari “keharusan2” yang ditimbulkan budaya patriarki. Merdeka atas hak reproduksi dan kesetaraannya sendiri. Termasuk juga merdeka dari keharusan berbadan ramping, tinggi, kurus dan berbodi seksi seperti Barbie. Akan tetapi, di lain sisi, aku belum bisa membuang Barbie. Aku masih belum mampu membuang, melelang atau bahkan menghibahkan puluhan koleksi barbieku yang berjejalan di lemari. I still luv Barbie. Ironis. Ternyata, aku belum merdeka dari Barbie.
July 5, 2018
I'm doing a "summer reading challenge" for our local library with a friend, and one of the requirements is to read a bestseller from the year I graduated high school. In 1995, most of the NYT bestseller list were written by Danielle Steele and John Grisham, and I could barely stomach using up my precious summer reading time on their literary equivalents of paint-by-numbers artwork. I picked this one, remember a few friends from high school enjoying it.
Unfortunately for me, the book is terribly dated and at points incredibly offensive. The narrative voice--a white man from the post-Reagan 90s trying to reconcile a world that embraces diversity and feeling his unearned privilege mortally threatened--is rank throughout the book. While some of the re-envisioning fairy tales here are indeed witty, its the tone of sarcasm about the pernicious impact of these stories on our culture. Thankfully for me, it is incredibly short, but I still regretted having spent $2.99 on the e-book version, especially when I read Garner's version of "Snow White" where the prince is suffering from impotence and suggests that the dwarfs leave him alone with the comatose maiden because his nether-regions are responding to her beauty. Yes, the character is asking the dwarfs to leave the room so that he can rape an unconscious woman. That alone should be reason enough for anyone to avoid this book now that it's heyday is more than twenty years past.
Unfortunately for me, the book is terribly dated and at points incredibly offensive. The narrative voice--a white man from the post-Reagan 90s trying to reconcile a world that embraces diversity and feeling his unearned privilege mortally threatened--is rank throughout the book. While some of the re-envisioning fairy tales here are indeed witty, its the tone of sarcasm about the pernicious impact of these stories on our culture. Thankfully for me, it is incredibly short, but I still regretted having spent $2.99 on the e-book version, especially when I read Garner's version of "Snow White" where the prince is suffering from impotence and suggests that the dwarfs leave him alone with the comatose maiden because his nether-regions are responding to her beauty. Yes, the character is asking the dwarfs to leave the room so that he can rape an unconscious woman. That alone should be reason enough for anyone to avoid this book now that it's heyday is more than twenty years past.
April 25, 2009
Leap into a fairy-tale world where trolls are "dirt-accomplished and odor-enhanced," witches are "kindness-impaired," and Cinderella wears a gown "woven of silk stolen from unsuspecting silkworms." We can only regret that Garner had to exclude "The Duckling That Was Judged on Its Personal Merits and Not on Its Physical Appearance" for space reasons.
In this thin book Garner proposes to create "meaningful literature that is totally free from bias and purged from the influence of its flawed cultural past." The results are extremely funny. Updated to account for modern political sensibilities, these revisionist folktales reflect wit and an engaging knack for irony.
When a bandwagon reaches the point that it is subject to satirical spoofs, it's a good indication that said bandwagon has traveled way too far. `Political correctness' is one such bandwagon, and this little book is a pretty good attempt at poking pins in its over-inflated rhetoric.
In "Little Red Riding Hood," Grandma exacts her feminist revenge on the woodchopper, who "assumes that womyn and wolves can't solve their own problems without a man's help." In "The Frog Prince," the princess, now an "eco-feminist warrior," discovers that her dream frog is not a prince, but a real-estate developer. In other tales, "Rapunzel" becomes a self-reliant coffee-house singer and the "Three Little Pigs" armed guerrillas, while cultural imperialists such as The Big Bad Wolf and "Goldilocks" get what has been coming to them for centuries.
From "The Emperor's New Clothes" with disastrous consequences for our economically disadvantaged tailor to "Chicken Little's" (the name not being any attempt to classify said person as physically sized-disadvantaged) attempt to find a lawyer so she can sue whomever caused the sky to fall on her head causing her great emotional distress, the stories in this book will often bring a chuckle, and might cause one to reflect on the real world item the story is spoofing.
However, I'd recommend that this be read one story at time, with long days between stories, as they do become somewhat repetitive when read all at one gulp, losing some of their charm in the process.
Book Details:
Title Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for our Life & Times
Author James Finn Garner
Reviewed By Purplycookie
In this thin book Garner proposes to create "meaningful literature that is totally free from bias and purged from the influence of its flawed cultural past." The results are extremely funny. Updated to account for modern political sensibilities, these revisionist folktales reflect wit and an engaging knack for irony.
When a bandwagon reaches the point that it is subject to satirical spoofs, it's a good indication that said bandwagon has traveled way too far. `Political correctness' is one such bandwagon, and this little book is a pretty good attempt at poking pins in its over-inflated rhetoric.
In "Little Red Riding Hood," Grandma exacts her feminist revenge on the woodchopper, who "assumes that womyn and wolves can't solve their own problems without a man's help." In "The Frog Prince," the princess, now an "eco-feminist warrior," discovers that her dream frog is not a prince, but a real-estate developer. In other tales, "Rapunzel" becomes a self-reliant coffee-house singer and the "Three Little Pigs" armed guerrillas, while cultural imperialists such as The Big Bad Wolf and "Goldilocks" get what has been coming to them for centuries.
From "The Emperor's New Clothes" with disastrous consequences for our economically disadvantaged tailor to "Chicken Little's" (the name not being any attempt to classify said person as physically sized-disadvantaged) attempt to find a lawyer so she can sue whomever caused the sky to fall on her head causing her great emotional distress, the stories in this book will often bring a chuckle, and might cause one to reflect on the real world item the story is spoofing.
However, I'd recommend that this be read one story at time, with long days between stories, as they do become somewhat repetitive when read all at one gulp, losing some of their charm in the process.
Book Details:
Title Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for our Life & Times
Author James Finn Garner
Reviewed By Purplycookie
January 7, 2019
It felt like he was trying so hard to make the stories politically correct and incorporate modern words. There was no flow to the story and reading it was weird. It's still a good idea though that I wish was handled differently.
January 17, 2021
This book is hilarious! It uses satire and humor to revise a dozen well-known fairy tales in a politically correct fashion. These stories serve to explore the ridiculous extremes of much politically correct language. I read this years ago and it was a fun, quick re-read and chuckle.
October 22, 2018
Satire - even that of political correctness - can be executed in a better way than this.
November 5, 2021
O carte care folosește sarcasmul pur, fin, genial, care tratează problemele culturale actuale într-un mod ludic, copilăresc, pentru a sublinia cu atât mai mult ilaritatea corectitudinii politice. Poveștile dragi ale copilăriei sunt reinterpretate prin această prismă moderna, "Netflixiana", a egalității aparente ideologice. Must read!
"Corectitudinea politică este acea boală cu transmitere mintală care desființează diferența și pune în locul ei mediocritatea călduță" - Radu Paraschivescu
"Corectitudinea politică este acea boală cu transmitere mintală care desființează diferența și pune în locul ei mediocritatea călduță" - Radu Paraschivescu
February 25, 2020
1994, "In case I don't see you later, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!"
James Finn’s idea is brilliant, but has little craft attached to it. I laughed all throughout the first 60 pages at the ridiculously self-righteous jargon used by characters. The turtle was performant in laziness, the minority was a “non-majority” haha and short people we’re “vertically impaired”. With more thought put into it, the book could have been a great satire piece. Unfortunately, it was plotted lazily and the humor petered out fast.
But, for what it is, the first 60 or so pages are fun and draw attention upon the highly inauthentic language used by those with a self-absorbed worldview.
https://youtu.be/Dgp9MPLEAqA
James Finn’s idea is brilliant, but has little craft attached to it. I laughed all throughout the first 60 pages at the ridiculously self-righteous jargon used by characters. The turtle was performant in laziness, the minority was a “non-majority” haha and short people we’re “vertically impaired”. With more thought put into it, the book could have been a great satire piece. Unfortunately, it was plotted lazily and the humor petered out fast.
But, for what it is, the first 60 or so pages are fun and draw attention upon the highly inauthentic language used by those with a self-absorbed worldview.
https://youtu.be/Dgp9MPLEAqA
November 20, 2019
Once upon a time, there was a thing called the ‘fairy-tale’, which was not yet rid of its sexist, racist, ableist, colourist, lookist, speciesist, intellectualist and ageist biases, and did not give a dime about the environment. This changed in 1994 – in the midst of the battle and backlash regarding Political Correctness – when a man named James Finn Garner set himself upon re-writing these popular but problematic tales for his own “politically correct” collection of bedtime stories.
What Garner created here was a collection of humourous, tongue-in-cheek – and indeed, what he himself would call opportunist -- satire of 12 ‘fairy-tales’ of old (originally by nineteenth century patriarchal moralists of the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and the brothers Grimm).
In Garner’s hands, the usage of political correctness – in both language and attitude – becomes a double-edged sword, with something to offend people on both sides of the PC debate. While these “politically correct” versions certainly improve upon stories which were originally meant
[My one big problem with Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, though, is that the collection tends to be inconsistent in its political correctness: in most stories, Capitalism is bad, but others park it as the site of their happily-ever-afters. Maybe Garner is just not ready to take sides, but I do see that in many regards he appears to be monarchist, something not “yet unnamed” in the 1990s.]
What Garner created here was a collection of humourous, tongue-in-cheek – and indeed, what he himself would call opportunist -- satire of 12 ‘fairy-tales’ of old (originally by nineteenth century patriarchal moralists of the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and the brothers Grimm).
In Garner’s hands, the usage of political correctness – in both language and attitude – becomes a double-edged sword, with something to offend people on both sides of the PC debate. While these “politically correct” versions certainly improve upon stories which were originally meant
to entrench the patriarchy, to estrange people from their own natural impulses, to demonize “evil” and to “reward” an “objective” “good”they also bring to these “enlightened times” other aspects of the author’s almost Swiftian sense of getting-away-with-laughing-at-everyone: that political correctness can often be overdone to the level of absurdity is exemplified here (a satire of political correctness itself?). In the wrong (?) hands, this absurdity could be corelated with wholesale ridicule. In most hands, however, this volume is bound to raise a good number of laughs. Is anyone surprised this was a bestseller?
[My one big problem with Politically Correct Bedtime Stories, though, is that the collection tends to be inconsistent in its political correctness: in most stories, Capitalism is bad, but others park it as the site of their happily-ever-afters. Maybe Garner is just not ready to take sides, but I do see that in many regards he appears to be monarchist, something not “yet unnamed” in the 1990s.]
February 7, 2010
When this book was published, it was thought quite humorous. I find it rather trite. But it does raise some intersting questions about the evolution of traditional tales and the "moral lessons" that are embedded in them for children. Tongue-in-cheek, Finn Garner "cleans up" the offensive stereotypes. For instance, in the tale I studied this week, Little Red Riding Hood, when the wolf offers to offered accompany her through the dangerous woods, replies, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop your own, entirely valid, worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." Grandma, too, exacts her feminist revenge on the woodchopper, who "assumes that womyn and wolves can't solve their own problems without a man's help."
While the tales are often chosen for the entertainment of children, this collection is intended for older children or adults. The PC intentions are neither serious, nor particularly less offensive, though as revisionist tales they certainly have their place, and they do reflect a modern academic perspective in the absurd questions they pose. I would use these stories with High school age students and maybe mature middle school readers. They belong within a study of the genre but should not replace the traditional tales!
While the tales are often chosen for the entertainment of children, this collection is intended for older children or adults. The PC intentions are neither serious, nor particularly less offensive, though as revisionist tales they certainly have their place, and they do reflect a modern academic perspective in the absurd questions they pose. I would use these stories with High school age students and maybe mature middle school readers. They belong within a study of the genre but should not replace the traditional tales!
July 24, 2013
این کتاب شامل 10 داستان طنز کوتاه است که فین گارنر با استفاده از قصه ها و شخصیت هایی که ما می شناسیم مثل شنل قرمزی، راپونزل، سیندرلا، جک داستان لوبیای سحرآمیز،جوجه کوچولو و... مفاهیم تازه ای را که برخلاف اسم کتاب،کاملا سیاسی و مرتبط با جامعه ی معاصر آمریکا هستند مطرح می کند.
در داستان شنل قرمزی، شنل قرمزی زنی ست مستقل که برای حریم خصوصی خود ارزش زیادی قائل است و به شدت مخالف تبعیض جنسیتی. حتی وقتی مرد تبرزن برای نجات او از چنگال گرگ وارد صحنه می شود آن را توهینی به توانایی اش تلقی می کند و به جای گرگ مرد را می کشد! در داستان لباس جدید امپراطور، خیاط ، پادشاه را که نماینده ی امپریالیسم و قشر مرفه بی درد جامعه است با برهنگی دست می اندازد و وقتی بچه ی بازیگوش برهنگی پادشاه را با صراحت یادآوری می کند،یکی از نزدیکان پادشاه قضیه را این طور لاپوشانی می کند که: «اعلیحضرت لخت نیستند ،بلکه دستور به آزادی در انتخاب لباس دادند»!
هر کدام از این 10 داستان به یکی از مباحث سیاسی و اجتماعی حاکم بر جامعه ی آمریکا با استفاده از بازی با کلمات و شعارزدگی می پردازد.
در داستان شنل قرمزی، شنل قرمزی زنی ست مستقل که برای حریم خصوصی خود ارزش زیادی قائل است و به شدت مخالف تبعیض جنسیتی. حتی وقتی مرد تبرزن برای نجات او از چنگال گرگ وارد صحنه می شود آن را توهینی به توانایی اش تلقی می کند و به جای گرگ مرد را می کشد! در داستان لباس جدید امپراطور، خیاط ، پادشاه را که نماینده ی امپریالیسم و قشر مرفه بی درد جامعه است با برهنگی دست می اندازد و وقتی بچه ی بازیگوش برهنگی پادشاه را با صراحت یادآوری می کند،یکی از نزدیکان پادشاه قضیه را این طور لاپوشانی می کند که: «اعلیحضرت لخت نیستند ،بلکه دستور به آزادی در انتخاب لباس دادند»!
هر کدام از این 10 داستان به یکی از مباحث سیاسی و اجتماعی حاکم بر جامعه ی آمریکا با استفاده از بازی با کلمات و شعارزدگی می پردازد.
September 23, 2008
I had wanted to use this book in a classroom setting, but since the stories were changed not only to include "politically correct" ideas, but also immorality and murder, I think I'll pass. Here's a sampling of the harmless stuff:
Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have brought you some fat-free, sodium-free snacks to salute you in your role of a wise and nurturing matriarch."
From the bed, the wolf said softly, "Come closer, child, so that I might see you."
Red Riding Hood said, "Oh, I forgot you are as optically challenged as a bat..."
Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have brought you some fat-free, sodium-free snacks to salute you in your role of a wise and nurturing matriarch."
From the bed, the wolf said softly, "Come closer, child, so that I might see you."
Red Riding Hood said, "Oh, I forgot you are as optically challenged as a bat..."
March 27, 2022
“At the house of sticks, the wolf again banged on the door and shouted, ‘Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!’
The pigs shouted back, “Go to hell, you carnivorous, imperialistic oppressor!”
This was a very quick and entertaining read. A lot of the more “politically correct” jabs like the ones above made me laugh out loud. I was surprised to see that this book was published in the ‘90s since it could’ve been more recent.
October 12, 2019
No od začiatku rozprávky, teda od Červenej karkulky po Popelku to bolo až veľmi zábavné. Dala by som 5 hviezdičiek. Odtiaľ to išlo ale dole vodou a všetky ďalšie rozprávky mi prišli ako nasilu napísané a len aby sa nepovedalo. Je to škoda, bo by to mohlo osloviť veľký počet ľudí.
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