Reading around newspapers in Minnesota, we came across Alexandria Echo Press staffer Jared Rubado's weekly column, It's Jared's turn: Our local elected representatives need to learn how to use Google.
In the article, which " is an opinion column written by an Echo Press editorial staff member. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Echo Press," Rubado chastizes Representative Mary Franson, R-Alexandria, for her inept culture warrior jousting over "cancel culture":
One of the perks of working on the editorial staff for the Echo Press is getting to write about whatever I want in this column once a month. But lately, I've had a really tough time coming up with column ideas.
If you don't know, I have a weekly entertainment column in the Lifestyle section called "QuaranTV." The sports editor, Eric Morken, typically lets me write a sports column if I ask. My bosses have a lot of trust in me to write columns, but when you write so many, your ideas run dry. Then came along state-rep Mary Franson, who put the ball on the tee for me.
Yes, a journalist thanking Franson for his material. Since she's a golfer, the image is a fair one. He continues:
On Mar. 9, her letter to the editor, which was part of her weekly legislative update, was published on our website demonizing "the woke Left" for canceling Dr. Suess and Mr. Potato Head. Her letter stated, "Our children need to play with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and read Dr. Seuss without interruption from the woke Left. Can we go ahead and cancel cancel culture already?"
While I do think cancel culture tends to get carried away at times, there's a huge problem with her message. Cancel culture isn't responsible for this.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises pulled the six books from publication on its own without pushback from the public. Hasbro announced it was releasing a new playset this fall without assigned gender roles to let kids create their own potatoes while still keeping the traditional set of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads. Both decisions were made internally and without the mass uproar of people fighting for social justice.
I'm at the point where I do not care if people are upset with brands becoming more inclusive. I think society is moving in the right direction. People can either get on board or get left behind. Either is fine by me. But Franson's letter is a cause for concern because she didn't care to do a simple Google search for either of these decisions. Instead, she wrote about the issue based on her own assumptions.
As a person she was elected to represent, I find this utterly embarrassing. Her letter was sit-com material. Elected officials are supposed to represent the people they serve, not just the people who voted for them. I have a hard time believing the discontinuation of Dr. Seuss books and potato toys are a genuine concern in Douglas County. . . .
Read the rest at the Echo Press. If you're blocked by a firewall, consider a subscription; a subscription to one Forum Communications publication gets you access to all of the chain's papers in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Heckova a lot of reading.
Photo: Via EchoPress, "Stewartville Public Library Director Nate Deprey holds a copy of the Dr. Seuss book "And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street" Friday, March 5, 2021, in Stewartville. The book is one of six books that Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which manages Dr. Seuss' literary works, recently announced it would be discontinuing. (Joe Ahlquist / [email protected])"
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