Oh, the Seventies...

FREE TO BE... YOU AND ME

I am very glad I was a child when I was.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be five in the early 80s, 90s, or - God forbid - now. The early 70s were perfect for children. Electric Company was busting a move, The Letter People, Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood were all in full swing.

It was a darn good time to be alive - and children's education was just that - education. It wasn't a marketing ploy to sell plush toys, lunchboxes, videogames, chapstick, extra value meals, and sneakers.

Remember the book Free To Be... You and Me? It was, according to the cover, "a different kind of book for children and adults to enjoy together." It was also pretty radical for its time - probably for this time, even. The people who put this together weren't fucking around. Sexism, gender identity, consumer capitalism, and any other issue that might have turned children into materialistic, stuck-up jerks was addressed in this here book.

I'm sure kids today would hold their noses up at it and give it a big "P.U." - but the little creeps don't know what they're missing. This book molded my brain.

The Sunday School teacher at the Unitarian Universalist Church my parents dragged me to read it to all of us (Unitarians are Godless hippies, don't you know) and I remember particularly the "Ladies First" story by that pervert Shel Silverstein (I don't give a crap what ANY of you say - I HATE The Giving Tree) and being thoroughly petrified by it. Reading it today, I realize that the little snot got exactly what she deserved.

The book is filled with poems, songs, stories, art, and music that instill good leftist, socialist, tree-hugging values - you know, the ones that are so sorely lacking these days. Observe:

The Sun and the Moon

The Sun is filled with shining light
It blazes far and wide
The Moon reflects the sunlight back
But has no light inside.

I think I'd rather be the Sun
That shines so bold and bright
Than be the Moon, that only glows
With someone else's light

That sounds exactly like something Maude would have said to Harold.

Free To Be... You and Me was also a record, including the talents of stellar celebrities like Diana Ross, Marlo Thomas, Dick Cavett, Alan Alda, and even our dear Ms. Carol Channing. It's worth it just to hear Ms. Channing's rendition of the essay, "Housework."

You can hear it by clicking here.

Free To Be... You and Me - buy a copy of this book and force it on your children, whether they want to play their Wiis or not. They will grow beautifully and fortify the human race with peace, love and understanding. We're going to need it.

Thanks to N69N!