The Baby Einstein Controversy - Susan Linn

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/06/05/Susan_Linn_The_Case_for_Make_Believe

Director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood Susan Linn talks about her FTC complaint filed against Disney's Baby Einstein as "false and deceptive marketing."

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From the author of Consuming Kids, a clarion call for preserving play in our material world, a book every parent will want to read.

In the nationally celebrated Consuming Kids, Susan Linn provided an unsparing look at how modern childhood is molded by commercialism. The resulting threat to children's play is the subject of her timely and fascinating new book.

In The Case for Make Believe, Linn argues that, while play is crucial to human development, nurturing creative play in modern-day America is not only countercultural--it's a threat to corporate profits.

At the heart of the book are gripping stories of children at home, at school, and in a therapist's office using make believe to grapple with real-life issues from entering kindergarten to the death of a sibling.

In an age when toys come from TV shows, dress-up means wearing Disney costumes, and parents believe Baby Einstein is educational, Linn lays out the inextricable links between play, creativity, and health, showing us why we need to protect our children from corporations that aim to limit their imaginations - Cody's Books

Susan Linn is the associate director of the Media Center at Judge Baker Children's Center, instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and director of The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

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[msbrandt06]

My baby kicks me everytime I put on Baby Einstein..

[CazMo78]

These people are rediculous. Let people raise their children however they please...

[dereknobuyuki]

It's not so strange that one could be both communist and fascist at the same time; They are not mutually exclusive. PoliticalCompass breaks apart the antiquated spectrum in to 2 dimensions. Fascist = Authoritative (control) is a social axis and Communist is leftist as an economic axis.

Not so extreme but, is advocating the government step in and regulate it more and punish Disney (the authoritative/fascist part of the spectrum) and sounds like she prefers the economic left (the communist side)

[miekkyy]

The woman in the video isn't saying Baby Einstein is bad or should be banned, she's saying it's not educational, which it isn't. She was filing a complaint against Disney to remove the 'educational' tags. She doesn't think Baby Einstein is bad for children. If babies enjoy it, sure, go for it, my nieces and nephews love it, parents just shouldn't believe it's educational - It's just entertainment for the babies.

[wonnthree]

My 6 mnth old baby loves baby Einstein vids and loves me pointing out what's in the video..it all depends on the parents involvement..liberals..what idiots

[f2mel2]

@Solarcoreg What exactly are your expectation? Babies are "educated" by only one thing - repetitive word association. When I watch a B.E. video, that's all I see. So what's the problem?

[f2mel2]

So, her point is that she can name call left and mostly right which in the end amounts to a factual point??? No regulations??? There are over 35,000 regulations on gun ownership, distribution, mfg and so on. This country does not like to regulate??? What planet is she living on?

[Solarcoreg]

All you have to do is watch one video with a critical eye. Just one. And you will see how it has absolutely zero educational value. I tried and tried to tell my wife this. All the videos do is keep babies entranced and quiet. They are a baby sitter that entertains allowing adults to believe it is ok to leave their child in front of the television screen.

I'm very glad to find out that I am not alone in being aware of this.

[philnoll]

What a fascist communist she is

[harnettjoe]

I am saddened by the vitriol in some of the responses to this video. It demonstrates just how vulnerable parents are, and therefore should be protected from false claims.

I am not a Disney hater: I raised my son watching Mary Poppins and loved it....but I watched with him danced with him.

Also, I teach creative dance to preschoolers and find that classical pieces, not "simplified" are even more effective with my students than Baby Einstein cds.

[Michalbasavraham]

Part 2 comment:

the 18 month olds did have some reaction, but the six and twelve months old babies had NO reaction to scrambled videos or a video with the sound backwards.

[Michalbasavraham]

part 1 comment

I chose this topic of the whole commercialization of childhood for my final research paper I'm writig for English because I ran across the documentary when I was writing my final paper for Advertising this summer and I became very interested and welcomed the excuse to learn more. I found a peer reviewed study and didn't save it. This psychologist tested chopped up Barney episodes on babies 6-12-18-24 months. Only the 24 month olds were disturbed.