Screen It First and Common Sense Media
I take very seriously the vetting of each and every book in the Mud Hen Mama online bookstore. So when I came across a book, Honestly Elliott, that was for a short time on the MHM booklist and had been screened by Screen It First, I took a second look. I was concerned since the information on Screen It First indicated there was LGBTQ material in the book.
I rechecked a review I had originally seen on Common Sense Media when I googled the book. Rarely do I use that resource, but I had the impression it was foundationally Christian, so I trusted the site. There were no flags, nothing of concern. 5 stars out of 5. So I thought maybe that label on Screen It First was just a mistake. Since Screen It First is crowd sourced, maybe someone got confused. Honestly Elliott depicts a young boy with divorced parents, so I assumed the two moms referred to in the screened shots were actually his mother and his step mother.
Wrong on this one
But I was wrong. Looking more carefully at the review on Common Sense Media, below “Any Positive Content?” and further under Diverse Representation, this was what was written: “…Characters of differing abilities, various ethnic, cultural, and class backgrounds, and sexual orientations are represented.” So depicting differing sexual orientations is considered a “positive” thing. My word.
To further confirm, according to one of the founders of Screen It First, Jessica, she went back to double check about the LGBTQ material. Apparently, Elliott’s best friend briefly mentions he has two moms.
All I could think was, “Are you kidding me??”
Yes, this is serious
Now some people may think this is no big deal. It’s just sort of quickly mentioned and it wasn’t even about the main character. On the majority of reviews (both Amazon and Goodreads), absolutely nothing was mentioned. However, that’s the entire reason that this is indeed, a big deal. The insidious way the LGBTQ agenda tries to sneak in these characters is blatant. The subtle push for normalizing the language of two moms as well as the redefinition of family is very intentional. It adds nothing to the storyline, but helps push their agenda. And it’s infuriating.
The LGBTQ agenda has their eyes on our children who are impressionable and easy to deceive. And the way they’re doing it is essentially death by a thousand cuts. The “death” of the innocence of our children and truth itself. A line here and a mention there. It’s subtle and effective to desensitize even the most astute child.
Although the majority of the topics covered in Honestly Elliott may be good, this one small addition ruins any good that may be there. This is a slightly vulgar analogy, but appropriate – it’s a little like having a delicious cake with just the tiniest bit of poop in it. It’s not much! Would you still want to eat it?
Men and women
Newsflash, there are only two genders and every child has a mother and a father. That’s it – no more, no less. We can pretend otherwise. But no matter how anyone wants to try and redefine biology, gender and conception are inflexible. This propaganda may be able to fool a child, but we need to be the ones to stand firm for Truth. This is one of the main reasons why our children have us as parents. Our job is to protect them, especially from the nonsense that is being shoved in their faces and down their throats from those who are pushing a wicked and harmful agenda.
I am so thankful for the partnership we have with Screen It First. We would not have caught this if it weren’t for the screening they use for books. I think many people, including Christians, consider Common Sense Media to be a reliable resource for reviewing media. But this experience has taught me that it definitely is not. They have a very different worldview that they are embracing in the name of diversity and inclusion.
Diversity
To be clear, the word diversity is yet another word to be highjacked and redefined. Much can be said about the good of having diverse skin tones and cultures represented in books and media. I appreciate that, especially since I myself am a person of color. Obviously, in the appropriate contexts, diversity is a good thing. However, this goes way beyond skin colors and cultures. And it has nothing to do with the traditional definition of diversity.
They are trying to shove in far Left ideology with words that we are all familiar with, but now are inserting very different definitions. This kind of indoctrination is to homogenize the ideology of these children to align with only a Leftist agenda. The skin tones and cultures mean nothing to those who are true believers. The only thing that matters is the ideology. And if you don’t agree, you are an infidel and will be canceled, no matter what you look like or who you are. Believe me, I know.
No more Common Sense, please!
The kind of ideology that Common Sense Media is encouraging would have us promoting all of the wrong things. Common Sense Media is not a resource anyone who is a professing Christian should be using. For that matter, anyone who believes in truth shouldn’t go there either. I only wish I knew that earlier.
Please instead use Screen It First! It’s fair, objective, and incredibly helpful. Continue to make it even MORE of a powerful tool by providing your insights to the books yet to be screened but that you’ve read! Thank you in advance for your help to build up this fantastic resource!
And remember to pick up some awesome books that nurture faith, inspire purpose, and uphold truth at Mud Hen Mama! Honestly Elliott is officially off our list and we will be triple checking with Screen it First any additional books added to our bookstore!
