Stop teaching young people to read

Avi shared "A Modest Proposal (With apologies to Jonathan Swift)" on Tuesday, saying:

We should just stop teaching young people to read.

Consider all the benefits that would bring.

Young people would only learn what their parents knew which would happily make them exact replicas of all their parent’s beliefs, education, and attitudes.  Think of it.  No clashes of opinions, arguments, or debates.  Calm family life. 

No English or reading teachers.  No librarians.  Think how much money would be saved.  Lower taxes! 

And he ends with . . . "Oh, then, how much simpler life would be for all.  Nothing would change."

Here's what Jonathan Swift proposed in 1729, using the title "A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burthen to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick."  Click that long title to read about it in Wikipedia.  It's all tongue in cheek, folks, and I love it!

Basically, Swift proposed that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies.  Avi, who has written some of my favorite books, appeals to people wanting to take books off library shelves as "not suitable for children."  He appeals to those who want to ban books, in other words.

Phrase of the Day

tongue in cheek = phrase of tongue in an ironic, flippant, or insincere way.  Example:  "One suspects that he is writing with tongue in cheek."