How dare they insult a fine, upstanding institution like Build-A-Bear? You know who else didn’t like Bild-A-Bear? Hitler. True story.

I think the objection is pretty legitimate, Jesse. How would we feel if it was the other way around? If BAB made a video that basically said AGW was nonsense and tried to convince kids that power-crazed environmentalists were trying to take away their battery-powered toys and video games? I’d be pissed as hell, personally, that the place where my (hypothetical) kids wanted to get a cool teddy bear was instead doing political indoctrination for the other side.

And I don’t feel a whole lot better about them spinning for the side I do support, tell ya the truth. It’s not that they are wrong or right about the issue, it’s that it’s not their “thing” to take sides on political topics (or scientific ones). I don’t want to have to explain the Israel-Palestine conflict to toddlers when McDonald’s decides to release their “Happy Hamas” action figure, or whatever.

Alkaloid, the north pole is melting. I fail to see why this is something to get politically hot and bothered over, unless one has picked a crazy ideology that demands abject denial of reality. If people picked on build a bear for having a marketing campaign that acknowledged the reality of evolution, I’d think they were crazy too.

I brook no tolerance of lunatics freaked out over the build a bear video simply because they adhere to one of america’s political parties. if someone is freaked out over the build a bear campaign, it is because they are a freak and an extremist nut.

Not like the North Pole is anything but ice ... like it won’t disappear completely if we keep this shit up.

Time again for that quote about “reality having a liberal bias.”

It’s not that they are wrong or right about the issue, it’s that it’s not their “thing” to take sides on political topics (or scientific ones).

It’s kind of sad that discussing actual problems that we’re facing is now just “being political” and everyone should be shielded from them.  Like I saw a commenter say, you can’t even talk about the weather anymore without someone deciding that you’re trying to pick a fight.

Like it or not, kids today are going to have to deal with the consequences of global warming, especially since it looks like we are not going to be able to get our shit together and intervene before there are disastrous consequences.  Shouldn’t we at least be, you know, preparing them for category 5 hurricanes, rising sea levels and massive die-offs of wildlife?

I really don’t remember the same level of conservative denialism and crazed hostility to the reality of ozone depletion—instead, we had international treaties to ban CFCs and solved the problem. The culture of conservatism has really become more corrupt now than it was in the past.

I would find it objectionable if lies were told to children.  This doesn’t mean that fairness dictates that they not be told the truth either, out of a concern for balance.

I’m not overly concerned with fairness or concern for balance. Like I said, I find this objectionable even though they’re pushing my own views. It’s not about accuracy, it’s about context and appropriateness. People do not pay BAB premium prices for teddy bears because they are keen to see the company’s animated views on global warming (or FGM or health care reform or tax policy). If I go to the opera, I do not want to hear a political speech from the coloratura soprano in the middle of the performance - even if she is speaking important truth to power. “Toy Story” would not be improved by Woody standing up and explaining to the children the critical importance of sorting your plastic before recycling.

Alk, your examples are much different from what we are seeing here, which is using a measureable fact about the arctic circle in order to sell products, much like Tang exploited the space program to market itself. No one complained that Tang shouldn’t discuss the space program because it was politically offensive and controversial among those who believed it was a hoax—rather, we laughed at those people because they were deluded idiots rather than taking their concerns and feelings seriously, which would have just egged them on.

I agree. Your average build-a-bear recipient is in no position to either understand or act on the issue. It only creates confusion and insecurity about things they don’t understand.

A video reveling in how wonderful nature is, how great it is to have nature available, how precious it is, and how everyone needs to respect it and be ready to pay attention to it’s needs - without any discussion of specific issues, might strike me the other way.

Get kids to think fondly of nature and wild animals, and how we all fit together on the planet in warm fuzzy terms, without injecting the threat idea, and then when they are old enough, they will be prepared to take the threats more seriously.

For that matter, a non-judgemental wonderful tribute to nature that today’s parents watch without feeling preached to might get them to start thinking, too.

The key, I think, is that this simply shouldn’t *be* a political issue.

Any fix or change is going to involve the political system, so it’s a political issue. Even if everyone agreed about the facts on the ground, there would be vast and legitimate areas for disagreement about what we should do about the f.o.t.g. And thus, politics.

Well, Alk, I thought it was cutely earnest. If it whips up some right wingers into froths of rage and boycott threats, that is their problem, not mine, abd I am not going to sympathize. Similarly, we had right wingers get upset because Rachael Ray appeared in an ad where she was wearing avscarf that to them looked like an Arab keffiyeh. Why should I defend the right wingers’ irrational apoplexy? The correct move here is to make fun of then for taking out their rage on Build a Bear—if that is what conservatism leads to, it is a reminder how ridiculous conservatism has become.

Happy holidays!

Hail Saturn!

Polar bears are bears.  Build a Bear sells polar bear toys.  Polar bears will be extinct very soon, b/c the ice is melting.  Is it really that far fetched for a bear toy company to talk about the plight of real bears?  Really?

B/c while everyone is entitled to an opinion, s/he is not entitled to his or her own facts.

It’s not controversial science.  Science is pretty well confirmed that AGW is true, just like evolution.  It’s a social controversy because ignorant rednecks don’t like facts.

And people who don’t like reality should be roundly mocked and not given a “fair and balanced” seat at the table with the other grown-ups.

Lymis: If they’re old enough to watch “Ferngully,” they’re old enough to learn about global warming. And I was pretty little when Ferngully came out, and I turned out okay.

When the effects of Global Climate Change become undeniable, will the Conservatives wipe the froth from their mouths and start working on solutions, or will they BLAME LIBERALS and the Scientific Community for “not telling them”?

Time again for that quote about “reality having a liberal bias.”
Comment #5: Cass on 12/24 at 11:05 AM

I always wondered what that meant. So I dug out some old Physics, Thermodynamics, and Information Theory books and researched. Now I understand. Like entropy, or the tendency for systems to seek the lowest energy level, or maximal amount of disorganization. And chaos theory, where minute differences keep the same result from ever being achieved again. And the best of all, The Non-reciprocal Law of Expectation. That’s where negative expectations yield negative results, and positive expectations yield negative results. Thanks for the reminder!

Caren @16 said what I was thinking - a company that sells toy bears educating children about climate effecting habitat and thus real bears.  It isn’t just polar bears though, the climate changes and shifts are going to mess with kodiaks, browns, blacks, grizzlies, the non-bear bears like kuola and panda….

And people who don’t like reality should be roundly mocked and not given a “fair and balanced” seat at the table with the other grown-ups.

I’ll settle for them not passing laws that I have to obey.

Do any of these wingnuts have children who watch the Disney Channel? (Maybe not, since Disney allows teh gays, but it’s still a huge international company making shiteloads of money… all that good stuff about corporate greed they adore so much.) There are constant ads by the pop stars of Disney about recycling, the environment, and so on. Nickelodeon has had similar public service type ads. Where is the outrage?!

Do any of these wingnuts have children who watch the Disney Channel? (Maybe not, since Disney allows teh gays, but it’s still a huge international company making shiteloads of money… all that good stuff about corporate greed they adore so much.) There are constant ads by the pop stars of Disney about recycling, the environment, and so on. Nickelodeon has had similar public service type ads. Where is the outrage?!
Comment #22: TheRealistMom on 12/24 at 08:25 PM

Some of them are outraged about it.  Googling on

nickelodeo global warming indoctrination

gets gems like “Nick is indoctrinating kids into the secular cult of environmentalism, and it wants them to indoctrinate you in turn.” and “I remember when I was younger and “Nick News” started showing up. Talked about how great Clinton was, how bad republicans are, how global warming was going to kill us all, and how socialism was always the best way.”

This is to them another nail in the coffin, another assault.  They aren’t upset because this is one tiny place where global warming is treated as fact, it’s one of many, so they can’t expect to shield themselves and their kids from it any more.

I always wonder if other adults remember being kids. The energy crisis was a big topic when I was in elementary school. We were also aware of inflation and there was a terrible drought in California that necessitated some pretty intense conservation measures. Those were all things when I was at teddy bear age, as well as the well known Woodsy the Owl and Smokey the Bear campaigns actually aimed at children.
Most traumatic thing was having to watch The Little Matchgirl every time my 2nd grade teacher didn’t have a lesson prepared. And that was supposed to be something children would enjoy.

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The dumb butt christian has struck again with their eternalized, fictitious war on christmas, these Idiots would kill their own messiah if not for anything but the bottom line.

These hate mongers were indirectly converting people to their religion of Hate and didn’t even know it, but that takes brains and critical thinking both which are lacking in a religion of hate.

I can say i celebrated it as what it truly is the Winter Solstice and it was great the ground was white. I ate a breakfast at a local restaurant and the young waitress was confused because the religious right came had had them take down the decorations and if she was heard giving a holiday greeting she could be fired. Now I wonder who the real culprits are here,for my dollar it is the christian that weak minded moron that can’t see anything unless it benefits him/her.

please dear reader don/t think it ends here no, no I had a associate that went on a date with a woman he thought he knew, this ding bat wanted him to pray with her before they went out, nothing like pushing your religion down some one Else throat then claim your being discriminated against.

One good thing about this it kills all the hype about giving and re-enforces the christian selfish belief of me first foremost and always.

The most hatred I have seen with this war on christmas is from christians, so you got your way now nobody celebrates it now crawl off in your corner so we can forget about you, your book of fairy tales and your make believe saviour and god of hate and condemnation.

Remember the true god of the christian is and looks just like this. ( $ )