We shall never forget this idiocy

There are plenty of products aimed at children that shouldn’t be, such as violent video games for the under-10 set. But perhaps one of the most disgusting products for kids is a new 9/11 coloring book.

Wayne Bell, publisher of Really Big Coloring Books Inc., called the 36-page “We Shall Never Forget 9/11: The Kids’ Book of Freedom” a “graphic novel.”

The “graphic novel” begins with Osama bin Laden plotting the terrorist attacks and ends with Navy SEALs pointing guns at him while he hides behind a woman in a burka.

The text-heavy book attempts to explain (with horrible grammar) the events of the attack and the aftermath.

Bell said the book meets a demand for parents and teachers to help them explain what happened on 9/11. However, the book, which the publishers gave a PG rating, isn’t actually appropriate for children.

I’ve taken a lot of history classes, and I didn’t need a coloring book to understand the Civil War, the Holocaust or the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Images of people pointing guns at someone aren’t appropriate for kids. But Bell responded to critics, saying the book isn’t as graphic as video games or the footage from the World Trade Center.

If you think the guns and violence in video games are wrong, then how are guns in a coloring book — excuse me, “graphic novel” — OK? Two wrongs don’t make a right; even the kids know that one.

Bell says children younger than 10 should use the coloring book with a parent or teacher. Um, duh. No responsible adult would hand a young child this book and let them have at it on their own. Of course, no responsible adult would let kids have the book at all.

The book has also been criticized for its anti-Muslim message. Amina Sharif, communications director for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations, called the book “hateful” and “inflammatory.” She said the book doesn’t differentiate between regular Muslims and the terrorists.

Without having seen more than a couple screencaps, I can’t comment on this except to say that it definitely wouldn’t surprise me. Someone who can’t string a proper sentence together or get historical facts correct (bin Laden wasn’t hiding behind one of his wives when the SEALs killed him) probably isn’t going to bother to elucidate the distinction.

The concept of this book seems to be a mess. There are better ways of explaining a tragic event than through a wordy coloring book.

Even if the book is completely unbiased and accurate, I still wouldn’t hand it to a child. It’s like giving ‘MAUS’ (a graphic novel by Art Spiegelman depicting his father’s experience in Auschwitz) to a bunch of elementary school children.

In an age when people are still trying to ban Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” from schools for foul language, it’s amazing that something like this could be published for children.

Teach kids about 9/11 by talking to them and explaining the events. And afterward, let them color Elmo.

­— hanns@indiana.edu