Another Stereotype of the Month entry:

I Is for Idiocy

Having written dozens of descriptions of children's products recently, I'm glad to say the products no longer depict Indians as an example of the letter "I." But I was dismayed to see three alphabet products using an igloo for "I."

If that seems innocuous to you, let's put it in context. Which item in this hypothetical list doesn't belong with the others: alligator, bee, cat, dog, elephant, fish, gorilla, hippo, igloo, kangaroo, lamb, mouse, pig, quail, rabbit, swan, turtle, unicorn, vulture, worm, yak, zebra? That's right, the igloo is the item featuring a human being.

What would the average child conclude from this? That the Inuit are civilized humans who work as lawyers, doctors, and engineers? Or that they're part of nature like other animals?

Rob

Related links
Eskimos:  the ultimate aborigines

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