American Girl boycotted: Accused of luring youth into radical feminist ideology

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | November 2, 2005 | WorldNetDaily.com

[Diago]

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

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American Girl boycotted
Accused of luring youth into radical feminist ideology

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Posted: November 2, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

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© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

After repeated unheeded warnings, a pro-life group launched a boycott yesterday against the popular doll maker American Girl for its association with a group that promotes abortion rights and lesbianism.

"American Girl has refused to sever ties with pro-abortion Girls Incorporated," said Ann Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, "This leaves us no choice but to call for a boycott of American Girl dolls and accessories for the duration of the 2005 Christmas shopping season."

In August, as WorldNetDaily reported, American Girl launched the "I Can" campaign with Girls Inc., urging girls to take a pledge and purchase a special bracelet.

Scheidler said young girls are being "lured into contact with their radical feminist ideology" through the bracelet offer.

"We are asking people who care about little girls and about the value of human life to refrain from purchasing products and visiting American Girl Place during the entire Christmas shopping season," she said.

"As consumers, we have both the freedom and the responsibility to spending our gift dollars in a manner consistent with our values," Scheidler continued. "There are excellent alternatives to American Girl dolls. We expect that many families will choose to reject American Girl this Christmas."

The American Family Association also has initiated a campaign to warn parents.

After launching its protest last month, Scheidler's group claimed American Girl had begun to de-emphasize its partnership with Girls Inc.

Officially, however, American Girl maintained it had no plans to discontinue its affiliation, and Scheidler said if there was no announcement to sever the relationship by the end of October, her group would call for a national boycott and organize demonstrations at the American Girl Place in Chicago and New York City.

On its website, Girls Inc. says it supports a girl's right to abort an unwanted baby and promotion of contraceptives for girls. The group also offers resources encouraging lesbian and bisexual lifestyles. One publication, "Free your mind: The book for gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth and their allies," states, "The emergence of a lesbian identity is an ongoing process, rather than an event."

With every purchase of the "I Can" band, 70 cents is given to Girls Inc. in addition to American Girl's contribution of $50,000.

Scheidler called the endorsement of abortion, lesbianism and contraception for young girls a betrayal of the trust American families have place in American Girl."

"It is insidious for American Girl to manipulate girls into supporting Girls, Inc. through the 'I Can' bracelet and its promise," said Scheidler. "Most of the girls buying the bracelets have no idea what Girls, Inc. stands for."

American Girl says its contributions are earmarked for specific academic and athletic programs, but Scheidler calls that "deceptive," because it "simply frees up revenue for their reprehensible programs, such as promoting abortion."

She says, however, the "earmarking ploy does imply there are programs that American Girl is not comfortable with."

Scheidler has encouraged parents, grandparents and other family members to write and call American Girl President Ellen L. Brothers to protest the company's support for Girls Inc.

Previous stories:

American Girl feels heat of protest

American Girl teams with pro-abortion, pro-lesbian group

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[HungarianGypsy]

I have been looking into some books called Dear America also. Guess they saved me money, though. I was going to get my doll an American Girl doll. Instead I will make clothes for another doll she has.

[petitfour]

Condi Rice was blessed to be born to Christian parents who were determined to educate her in such a way that she could make it in the most elite groups in the world. They succeeded. With God's help, she has soared. Does Girls, Inc. make mention of God in its vast literature designed to educate and empower girls?

[tom h]

"I wonder how many Condi Rices and wonderful girls like yours and mine were in the 20,000,000 girls killed by abortions? Instead of "I Can", these girls "Can't". "

Twinz, I think you need an education on a topic that many of the evangelical Christians on this board cannot articulate well. It's the parallels between slavery and abortion, which some then extend to the Holocaust and abortion.

You don't want to go to far comparing each abhorrent act detail by detail, but what's relevant here is an issue that one side feels is intensely moral and worth fighting aggressively for; and the other side refuses to acknowledge its guilt (even suppresses it and punishes those who dare to speak of the guilt) and hides behind the fact that the action in question is "legal" or "constitutional."

You have to admit the parallels. Pastors all over America preached against slavery, but the slaveholders and their politicians hid behind topics like "constitutional" and "states' rights." In hindsight we see the outcome as only logical and correct, but during the 1850s the passions were as strong, if not stronger, than those for abortion today.

As for the Holocaust, which I know is sensitive to you because of your heritage, the same analysis makes some sense. Nazi law allowed the seizing of Jewish property and the herding of Jews to work camps -- a denial of human rights that allowed the atrocities in the camps. I've no doubt that many good Germans were horrified and appalled by the seizures and apprehensions but rationalized that they were legal and, perhaps, a government matter -- not their problem. Had enough German citizens, or German policemen, refused or resisted, perhaps Hitler would have been overthrown before the start of the war. Heaven knows that the German Generals were wishing for a good enough pretext to overthrow him as early as 1937.

So the Christians that are very vocal and strident about the issue are probably not explaining themselves very well. But I am a Christian, too, and believe abortion to be wrong. Were only a couple thousand happening a year, mostly to save a mother's life, I expect there would be no major outcry. But that's not the case. Jim Dobson once said that 28% of Americans conceived after Roe v Wade have been aborted. THAT is a huge number and is a tragedy. And I can understand the passion and even fury that some very well-intentioned Christians feel about a number that large.

So, forgive the Christians that vent furiously. I certainly do. And I can understand that for some of them the issue is very personal. It is for me. Excluding my Hollywood-oriented sister, never married, who has had seven (!) abortions, I can count three other abortions in my family. I have often wondered what those two siblings, and that one niece/nephew, would have been like.

I have always found it interesting that the foundational court cases that found a right to an abortion in our constition, Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton, were both based on lies and/or fraud by the attorneys pushing the cases through the courts. We are both Judeo-Christian believers; is that God talking and revealing to us his feelings on the matter?

[HungarianGypsy]

Charles,

You are a lot like me. I told my children that I normally do not boycott things, since if I did I would not be able to see, eat or buy anything. This boycott seemed like the right thing to do. Although it is something I am sad to do knowing how much my daughter loved American Girls. But, I need to stand for something.

[Post-Neolithic]

I don't expect someone who's posts idolise Lesbians and poke fun at Christians to have views that might parallel mine. I would however have expected more then a childish post from someone with a little Intelligence. Guess you are lacking in that department.

[defal33]

Sent my letter and e-mail/phone calls. I became an American Girl customer because this doll and books represented traditional values, marketed at the more conservative families (not saying the less conservative or liberal families didn’t buy it).

With this in mind, how can AG/Mattel expect this MOSTLY conservative market for their product, to be OK with our AG purchases funding an organization that we do not agree with and or want to support?

I am choosing not to buy this product until this status changes and that is my choice. For someone to view my personal decision as being intolerant of other lifestyles is in itself intolerant.

So what, American Girl want to help 6 to 14 year old girls want to learn about sexual health, lesbian and bi-sexual options and if that fails abortion options, more power to them. Just not with my money.

Ping!

[Calpernia]

bump

[defal33]

Me too!

[Andy'smom]

This is from the website buyblue.com, advocating purchases from "progressive companies":

http://www.buyblue.org/node/1417/view/ratings/tid/137

Mattel is rated blue for their large contributions to democrats.

[twinzmommy]

*applauds* Thank you!

[NHResident]

"Morality should not be legislated" - Well, college-educated and a PhD candidate - you sure you haven't missed out on some of your classes in logic? This is one of the oldest and moth-eaten meaningless statements left over from the drugged up 60's. The only way a civilized society can operate is with an established, enforced code of morality - or what would you call the Code of Hammurabi? The Ten Commandments? What is the point of having a legal code if not to define, protect and enforce a code of conduct (morality0? Of course, if we did drop 'legislated morality'- rights to private property wouldn't exist, slavery would be legal, theft would okay, might would indeed determine what is right.....

For all those 'superior' types who find refuge in a 'superior' neutrality and criticize everyone who comments on these kinds of issues - nothing is as weak as a someone who's afraid to take a position.

[Diago]

ping!

[Katya]

I have an idea...don't buy the "I can" bracelets. Surely girls can't purchase them on their own without a credit card anyway. I have an 11 year old, who has no idea this campaign is even occurring. Why? Because I allow very limited web access, and frankly don't want to ruin her rather childlike notions about the American Girl dolls.
You're right, I probably should not have referred to the boycotters as the religious "right", since I don't find them very right wing at all. Like the democrats they just want to over-legislate and ban "different" things.

[twinzmommy]

You know, I had exactly that same thought while I was driving my kiddos to cheerleading today. After all the posts and stuff from earlier, hubby and I were sitting and talking about it and that just hit me. My kids have NO idea this is even going on.

[defal33]

Thank you for the web site, very interesting, will explore further before I start my last minute Christmas Shopping (that’s Holiday Shopping for you PC intellects)...

[Deadshot Drifter]

"You have your opinion. Good for you. I think it's at the very best enabling and weak. At worst, you're leading young women into a life of sin and misery.

But hey, we all have to stand before the Almighty some day. Remember what Christ said about those who lead little ones into sin. Something about a millstone...
"
So, you are intimating that because she buys dolls for her kid to play with or put on a shelf, from a company that their website provides links to a group that May or May Not(from what we can tell) support abortion, that she is going to roast in hell? That's beyond the pale. Her little girl led down the road of sin, misery and destruction. All because she...played with a freaking doll. A DOLL.

I would hate to be in your shoes, standing before the Almighty, as well. Christ spoke strongly against the holier-than-thou Pharisees.

[Deadshot Drifter]

14 years doll.

Married at 19 . . still married, quite happily to the same man.


happily..uh-oh. that's bound to hack him/her off even more. They're (these types) worried to death that someone somwhere is actually enjoying life.

[tom h]

Have you recovered and reformed? Have you figured out what life is really about, and what makes a person truly joyful? I too am a recovered liberal so unlike liberal friends and family I can speak having seen both sides.

[Post-Neolithic]

Nice try on the "We do not know" if Girls Inc. supports abortion or not, line.

Restrictions of reproductive choice are especially burdensome for young women and poor women. Girls Incorporated supports a woman’s freedom of choice, a constitutional right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in Roe vs. Wade.

Girls Inc. Abortion link(and many others)

[sphinx]

The vast majority of people I know at one point or another have questioned their sexuality.

I hear the pitter patter of little feet and don't have the time to delve into this thread, but this line caught my eye. The vast majority of people I know don't talk about their sexuality at all, at least not with me; it's not an issue.

I know three or four gay people well enough to speak to. Since there are perhaps couple of hundred people I'm on a casual speaking basis with, I know gay people in approximately their random statistical distribution in the general population. They are the only people I know who might have spent any time questioning it, but again, it's not something we discuss.

You sound like a very reasonable person and I'm not trying to pick an argument, but when you start generalizing about sexual confusion on the part of the vast majority of your acquaintences, my reaction is that either you move in some pretty strange circles or you are spending too much time obsessing about sex.