Review: THIS LITTLE KIDDY WENT TO MARKET

We have all heard the stories from the likes of Shaun Saunders concerning worries that corporate entities bending society into little more than consumerism gone wild. Controlling both media and education to bring about this end. As scary and entertaining as this might be, Shaun has pointed out that this corporate philosophy is based solidly in reality.

Here is Ron Huber's review of a book recounting this very thing.....

THIS LITTLE KIDDY WENT TO MARKET
The corporate capture of childhood

By Sharon Beder with Wendy Varney and Richard Gosden
Pluto Press, May 2009

A review:

Few parents are in doubt that their children are being targeted by big business for commercial ends – advertising, promotions and marketing aimed at children are a constant feature of everyday life. This book provides fresh evidence about the extent of this problem and shows this manipulation goes much further than we imagine.

Analyzing school reforms in English-speaking nations such as the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand, This Little Kiddy Went to Market investigates the ways in which business coalitions have persuaded governments around the world into shaping schools to suit corporate ends, rather than the interests of their children.

The authors argue that school reforms, driven by underfunding and corporate needs, have made the education system vulnerable to pressure from big business. The book examines the many prongs of this assault, including the flood of corporate-sponsored classroom materials being offered to teachers and children, and the role of corporations in promoting the privatization of schooling.

This Little Kiddy Went to Market is an incisive examination of what many parents have suspected - that the corporate culture is contributing to the decline of childhood.

`A chilling assessment of modern commercial culture and how it distorts childhood, corrupts civic institutions, and endangers the planet.' –
Alex Molnar, Professor of Education Policy, Arizona State University

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Ron Huber