Country singer Dolly Parton has been called “racist, sexist and homophobic” after she endorsed a children’s book that a woke academic claimed promoted “white Western values”.
The artist and philanthropist offered the book Llama Llama Red Pajama as part of the library of free titles her club periodically sends to children up to age five in an effort to promote literacy.
But now a deceived An academic at the University of North Carolina has conducted a critical analysis of the choices promoted by the 78-year-old Parton, calling the book Llama in particular “racist, sexist, homophobic, classist and discriminatory against people with disabilities.”
Jennifer K. Stone’s dissertation, titled “Reading Power With and Through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL): A Critical Content Analysis,” argues that the program’s book selection conforms to dominant white Western values.
Country singer Dolly Parton has been branded ‘racist, sexist and homophobic’ after she endorsed a children’s book that a woke academic claimed promoted ‘white Western values’
In her dissertation, woke academic Jennifer K. Stone examined all 60 children’s books in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and found that the program’s book selection aligns with dominant white Western values
Stone’s analysis of the children’s book argues that characters with disabilities, LGBTQ+ couples, and non-normative gender identities are erased.
She also criticizes the way values such as individualism, work, single-family homes, physical fitness, and purposeful literacy are presented, arguing that these values favor a limited worldview.
For example, Stone argues that the theme of physical fitness does not appeal to all target groups.
She criticizes the 60-book library for what she sees as a lack of diversity and inclusivity.
When Matt Fleming of the Orange County Register When he read the story to his one-year-old daughter, he claimed he had “no idea I supported the ‘white savior movement.'”
“I thought we were just enjoying a story about an androgynous baby llama crying without its llama mama. Instead, we were ‘erasing’ characters with ‘dis/abilities, LGBTQ+ couples, and non-normative gender identities.’ I will never look at that poor baby llama the same way again,” Fleming noted dryly.
A reader of the story mentioned an androgynous baby llama who cried without his llama mama, but Stone felt that the story’s depiction of values such as individualism, work, single-family homes, physical fitness, and purposeful literacy presented a limited worldview.
Stone’s dissertation has stirred controversy, as many parents still support Parton’s initiative, which is simply aimed at promoting literacy among young people.
“I’m curious about what messages are being conveyed in those books,” says Stone, who has received a $4,500 grant to further research the work.
‘Rather than thinking that I have to prove that giving books works, which was the original motivation for my doctoral studies, I am curious about the actual impact of distributing books in large quantities to families.’
Fleming believes that Stone places far too much value on what are essentially children’s books.
“It doesn’t matter that the books are free. It doesn’t matter that participation in the club is voluntary. It doesn’t matter that the purpose of the book club is to promote literacy. All Stone could see were ‘only characters who conformed to the dominant white Western values conveyed in the corpus,'” he wrote.
In addition to her music, Dolly Parton, 78, has also been involved in a number of commercial projects
Fleming indicated that he could understand the argument that there should have been more characters in the stories, but that this was not necessarily a problem.
“Work is bad? Physical fitness? Does Stone want to see more books about laziness and listlessness instead? As if only whites and the West believe in work or physical fitness,” he asks.
‘It makes no sense that “purposeful literacy” is something to condemn, as Stone does. She argues that literacy for the sake of literacy is not enough.’
Stone said she became particularly interested in the Imagination Library because of its rapid growth and its adoption into policy by 13 states, which fund book donation efforts through legislation.
Stone bases his dissertation on several critical theories, including critical race theory, critical literacy theory, and critical disability theory.
The frameworks state that systematic oppression is embedded in all aspects of society, including children’s literature.
It has been argued that Dolly Parton’s library could use more diversity in their selections
“Now that’s taking the fun out of children’s books!” Fleming wrote in his article for the OC register.
Stone’s work shows that even well-intentioned programs like Parton’s can inadvertently perpetuate social inequalities.
“When all members of a community share the same set of 60 books, which is the case with the Imagination Library, it’s important to make sure that we address any biases in those books and that we include people who may be missing,” Stone emphasizes.
Despite the criticism, fans of the program believe in its positive impact and want to continue sharing these stories with their children.
Fleming acknowledges that Stone may have “good intentions” and that there is “some truth in the fact that the DPIL curators could have included more diversity in their selections.” He admits that the argument that a book starring a child without a stutter or a non-binary adult will change the reader’s overall view of the world falls short.