Friday, December 19, 2008

The Importance of Subtle Morals


Morals are only tolerable when the are subtle.
Good Example: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Bad Example: Any Aesop's fable.
Do people generally like getting hit over the head with a baseball bat? (Rhetorical question: the answer is no) Obvious, glaring morals produce a very similar sensation to that of getting hit over the head.
Anyway, I didn't start this post to teach about morals. What I wanted to do was show you the absolute worst, most glaringly garish moral ever. I found it in a book called, A Hive of Busy Bees.
It would take forever to type it all out, so here is the summary:
"Little Davy" finishes eating a delicious lunch with his friend. They decide to go fishing, but before they can leave, Little Davy's mom asks him to do the dishes.
"Awww, Mom! I don't wanna do the dishes! You do them," says Davy.
"I just don't feel very well." Mrs. LittleDavy'smom says. She "gently rubs her temple."
Davy hollers, "I don't care!" and races out the door with his friend to go fishing.
After several hours of fun fishing, Little Davy comes home. He sees his mother sleeping in a chair.
"Hey mom, what's fer dinner?" he asks, but receives no answer. "What's for dinner?"
Slightly concerned, he walks over and shakes her. "Mom? MOM!!!" Little Davy realizes that his mother is DEAD, killed by the exertion of housekeeping. In horror, Davy looks over at the counter, and there sit the dinner dishes, spotlessly clean.

THE END
Can you possibly get any worse? Anyone who ever reads that story will probably be turned off from morals forever. Did the author actually think that story would "encourage" anyone to obediance? Yeeesh. If I remember right, the book has a Bible verse at the end of each story. What a way to give Christians a bad name.
P.S. Though I may be down on "morals" in an Aesop fable kind of sense, this doesn't mean I am at all for immorality. I'm for everything morals stand for, just not cheesy stories.

9 COMMENTS:

Keilah said...

Creepy!

We have that book but I've never read it.

:cD

You are so funny.

Karen said...

Well, that would put the fear of God in ME, I tell ya!
:-)

Mrs. Eeeeeee........

Ashley said...

I've heard something like this before, my mom probably e-mailed some "true story". Why is it not about some child helping around the house dispite complaning about a head ache while mom hangs the landry, and when MOM comes inside she finds the child "killed by the exertion of housekeeping" (my mom would laugh at that quote). I could write a book!
ash<><

The Berean Academy said...

Stranger things have happened ! :)

Keilah said...

Oph,

You should post about the snow. What is your opinion?

Kei

The Reluctant Dragon said...

You go, Ashley! We want to see that in print.

Anonymous said...

That story makes for good horror movie...

I'm finding Pilgrim's Progress to have fairly glaring morals.

The Reluctant Dragon said...

Well Ash, when you read an allegory, you know more of what you're getting into!

Ashley said...

I finished it today!!! My family thinks it's HORRIBLE>:-D Mom may not let me put it on my blog.
ash<><