ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 25, 1997 TAG: 9704250006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRISTOPHER WALTER
I LOVE THAT hamburger commercial in which the little old lady looks under the bun and asks ``Where's the beef?'' to make us believe that certain national hamburger chains shortchange customers.
I haven't thought of it in the decade or so since it first aired. However, it came to mind when I read Ian Duncan's March 20 commentary, ``Books might be giving your kids more than just Goosebumps.''
I, an inveterate fact junkie, found his recounting of R.L. Stine's publishing success (e.g., $112 million in 1995 sales, 130 million copies in print, etc.) most interesting. I enjoyed his ``research'' until I realized that he had shifted from facts to opinion.
After Duncan says that ``with a little work, you can calculate the amount of money 130 million books have grossed at $3.50 apiece,'' he launches into the theme: ``[I]f you tried to figure the damage Stine's books have inflicted, you would find it incalculable.''
Ah, ha, I thought, here's the beef! Duncan, who researches the effects of modern literature on youth, will regale me with research on how many kids cannot sleep at night, who ran away from home or failed fifth grade. But he merely told about a child who read Stine's books and moved on to Stephen King's books. He followed up with the dark and gloomy question: ``Stephen King. Fifth grade. Does that sound harmless?''
Duncan asserts that ``Stine's series has the potential to endanger thousands of children, leaving them vulnerable to psychological scars and emotional trauma that could haunt them long into adulthood.'' His assertion is interesting and of vital import. Are these books damaging to our youth? Are they merely literature with no lasting effect save fostering a love of improved reading ability and the like? Or are they neither, posing neither potential harm nor potential good?
The problem with Duncan's commentary is that he provided no evidence to show that Stine's books damage kids. He didn't give results of any reputable research on the supposed damage caused by the Goosebumps series. He didn't refer to any studies, and didn't give an anecdote to support his assertions.
The issue goes beyond the scare tactics used in this commentary. The real issue is our obligation as citizens, parents and decision-makers to critically examine tracts like this, and recognize when facts slide into opinion so that we don't confuse opinion and political agendas with the truth. It's our responsibility to ferret out the truth. After all, we're the masters of our own government and the guarantors of our own liberty. We must learn to decide for ourselves, based upon facts, concerning issues such as fighting a war in Vietnam, welfare reform, taxes, capital punishment and banning books in our homes and our libraries.
The fairy tales I heard and read as a child were much less psychologically scarring than the threat of nuclear war under which I've lived. Let's face it, being Hansel or Gretel is scary, but at least you have a chance to outwit the evil adults. Not so with a multimegaton Soviet nuclear weapon. ``The Werewolf of Fever Swamp'' is a little scary, but not as much as AIDS. So, I'm not certain that Stine is the big, bad boogey-man that Duncan makes him out to be.
Pseudofacts - facts that morph into opinion and misstatements - are misleading at best and dangerous at worst. Be skeptical. Require proof. And if everything else fails, ask yourself: ``Where's the beef?''
CHRISTOPHER WALTER of Pembroke is a retired Coast Guard officer who teaches elementary school in Montgomery County.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB