A few weeks ago, the entertainment news (which is pretty much the only news I read), was buzzing with the story of Kate Perry’s “inappropriate” outfit on Sesame Street. Parents were outraged with Perry’s outfit, which they claimed was too revealing and too inappropriate for younger kids. PBS promptly pulled Perry’s segment with Elmo off the airwaves.
When I read this article, I also read other people’s comments on the article. Most people were upset that other parents actually got so upset over such a small issue. This got me thinking that these days, the smallest things can set people off. You can say the wrong word or wear the wrong outfit and all of a sudden, you will find a pack of animals lashing out at you, attacking you from all sides. People always find some reason to say that some form of artistic expression, or any type of expression for that matter, is too “inappropriate” and somehow dangerous for their kids. I think that this is what attracted me so much to “The Metal Children”.
While reading this play, it was fascinating to see all the parents’ reactions to the banned book because their reactions were so over-the-top. The parents’ reactions were actually not that far off from how people in the real world react today to things that they deem “inappropriate”. Some of the most popular books in our culture today- Harry Potter and Twilight, for example- have faced opposition from parents who call these books “inappropriate”. Now no one has gone far enough to purchase all these books and lock them up, as the parents did in “The Metal Children”. However, such stories get me thinking, ‘What are all these parents so afraid of?’ ‘Is the content of these books really so terrible?’
In “The Metal Children”, the parents are outraged against all the racy content in the book and the way that it “glorifies” teenage pregnancy. I thought that this topic was a great way to connect to our world today and to get people to think. Teenage pregnancy is of course, an issue in our society today and not something that you can shield kids from ever knowing about. The way that the parents react to this issue being discussed in the book, however, gets you to think ‘How much can you protect your kids from today’? Parents today always raise arms whenever the slightest inappropriate behavior is displayed or whenever the truth is discussed through some form of artistic expression. However, I don’t think that people can shield their kids forever. In our world, it’s just too easy to have kids exposed to certain racy content. The media and the school can expose kids to things that parents might not want their kids to know about. In “The Metal Children”,, for example, the book that was banned was going to be read in school. This made me think that because kids can’t really be protected from certain information, instead of focusing on shielding kids, parents should focus on telling kids how to take care of themselves when they find out this information. In “The Metal Children”, for example, the parents were all so busy trying to keep the book banned that they didn’t even listen to their children. The teenagers, such as Vera, ended up taking charge and starting their own society and getting pregnant. This made me think of the consequences that can arise when someone tries to control a child’s knowledge too much. You can intend to protect them, but push them to rebel instead.
“The Metal Children” was an interesting play to read because of all the drama and controversial content in it. I questioned the characters’ actions, such as when Vera seduced Tobin, and I wondered who was right and who was wrong. Were the parents wrong for trying so passionately to protect their kids, or should the racy book never have been assigned at all? “The Metal Children” got me thinking and questioning and talking and if a play can manage to do all three, then it is well worth reading.
