Disney giving refunds for Baby Einstein tapes

[jmcvann]

“We see it as an acknowledgment by the leading baby video company that baby videos are not educational, and we hope other baby media companies will follow suit by offering refunds,” said Susan Linn, director of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (http://www.commercialexploitation.org/), which has been pushing the issue for years.I am shocked! Shocked, I tell you!!!

ETA: Oops....forgot to link to the story! Here it is.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?_r=1&hp (http://http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?_r=1&hp)

[jasonpatterson]

This is pretty astonishing. Thanks for the reference.

Here's the fixed link.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/education/24baby.html?_r=2&hp

[Stout]

As a father of a 3 1/2 year ols, I can't say I've ever been sold on the idea of electronic educational material for infants.

When my son was 2, we were the proud recipeints of one of these things (http://www.vtechkids.com/product.cfm/V.Smile_Motion_Active_Learning_System/635). Educational ? maybe, but not for a two year old.

[pgwenthold]

We have a Baby Mozart DVD. I don't know about educational, but I love the one bit where the penguins ride up the elevator and then slide down the slide.

I haven't put it on for months, but I liked that one.

[Puppycow]

Reminds me of this story:
Television, Processed Foods Couldn't Be More Proud Of Child They Raised (http://www.theonion.com/content/news/television_processed_foods_couldnt)
:D

[Arkyrion]

What? Insipid videos consisting of sound and light did nothing to increase the intellect of the world's infants?

I, for one, am shocked and appalled.

[kookbreaker]

The series will now be rebranded 'hypnobaby'.

[genesplicer]

Dang! Does this mean that all my hopes of having my classroom full of genius students in a few years are dashed????

[GanipGnop]

Dang! Does this mean that all my hopes of having my classroom full of genius students in a few years are dashed????

Yes I'm sorry, unfortunately their line of Baby Moron tapes have sold through the roof! Although experts think that many sales are due to stoners and certain slow adults I wouldn't get my hopes up for the future.

[kritter]

I sometimes wonder, if someone is so stupid to buy such a silly product, do you have any reason to feel guilty? I mean, they probably would have bought something else equally ridiculous, so why not buy yours and get rich from them instead of someone else?

[sg1985]

I worked at a store that sold the tapes and Baby Mozart toys a few years ago. One woman tried to convince me that her grandson was going to be a genius, all thanks to these tapes and toys. I tried to interject that maybe, just maybe, these products aren't all they're cracked up to be. But of course she didn't listen.

I wonder if she asked for her money back.

[Skeptic]

I like the baby Einstein tapes. Toddlers love them. But I never bought into the "increases your intelligence" nonsense because you are listening to the music written by a genius. Seems to me totemic thinking -- on the same level as thinking that if one eats the flesh of a lion one would be as strong as a lion.

I once told someone who told me how these tapes increase the intelligence that we know for a fact that Mozart didn't listen to Mozart's music as a toddler, for rather obvious reasons, but he still turned out a genius.

[Skeptic]

I sometimes wonder, if someone is so stupid to buy such a silly product, do you have any reason to feel guilty? I mean, they probably would have bought something else equally ridiculous, so why not buy yours and get rich from them instead of someone else?

Yes, but this sort of logic -- "if I wouldn't take advantage, someone else would" -- can be used to justify practically any sort of crime. I certainly am not saying that's what you meant to say, I'm saying you didn't think through the implications.