Pinocchio

The Personification of Irresponsibility
Politically Incorrect and Proud of It
Review by Daniel Muniz

The original unabridged Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi is a book that will no longer be read in elementary schools.

Pinocchio is politically incorrect, harshly blunt, and at times, frightening for today’s young pampered audiences. The original Pinocchio is not merely a naughty little boy as depicted by Disney but almost a sociopath on a string who is reckless, self-centered, and self-absorbed.

Most people accustomed to the cute Disney doppelganger fondly remember Pinocchio as the charmingly irresistible and almost innocent marionette who tramples his way through a colorful fairy tale. Disney or other watered-down versions portrays the character Pinocchio the way parents want to see him and ultimately the way parents want to see their own children.

Unfortunately, kids can be little monsters in which cause and effect have little meaning. The original Pinocchio paints an unpleasant embarrassing composite of the ugliness that all children and teenagers possess which is something that most parents want to ignore in today’s modern age.

The story line is simple.

Once Pinocchio becomes animated, he is rebellious to his father along with all forms of authority and to any rules or structure. He has no desire to learn and refuses to go to school. Outside of school, he also has absolutely no intention in finding any employment or performing any kind of work. In essence, Pinocchio takes great pleasure in laziness and irresponsibility which really isn’t much different than lots of kids or teenagers regardless of generation.

Furthermore, this marionette can be as cruel as he is reckless which is something else that parents want to avoid thinking about.

And finally, Pinocchio constantly lies and lacks honesty and integrity.

Ultimately, Pinocchio rejects everything and to differing degrees of magnitude, he is hardly any different than any other kid. As a result, the consequences are severe as they often are in the real world. Subsequently, he is constantly victimized and harassed by an unforgiving environment, especially when he socializes with the wrong crowd.

And even worse, when Pinocchio chooses to be a good respectful child, he is harassed even more.

The political incorrectness is also just as harsh. The book slams the welfare state, irresponsibility, and laziness in many clever ways.

Naturally, parents are revolted by such a depiction of children. In today’s murky world of moral relativism and situational ethics, parents are almost as embarrassed and uncomfortable discussing universal values such as honesty, integrity, and responsibility as they are with talking to their kids about sex.

Indeed, too many contemporary parents view kids as adults wearing children’s clothes. Outside of wishful thinking, our youth are not born with maturity, reason, and values; they must be instilled and ultimately accepted or rejected.

Pinocchio is a timeless story that opens up the challenges of parenthood as well as childhood. There are plenty of counterfeits that reflect the sterile Disney version, therefore you must make sure that you find the original unabridged translation.

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