On Thursday’s New Day, CNN senior national correspondent Evan McMorris-Santoro, with the help of an anonymous teenager, accused adults of throwing temper tantrums as they seek to attack “non-binary” youth when they seek to remove books about left-wing gender ideology from schools.
After McMorris-Santoro interviewed young adult author Melissa Hart, he turned to her daughter, “Like most teenagers, she's plugged into the social media culture war, where adults are increasingly warning that teenage lives are becoming dangerously confused about identity. What do you say to those people?”
CNN didn’t identify her and set up the camera so the shot would only get the back of her head. She argued that critics just don’t get it:
I say, obviously, you've grown up in a different world than we have. And, I mean, I identify as non-binary, but I love all genders. I think they don't have the capability to understand us because they didn't grow up in our time. They don't know exactly what we're going through.
In a voiceover, McMorris-Santoro equated criticism of gender theory with personal attacks, “This teenager is thinking of becoming a writer, not a surprise in a house like this one. When she hears adults attack books, she hears an attack on kids like her.”
The unidentified teen then argued that books exist to affirm her view of herself: “What else am I supposed to read? Like, obviously, they're supposed to read, but they should read about themselves. They should see themselves in the books that they read, and not just white people or straight people or cisgendered people, like look at yourself in a book.”
A sympathetic McMorris-Santoro agreed: “It seems like a pretty easy concept…Why do you think it is so hard right now?”
The teen had a simple answer, “Adults. Adults throwing temper tantrums.” McMorris-Santoro began to wrap up the video segment by warning, “The adults are not slowing down. More books are being challenged, and states are passing laws to make challenging books even easier.”
Back in studio, host Brianna Keilar agreed with Hart’s daughter on the purpose of books: “Just making me think about how much I love books. And the whole point of books is that you can go places, and meet people, and see people who represent the community you live in or not, right, or not.”
Fellow host John Berman agreed: “I was thinking the exact same thing, how much do I love books and what they represent in our society and our culture? And I just want people to think as this discussion goes on about the historical moments where books have been banned, or burnt, in our past, and what it all means.”
Given CNN’s robust defense of putting every book in the school library in the name of education, it surely will only be a matter of time before they advocate for Matt Walsh’s book. Actually, it is probably best not to hold one’s breath on that.
This segment was sponsored by Farmers Insurance.
Here is a transcript of the April 28 show:
New Day with John Berman and Briana Keilar
4/28/2022
8:51 AM ET
EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Hart and her husband live with a lot of books, animals and their teenage daughter. We agreed not to show her face on camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don’t want to talk about it.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Like most teenagers, she's plugged into the social media culture war, where adults are increasingly warning that teenage lives are becoming dangerously confused about identity.
What do you say to those people?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say, obviously, you've grown up in a different world than we have. And, I mean, I identify as non-binary, but I love all genders. I think they don't have the capability to understand us because they didn't grow up in our time. They don't know exactly what we're going through.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: This teenager is thinking of becoming a writer, not a surprise in a house like this one. When she hears adults attack books, she hears an attack on kids like her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What else am I supposed to read? Like, obviously, they're supposed to read, but they should read about themselves. They should see themselves in the books that they read, and not just white people or straight people or cisgendered people, like look at yourself in a book.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: It seems like a pretty easy concept.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Why do you think it is so hard right now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Adults. Adults throwing temper tantrums.
MCMORRIS-SANTORO: The adults are not slowing down. More books are being challenged, and states are passing laws to make challenging books even easier.
MELISSA HART: I refuse to give in. I refuse to surrender. I will fight the good fight. I will put on my inflatable T-Rex costume and fill the little free libraries in my community with diverse books until the cows come home.
BRIANNA KEILAR: Just making me think about how much I love books. And the whole point of books is that you can go places, and meet people, and see people who represent the community you live in or not, right, or not.
JOHN BERMAN: I was thinking the exact same thing, how much do I love books and what they represent in our society and our culture? And I just want people to think as this discussion goes on about the historical moments where books have been banned, or burnt, in our past, and what it all means.
KEILAR: Yeah. Why be afraid of them? That's a thing about books. You can read them or you can choose not to. That's also an option. They don't have to be banned.
