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| Dolores Umbridge, perfect metaphor for the Obamas |
So today President Obama has received, and is expected to sign, the Child Nutritional Act from Congress. It is, after all, the crown jewel of Michelle Obama’s recent activism. This legislation has been described as “the cupcake crusher” because it goes so far as to forbid schools and school-based clubs from holding bake sales to raise money because these activities make unhealthy foods available to children. The horrors! It’s a perfect example of how we’re being treated like children, rather than citizens by the Obama administration. Don’t eat cupcakes, eat your peas. Next thing you know they will be instituting national bed-time laws dress code regulations..
The Obamas remind me of Professor Dolores Umbridge, from the Harry Potter movies. Always prim and proper, and as far as I know, always dressed in pink. She’s ruthless in her systematic prgram to make Hogwarts’ students weak and defenseless while wrapping herself in the virtues of protecting them. In the Harry Potter world, she is installed at Hogwarts as the new Professor of “Defense Against The Dark Arts.” But she forbids her students from actually learning any magic. This bit of dialog is telling:
Hermione: “There’s nothing in here about using defensive spells.”
Umbridge: “Using spells?! Well, I can’t imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom. You’ll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way.”
— Hermione Granger and Dolores Umbridge, their first D.A.D.A lesson.
And so it is with the Obamas. Rather than teaching the kids (and parents) about how to defend themselves agains the temptation of eating badly, rather than recognizing that, in the Real World, cupcakes exist and therefore have to be learned to be dealt with (and properly appreciated) The Obamas seem intent in pretending that they can legislate cupcakes away and create a risk free environment without the temptation of snack foods.
It’s ridiculous and insulting.
