Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1994. [Vol. 2.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 22)

STUDIES - András Tarnóc: "Who is Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" Reflections of Political Correctness in a Distorted Mirror.

discriminate among various stimuli. After all when one decides that one meal is better than the other, one discriminates and if there was no discrimination at all one could not recognize danger either. The original purpose of bedtime stories was socialization, or teaching the values of a given society to children. Folk tales not only entertained but familiarized children with such values as bravery, honesty, chivalry and respect for one's elders. In order to achieve a comic effect, however, Garner argues that these stories reflected the prevailing value system of the patriarchal society with their sexist, discriminatory and culturally biased messages. The pigs as a community in the end defeat the wolves and create an un-American social system without competition or individualism. Thus the ideal behavior espoused in the tale is the questioning of the foundations of American society. The story presents a confrontation between the individual and the community, and the individual is bound to fail. Since PC foists a race, class and gender framework on American civilization, individualism is suspect The wolf is apparently guilty of a number of sins; he is carnivorous, thus presumably hostile to the environment, he is also condescending and represents America at its imperialist worst The story is not only a tale of multiculturalism, but a description of colonialism as well. There are several references to the core-periphery relationship. The wolf is the land hungry U.S. and the pigs are innocent Third World nations seeking to defend themselves. "Gunboat tactics" refers to the term "gunboat diplomacy" often used by the U.S. in reference to nations it deemed to be in its sphere of national interest The establishment of banana plantations is a clear reference to expansionism and Central America (cf. the banana republics: Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua etc.) and the pigs' letter to the United Nations is an attempt to appeal to the world's conscience. Furthermore the war of independence is organized by "porcinistas," a take on Nicaraguan freedomfighters, the Sandinistas. Garner's tale also reflects PC history where a new set of double standards is employed (Hughes 117). The pigs, or the natives are described as Rousseau's Noble Savages whose lives are rudely interrupted by land hungry whites. TTLP functions on two levels; it is an allegory as well as a 132