Contrary to oft-repeated assertions in the Nord letter and comments published by yourselves (see comments by David Arkush) on sites on the internet, the protest against CPSIA was not organized at the behest and influence of “large toy companies”. If you had to blame one single person for having caused the ruckus over CPSIA on the web, that would be me. I don’t even know any toy manufacturers much less large ones. In fact, not only do I not have any connection to the toy industry, I don’t even make children’s products. Persistently repeating I am or we are, tools of multinational corporations could be seen as an attempt to marginalize and deprecate our objections.
It's rather disturbing on a number of levels. For one thing, when I was a child I was deeply offended by my younger brother's frequent accusations that I was cheating at games we played, until my father took me aside and explained that those who were most suspicious that other people were devious and deceitful generally were so suspicious because they themselves had that tendency. Sure enough, my father watched carefully and caught my brother in the act- he regularly cheated at our card games.
Secondly, it's sleight of hand on two levels, and it's insulting to the intelligence. I have no idea who is behind the Hand-made toy alliance, and I really do not care. I am perfectly capable of looking at their claims and looking at those made by PIRG, Congressman Waxman, or others and assessing them for myself, and the claims made by the Hand-made Toy Alliance by and large have far more validity than those made by PIRG. Where they don't, I can, and have said so. I think restrictions on lead in paint and jewelry and required testing for these products are both reasonable and necessary. I think treating shoes for ten year olds and pacifiers for infants as though they posed exactly the same level of risk is ridiculous.
The second level of the slight of hand is PIRG's focus on toys, and their attempt to make you, too, focus on the emotional picture of leaded toys in baby's mouths. But the CPSIA isn't just about lead in toys, or even toys children are likely to mouth. It's about possible, and sometimes impossible and merely pretended, lead in all products for children 12 and under- books, blankets, bikes, underwear, socks, shoes, helmets, school supplies, chalk, microscopes, rulers, cameras, laptops, CDs and DVDs, computer games, booties, mugs, stickers, colored pencils, skirts, shirts, scarves, mittens, hats, Bibles, and more.
Thirdly, apparently too many people have no belief anymore that some people take the side that is right because it is right, not because they personally have a large stake in that immediate issue. This is a cynicism I do not share or even comprehend. IT's also a very strange sort of cynicism coming from groups allegedly devoted to consumer protection. This makes me question their own motivation, if they cannot believe in the disinterest of others.
I sell a few used books a year. I like the spending money- it has paid for my own book habit and been useful for paying off a bill here and there, but we can tighten belts and live without it, and I don't have to sell children's books. It's not a huge issue to me. I also have no connections with toy companies, large or otherwise, although my fourth daughter does sometimes make pretty felt dolls, and she does make clothing- mostly adult, but she has also made many outfits for our very hard to fit handicapped child, and had thought of some day making things for children.
She makes those clothes for our disabled child for free, but before she had attained that level of skill in her work, I sometimes paid others to make dresses and elastic waisted pants for our daughter. There are many seamstresses, by the way, who make a few extra dollars for their families by producing a few specialized clothes suitable for hard to fit children who do not come in standardized sizes, or who cannot manage certain fastenings, or wheelchair bound children who are both more comfortable and more stylish wearing clothes designed to be worn by people who aren't going to run and climb in them- clothes for those with full use of legs and spine bunch up and look slovenly and leave uncomfortable knobby places when worn by those who are wheelchair bound. This law puts those generous crafters out of the market.
Anybody who points that out simply must be a suspicious character who is probably on the payroll of some big toy company and likes mixing lead with baby's milk, of course. Sweet. Pin It
