To the editor,
In June, my wife and I took three grandchildren to the BGSU Planetarium. It was a free program, sponsored by a state university facility, and geared to children, so we thought we were safe.
The first part of the program was good, with the Planetarium’s leader showing the night sky and a few constellations. Then she started a video geared to the children, mostly under 5 years old. It was produced by the Beijing Planetarium, and featured Big Bird, Elmo, and a Chinese Sesame Street friend. The video put Elmo and the Chinese friend on the moon, and talked about what being on the Moon was like. Then it ended with two big themes: first, “We should all be friends!” and second, “We all share the same sky!”
I believe that this is thinly veiled propaganda to induce children to ignore human rights abuses and aggressive political, economic, and military actions by the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party. I am disappointed that BGSU would participate in such programming of children to be biased in favor of China’s aggressive nature. Children that age are obviously too young to know about world events. Our state funded universities should not participate in programming that would cause children to look unfavorably as they grow on actions that the United States might take to protect ourselves or other free countries.
How can our taxpayer-funded universities justify using programming from a nation that denies its citizens the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and pursues a policy of official atheism that persecutes minority religions, to the point of killing them for harvested organs?
I appeal to the leadership of BGSU to more thoroughly review what is presented to the public, and especially to children, at their university facilities.
Ray Sudheimer
Perrysburg
