Ms. Rachel: Toddler Whisperer or Hamas Propagandist?

That time Ms. Rachel was accused of being a Hamas agent…

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This was a big week for Children’s YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel. She announced the birth of her second child. The very same day, a right-wing group accused her of being a foreign agent and propagandist for Hamas and demanded that the Department of Justice investigate her.

Seriously.

If you have children under 5, Ms. Rachel is probably a familiar face in your home. In the last several years, she’s become an absolute juggernaut on YouTube with billions of views. Her videos help teach speech and language with content that spans from infants to preschool. The music arranged and often written by her Broadway composer husband, Mr. Aron, is better than any other children’s show currently running. Her cast of characters, Broadway actors, and performers elevate her content even further.

Kids adore Ms. Rachel, especially toddlers. My boys were absolutely hooked on her videos for well over a year, and she’s still in our rotation, even though they’ve outgrown her for the most part. Parents love her too, and her TikTok and Instagram content is geared towards moms and includes non-preaching parenting tips and affirmations.

I will admit that I have an incredible soft spot for Ms. Rachel, and I root for her to succeed. Both because my kids love her and because in a world where Sesame Street now runs on a streaming platform (for now, anyway) and where a lot of the best children’s content lives behind a streaming paywall, I appreciate how she’s on YouTube and available to every kid regardless of the parent’s income. She could produce slop and drek and still make bank online but instead creates quality shows with clear integrity for children. She’s often called the modern-day Mr. Rogers, with good reason.

So, of course, the MAGA Right hates her.

If this week’s accusations seem unhinged, know that this isn’t the first time the MAGA Right has tried (and failed!) to come for Ms. Rachel. In 2023, they attacked her for featuring Jules, a non-binary singer-songwriter, in the cast. Last year, they had a meltdown because she wished her followers a Happy Pride on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, channels where, as I’ve mentioned, she talks to parents. Matt Walsh of The Daily Wire, which, as a reminder, produces its own alternative content for children, encouraged right-wing parents to stop consuming her content entirely, claiming that by acknowledging Pride, Ms. Rachel did not want their business.

But back to the present reason MAGA is losing its mind over Ms. Rachel, her advocacy on behalf of children in Gaza is about as mainstream as it comes. She raises funds for Save the Children, a longtime institutional global charity. The MAGA Right has attempted to cancel her over this for the last year, and while she admits the bullying has taken a toll on her mental health, their efforts haven’t shut down her fundraising efforts or her growing empire. This week’s attacks aren’t any more likely to succeed than the previous ones. Which is probably why this current one reeks of such desperation. They keep coming for her and keep coming up short.

The MAGA Right loves to come for female celebrities and profit from the outrage these attacks generate, but I suspect the attacks on Ms. Rachel are less about her being vulnerable and more because she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s a practicing Christian who met her husband at church and posts bible quotes and prayers. She preaches loving our neighbor and loving every child like our own. A stark contrast to the Christian Nationalist Right, where the most popular idea currently is that empathy is a sin. Where Christian faith is wielded as a force for the accumulation of power over others rather than salvation for ourselves.

Ms. Rachel wants to help kids learn to talk and reach milestones. She clearly has no desire to be a flashpoint in the endless MAGA culture wars, but the trolls don’t care and will continue to harass her and her fans in perpetuity. It’s worth pointing out that she’s also a powerful messenger for everyone who doesn’t subscribe to the MAGA worldview. As I wrote recently, we need more non-political content that’s progressive without being explicitly political. Ms. Rachel certainly fits the bill. We should protect her and show her solidarity as one of our own.

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ICYMI

Curtis Yarvin Fears His Authoritarian Fantasy Is Flopping (The Nerd Reich)

Gil Duran’s newsletter continues to be a must-read. This week he has an incredible catch from Curtis Yarvin and his unhappiness with how his ideas are playing out when they meet reality. My favorite bit is that Yarvin acknowledges Elon Musk doesn’t have the range.

Unite in Advance: Philanthropy Coalition Launches Solidarity Campaign (NonProfit Quarterly)

A proactive stance from Foundations. A call to show more backbone than academia and many law firms have, and a pledge of solidarity with one another and grantees. No idea if any of my writing or training played a role here, but I’m glad to see philanthropy throw down this gauntlet at this moment.

The United States Needs a Democratic Vision for Its Post-Democracy Era (Tech Policy Press)

This from Dean Jackson does a wonderful job of outlining where things are at, why defending a dead democracy no longer makes sense, and how we start to build for a brighter future. Key quote: “How can this dark future be prevented? Paradoxically, a detailed, concrete strategy for averting dystopia is both urgently needed and only achievable through patient deliberation.”

The Business of Hating Hailey Bieber (and Others) (Lainey Gossip)

It’s interesting to see Elaine Lui, who has apologized for her own history of peddling hate for clicks, take this topic on. But as it’s clear these kinds of targeted harassment campaigns aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s vital that entertainment and gossip bloggers cover them for readers. I’m glad to see more acknowledgment and transparency about these campaigns in the consumer press.

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Blatant Self-Promotion

I have an article in this month’s Progressive Magazine, No More Lone Wolves, that’s now available to read online. I wrote about teenage mass shooters radicalizing and meeting one another online. Some pieces haunt you, and this one will haunt me for a long time. A must-read for any parent.

Thanks again to everyone for reading and supporting CARD. Shout out to my patrons and paid subscribers whose contributions help keep the newsletter free to read for everyone. You can join them by becoming a paid subscriber below.

Next week I’m taking off for the holiday. Publication will resume on Sunday, April 27.

You deserve a treat this week, so here’s a video of Ms. Rachel singing I Love a Rainbow with Elmo and Abby Cadabby.