‘Make Kids Great Again’ paddles are for sale online. Some are not amused

Dozens of people have bought paddles that say “Make Kids Great Again,” and it’s sparking outrage.

The wooden paddles that play on President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan have been sold across the internet on stores like eBay and Etsy. Dozens have sold, according to reviews and the websites they’re sold on.

“This is not an endorsement, This is not a political statement, This is a product,” one Etsy posting for the paddle reads. “The best way to get the country in shape again is with our MAKE KIDS GREAT AGAIN Wood Carved Paddle!”

The paddles range in price from $20-$52, and one from Etsy can be personalized with “custom text.”

People are outraged that anyone would buy paddles with the saying on them, KUTV reported, and have wondered if it is decorative or intended to be used to punish children.

In recent years, parents have debated if spanking or smacking children is acceptable punishment, CNN reported. Experts have advised parents not to use physical discipline on their children, but some parents think it doesn’t cause harm, according to CNN.

“I got my butt paddled regularly,” one commenter on a site that sells the “Make Kids Great Again” paddles said in a five-star review. “I deserved it for bad behavior. I’m a healthy, mentally stable, productive member of society, who is not psychologically warped or prone to violence.”

Larry Delph, who owns and created Gruntflags Woodworking, sells the paddles on Etsy and his shop. He said he doesn’t sell the product with the “intention for someone to strike their child with them,” and he hopes no one is doing that, he told McClatchy News in a statement. He has four children all under the age of 12.

“It’s just some artwork to hang on the wall, that has a statement,” he said. “I think that statement is the same as any other parents since the beginning of time. ‘Raise my kid to be better than me.’”

Some people, though, don’t think the paddle is appropriate. One Twitter user said there is nothing funny about it.

“I just saw your ‘Make Kids Great Again’ paddle on Twitter,” Twitter user KelinWonder said. “It is not clever, & it isn’t funny. Millions of kids are abused; beaten under the guise of ‘discipline’ by parents & caregivers. Promoting child abuse is the thing you want your business to be famous for?”

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 6:53 PM with the headline "‘Make Kids Great Again’ paddles are for sale online. Some are not amused."