The Past Is Offensive and Should Be Banned

In a remarkable fuss over nothing that can only occur in a university, where seemingly students have too much time on their hands, colleges at the University of Oxford have been drawn into a 'race row' after advertising New Orleans and 1920s-themed balls, to be held in May 2016.

The problem?

According to some students the balls may cause offence to female and ethnic minority students.

For why?

Well, according to the complainers, the 1920's were a time when people of different ethnic origins and women were not largely present in colleges.
 

Magdalen College’s ball, inspired by "The Great Gatsby", promises to take students "back to 1926". It has been marketed using the quote:

"Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!"

Arushi Garg, a law student at the college, is quoted by the Telegraph:

"Obviously my demographic (woman of colour from a former colony that remains a developing country) makes me less likely than others to uncritically long for a past that privileged some more than others. 

But it would be nice if they cut down on the nostalgia a bit, because if we were re-living the past, the corridors of institutional spaces like Magdalen/Oxford is definitely not where you would find people of my gender, race and nationality. 

I wrote to the Magdalen organisers and they engaged quite respectfully with me, and are communicating with me to understand why I think this is problematic."

Lincoln college has faced criticism for "cultural appropriation" (what does that mean in English?) due to the marketing around its New Orleans-themed ball.

The co-chairmen of the student union’s Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality and others have said that it promotes "nostalgia for an era steeped in racism."

As noted, only in a university would you find allegedly intelligent people getting hot under the collar over a fancy dress dance. Whatever era you look at, it would offend someone from somewhere. The present day isn't exactly heaven on earth either!

I am surprised they haven't complained about the word "balls" to describe the dances, given that it clearly has sexist connotations!


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Nanny Bans Balls

Nanny has got the bit between her teeth wrt health and safety again, and this time she is focused on the dangers to children of heading a football.

Dr Michael Grey, reader in Motor Neuroscience at the University of Birmingham's School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences is of the view that children should not 'head the ball' when playing football; as it can cause brain injuries in the young, and may affect professional players as well.

Dr Grey is quoted by the Telegraph very kindly saying he doesn't want to ban sport:

"I do not think that children should stop sport, the obesity epidemic means we need to encourage them.

But we do need to look at rule changes and the way we train children.

Children should not be heading the ball. We don't know at what age children's necks become strong enough to withstand the movement of the head when the head is struck by the ball.

Some of my colleagues have suggested 14 but I really think it is individual.

In addition the brain starts to shake and rotates when the head is struck by the ball.

The brain bounces back and forth and it is the impact of the brain against the inside of the skull causes additional damage."

Aside from Jeff Astle West Bromwich Albion striker, who died in 2002 from a brain disease and the coroner ruled it as 'industrial disease' suggesting his profession had caused the damage, please could Nanny provide us with a list of those who have had brain injuries directly as a result of heading footballs?

No?

I thought not!

Disregarding the above, a report published in June by Chris Bryant MP and paralympic gold medalist and member of the House of Lords, Baroness Grey-Thompson, entitled 'Concussion can kill' called for a parliamentary investigation into head injuries in sport and warned that law suits could follow.

The report asks if steps can be taken to limit the number of times players had the ball in football, particularly youth players.

Pardon?

Are they seriously suggesting that players have their access to the ball restricted?

What planet do these people come from?

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The Dangers of Deckchairs

Why has Nanny not issued a safety alert wrt the hazards from deckchairs, as experienced by the hapless swimmer in the article below?

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Save Our Balls

My goodness, Nanny Knows Best is having a veritable glut of foreign Nanny stories; thus demonstrating that Nanny is not a uniquely British phenomenon.

Thus my gimlet eye fell upon the recent activities of USA Nanny and her attempts to ban Buckyballs.

What, I hear you ask, are Buckyballs?

They are an executive toy in the form of magnetic balls.

Aside from distracting the busy executive from earning his bonus, one would have thought that they are harmless enough.

Not according to USA Nanny in the guise of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which decreed that the balls constitute a health and safety hazard to kids and as such has sued to stop Maxfield and Oberton (the company that distributes Buckyballs) from selling them. In fact the CPSC is targeting all companies that make or distribute Buckyballs and all other similar products.

One such company, Zen Magnets, is refusing to kowtow to Nanny and notes that it has never marketed its product to children or heard of any injuries tied to its magnets. It has launched a savemagnets.com petition.

Meanwhile Maxfield and Oberton have set up a "Save Our Balls" website and video.

Needless to say, thanks to Nanny's attempts to ban the product sales have risen.

Craig Zucker, the company’s co-founder is quoted by the Washington Post:

"We do not understand why our products, marketed exclusively for adults and with so few injuries, have suddenly been raised to the very top of the CPSC’s action list.”

The bottom line is that anything can be a hazard if it is misused. Children love to swallow things, it is up to the adults around them to keep adult toys out of the reach of the kids rather than ban an adult toy because it might be misused by a child.

Just remember to handle your balls correctly!

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