Nanny Hates Sleeping Beauty

As expected, the media hysteria over the alleged behaviour of certain celebrities and politicians has had a knock on effect in the real world.

Sarah Hall, from Northumberland Park, has decided that the fairytale Sleeping Beauty promotes unacceptable behaviour which shouldn’t be read to young children.
She is of the view that it teaches children that it is ok to kiss a woman while she’s asleep, which she says is not acceptable.

ChronicleLive reports that she left a comment in her son’s record book, and contacted his school to ask if books featuring it could be taken out of circulation for younger classes.

She said:

 “In today’s society, it isn’t appropriate - my son is only six, he absorbs everything he sees, and it isn’t as if I can turn it into a constructive conversation.

“I don’t think taking Sleeping Beauty books out of circulation completely would be right. I actually think it would be a great resource for older children, you could have a conversation around it, you could talk about consent, and how the Princess might feel.

But I’m really concerned about it for younger children, would really welcome a conversation about whether this is suitable material."

She said:

“I think it’s a specific issue in the Sleeping Beauty story about sexual behaviour and consent.

It’s about saying is this still relevant, is it appropriate?”

All very well except, as with everything in life, deeds and words must be taken and judged in context. The kiss is in no manner or means portrayed in the fairytale as being sexual; ie it is clearly not an assault.

Kate Edwards, chief executive of Seven Stories, the national centre for children's books , argued stories like Sleeping Beauty have an important cultural and traditional role to play, and shouldn't be lost - but they can be 'played with'.

"The fairytale tradition is rooted in moral instruction, telling children what's right and wrong.

Of course, the cultural context and moral have changed hugely, so it's important that children are given cultural context - but you can do that without losing these stories.

We would always want to explore that story and its cultural relevance and rights and wrongs, as well as playing with it a bit.

Children have a strong sense of right and wrong, and talking about stories is a good way to access that.

We would also point to a lot of retellings of Sleeping Beauty, like The Worst Princess, which keep elements of the story but with a very empowered princess."

What about stories such as Little Red Riding Hood?

Surely being chased by a ravenous wolf is far more threatening?

More to the point, surely the attempted poisoning of Sleeping Beauty by the evil queen is not acceptable either?

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No More Fairy Stories

When I was a wee lad I well remember reading traditional fairy stories, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Rapunzel. I also remember seeing a few Disney versions in the cinema.

The stories did me no harm, and (in theory) provided an easily absorbed lesson about not taking sweets from strangers, not eating poisoned apples and avoiding wolves when dressed in a red skirt and hoodie.

Anyhoo, such is the state of Nanny Britain (scared witless by an ever burgeoning state and pandering moronic media) that these stories are being dropped by some families who are scared that children are being emotionally damaged by them.

Cue an ironic "LOL"!

Have these same witless parents ever bothered to check what their little darlings are seeing/doing on their mobile phones or the interent?

Stories about little girls being eaten by wolves, or fat children being eaten by old ladies, pale into insignificance wrt potential emotional damage when compared to what little Johnny or Jayne is watching/doing everyday in the wired world.

Anyhoo, according to a poll of 3,000 British parents conducted by The Baby Website, it seems that 33% of them have refused to read Little Red Riding Hood because she walks through woods alone and finds her grandmother eaten by a wolf.

One in 10 said Snow White should be re-named because "the dwarf reference is not PC".

Rapunzel was considered "too dark", and Cinderella has been dumped because she is treated like a slave and forced to do all the housework.

Are these people for real?

Sarah Pilkinton, a mother, told researchers:

"I loved the old fairy stories when I was growing up. I still read my children some of the classics like Sleeping Beauty and Goldilocks, but I must admit I've not read them The Gingerbread Man or Hansel and Gretel.

They are both a bit scary and I remember having difficulty sleeping after being read those ones when I was little."

Pah!

Here's a reality check...children like to be scared!

Why do you think Dr Who is so popular?

To repeat my question to these witless parents:

"Have you ever bothered to check what your precious little darlings are seeing/doing on their mobile phones or the interent?"

Learning how to cope with fear is an essential part of growing up, to deny a child the ability to learn that in a safe environment will stunt him/her emotionally and leave him/her unprepared for the adult world where things (let's be honest) are pretty shitty at times.

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Nanny Bans Three Little Pigs

You know folks, initially I had thought of awarding my prestigious "Prats of The Week" award to this shower; but then quickly realised that this is far worse than mere "pratism", it goes into knobhead territory.

What am I talking about?

I shall explain.

Do you recall your childhood days, when you read the story of the three little pigs who built houses of straw, twigs and brick in order to fend off the evil wolf?

A nice, harmless story.

Not so in Nanny's eyes.

For you see, dear reader, the word pig is offensive and evil.

As such, Nanny's thought police in Becta (Nanny's educational technology agency) have banned the story lest it offend Muslims.

A digital book of the tale depicts the pigs as builders, and was up for a book award run by Nanny.

The book "The Three Little Cowboy Builders" is published by Shoo Fly. The BETT awards are run by Becta, Emap Education and the British Educational Suppliers Association (Besa).

Needless to say, the judging panel, consisting of Nanny's finest brain dead thought police, didn't like it one bit. They said that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

Pass the sick bag someone!

What planet do these knobheads come from?

The judges refused to shortlist the product which, by the way has already won awards, and for good measure said that "The Three Little Cowboy Builders" might also "alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)".

Blaaaargh!!!

The judges, in a remarkably patronising and divisive tone, said that they had "concerns about the Asian community" and insisted "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

As a result, they "could not recommend this product to the Muslim community".

They also had a go at the stereotyping in the story of the pigs:

"Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?"

-Do these knobheads live in the real world?

-Do they actually know any Muslims or builders?

This absurd ban does nothing to improve "cultural" relations, and further isolates Muslims by tarring by association them with the intolerance and narrow mindedness that clearly the judges of this panel are wallowing in.

I have nothing but contempt for this judgement.

Where first you burn books, next you will burn people.

Here are the names of the joint chairmen of the judges:

Ray Barker
Director, BESA

Dave Hassell
Director, Education Content, Becta

Here are two email addresses where you can write to the BETT knobheads to give them your views on this subject, please make sure that you do:

-bettawards@becta.org.uk

-bettawards@emap.com

Future BETT awards should be boycotted by all publishers.

Here is Christopher Walken reading the original Three Little Pigs.