It's rude to stare!Surely we have all been told that at some stage by our parents, when we were nippers?
The credo of not staring at people is drummed into all of us in our formative years, quite rightly so!
Now it seems, Nanny feels that she needs to get in on the act and her chums in Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) have issued a document advising teachers and pupils not to stare.
Now, although this may seem to be "over kill" it is at least good advice and helpful to maintianing "old fashioned" manners.
Yes?
Errrmmmm...no.
Unfortunately, we live in a Nanny state where things are never straightforward or sensible. For you see, dear readers, Nanny's advice is selective.
In Nanny's world you mustn't stare at Muslims but it is OK, presumably, to stare at everyone else.
In a bizarrely stupid act of isolating and humiliating Muslims living in Scotland, Nanny's twats in LTS have issued an edict banning pupils and teachers from staring at Muslims for fear of causing offence.
The document was intended to educate against religious intolerance and sectarianism. Needless to say, by singling out one minority, all Nanny has done is to worsen race and religious relations.
The document urges teachers to "make pupils aware of the various forms of Islamophobia, ie stares, verbal abuse, physical abuse".
Are not all religions, races, sexes, people with disabilities, the middle classes, the upper classes, working classes and chavs all potentially subject to discrimination?
In other words, we are all likely at some stage to be treated by others in a disciminatory fashion (both fairly and unfairly) based on their preconceived views of who they think we are and what they think we represent.
Nanny's lackeys in LTS state in the document:
"
Some Muslims may choose to wear clothing
or display their faith in a way that makes them visible.
For example, women may be wearing a headscarf,
and men might be wearing a skullcap.
Staring or looking is a form of discrimination
as it makes the other person feel uncomfortable,
or as though they are not normal.”
How the fark does Nanny think that Muslims now feel, for being singled out in this unpleasant and patronising fashion?
A cynic might suggest that this was part of a cunning plan by Nanny to deliberately ferment suspicion and hatred between Muslims and non Muslims, so that Nanny can justify a "security clamp down".
However, I am not a cynic...am I?
Needless to say, Muslims are not that impressed with this absurd document. Osama Saeed, a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said:
"
There are far more serious elements of Islamophobia.
People look at all sorts of things that can just be a glance.
A glance and a stare are two different things glances happen
naturally when all sorts of things catch your eye whereas
a stare is probably gawking at something.
Personally I have not encountered much of
a problem with people staring.
I don't know how you legislate for that."
Quite, how the fark do you legislate against staring?
I recall the "Not The Nine O'clock News" sketch from the late 1970's; where constable Savage was berated for arresting a Mr Winston Kodogo on a series of trumped up charges, including "staring at me in a funny manner".
Have we really come to this?
Frankly we all dress in a "funny manner" these days, walk down any street in London (or
Croydon) and you will see a veritable cornucopia of "styles" and "fashion statements".
Nanny clearly has been asleep for the last 30 years or so. Clearly the middle class/political activist "do gooders" who wasted taxpayers' money on this shit don't get out much.
I pity the good people of Scotland, who end up being on the receiving end of some real shit from Nanny which is often far worse than we get in England (see label Scotland for other Scottish Nanny nonsense).
I am a firm believer in the maxim "manners maketh man"; in my opinion, in order for a society to function smoothly and with minimum friction, it is essential that people treat each other with politeness and respect.