Monday, October 20, 2014

Doofus Of The Day #793


Today's award goes, with a snort of derision, to the politically-correct idiots in charge of young children's education in Victoria, Australia.

Baa, Baa Black Sheep could be the latest nursery rhyme to bite the dust because of political correctness.

Staff at childcare centres and kindergartens in Victoria have been changing the lyrics because of the concerns over the racial connotations of the word “black”, the Herald Sun reports.

A kindergarten in Melbourne’s east was also considering changing the line “one for the little boy who lives down the lane” lest it be viewed as sexist.

At Malvern East’s Central Park Child Care children were still allowed to use the word “black” if they wanted to, co-ordinator Celine Pieterse said.

“We try to introduce a variety of sheep,” she said.

There's more at the link.

Really?  Really?  Well, if they insist, here are a few more politically correct nursery rhyme suggestions:

  • Humpty Dumpty can no longer have "all the King's horses and all the King's men" try to put him together again.  That's sexist.
  • The three blind mice are now to be described as "visually challenged".
  • "Hickory Dickory Dock" will have to change.  You can't discriminate against other hardwoods by referring to hickory alone.  That's tree-ist.

I invite readers to contribute their own suggestions for PC nursery rhyme revisions in Comments.

Oy gevalt . . .

Peter

9 comments:

Old NFO said...

Grumpy old man over here, ain't changing lines just to 'please' somebody... Get off my nursery rhymes... sigh

Anonymous said...

No rhymes but a historic story. Every 6th december it is a tradition that Saint-Nicolas and his helper come and brings good to the children. This is a tradition in The Netherlands and Belgium, but in the Netherlands: An Amsterdam court ruled on Thursday that the traditional Dutch figure known as Black Pete, the sidekick to the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus (not really we have both), is a negative stereotype of black people and the city must rethink its involvement in holiday celebrations involving him.

http://mashable.com/2014/07/03/black-pete/

Anonymous said...

Heh, this thing has been going on for a while. As in, for centuries if not millenia. It's just, well, hard to catch "them" at it without written/printed evidence...


And I suppose some of the rewritten versions could be even good in a way... like the 1988 version of the "three blind mice".

http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/88q4/nonbook/blind.60.html

..."visualize how they perambulate..."

squisher said...

Just look up "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories" from James Finn Garner... (There are 3 books I am aware of, 2 of just fairy tales and one holiday themed one - yes I have all 3)

Sherm said...

Here's a link to Garner's "Little Red Riding Hood."
http://www.bizbag.com/Politically%20Correct/PC%20Bedtimes%20Stories%20%20Little%20Red%20Riding%20Hood.htm

Hammerbach said...

Gotta go to Freeberg for this one...

Elderly Man River
http://youtu.be/PLlTlYfqQV4

dan said...

'Wonder what they'd have to say about 'Hannukah Harry' ?

Timbo said...

The owl and the pussy cat? References a "piggy wig" in one verse. Can't upset the you know whos

Cameron said...

"Old Mother Hubbard" is genderist. How do you know that she's female when she could just as easily have been assigned that role but identifies as a man?

Yes, that was quite painful to type out.