Has political correctness gone insane?:
The ‘PC Brigade’ have caused another storm by rewriting a favourite nursery rhyme. They have changed Baa Baa Black Sheep to – Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep. Several nurseries have changed the traditional rhyme so as not offend ethnic minorities, it has been reported. They say the words “black sheep” alienate and offend young black children. And that’s not the only rhyme to get a 2006 makeover.
Humpty Dumpty has a miraculous escape from impending disaster when he falls from his wall – and stays in one piece. Teachers say they do not want children to be upset by the human egg’s scrapes. The controversial changes, which have been seized on as political correctness gone mad, have been introduced by some nursery schools in Oxfordshire.
I am all for respect for one another, but really, was this required!
Link: Nursery Rhyme ‘Un PC’
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I’m not sure how this ryhme can offend anyone as far as i can remember there were no negative connotations about the sheep in question. Is it perhaps that the other sheep think that jobs may be at risk? After all he was making wool for everyone the master the maid and even the little boy who lived down the drain. Hang on maybe that should be the verticaly chanllanged youth who lived in the water extraction facillity!
It seems a few groups have latched onto this and turned it into something it wasn’t. The nurseries hadn’t changed the words, but used a number of different versions, including rainbow sheep and black sheep, for educational purposes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4782856.stm
Thanks for your comments Paul. I have had a look at the BBC offering you link to, and although some do seem to suggest ‘racial’ motivations are behind some of the changes, it does seem bizarre still some of the excuses being used. However the media does like to make a ‘crises’ out of everything :)
I must admit when I was a young lad, what I sang meant nothing, and singing about rainbow sheep or black sheep, did not mean anything other than the fact everyone seemed to enjoying the song.
Most nursery rhymes have obscure twists from the past, I am sure most people would be horrified at some of the meaning behind them :)
Did you know that the nursery rhyme do your ears hang low…… That indicated what happend in the civil war. How they use too cut off black peoples ears and put it on a chain around their neck to indicate that they did something courageous.This makes me upset because alot of our kids white and black have grew up with some of these nursery rhymes that means somthing about diff. cultures being hung or killed and we dont even know it. Because i didnt even know that the rhyhem to the ear hang low song was the Confederates (racist) war cry until my friend told me this because we were listening to a rap song by Jibbs called do your Chain hang low…… and she told me this and I was in aw because the guy who sings this is blacck and he dosent even know what the beat or the song meant to our black ancestors and the tourment and beating that they went through just too get were we are today and black kids dont care that every day somebody of their culture is getting shot up killed put in jail and they dont even care for their own edu.
I am sure there is suffering for people all over the world regardless of colour… At the end of the day we are all human beings.
hey i just passed by and read this. normally i wudnt reply but i thought i might aswell do so.
now u asked has it gone mad?
i ask you. what colour are sheeps. i mean really go outside into a field and tell me what colour sheeps u see.
white and black ones, it isnt against blacks or whites its simply describing the sheep. people change it top rainbow sheep. but when was the last time u went out and saw a multicoloured sheep? do we have to start painting the sheep next?
see now im 17, and i dnt have much idea behind rhymes still but what i do know is mine, and most other peoples childhood is being ruined and destroyed. so B%$£$%% to pc is what i recon.
sorry having a bad day :P
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