You might know it as a ‘Nativity Play’, but apparently that is discriminatory against everyone who doesn’t believe in a blue eyed Arab that lived two thousand years ago who could walk on water and do other David Blaine type tricks.
My two year-old nephew was instead taking part in a non-denominational non-religious winter ‘celebration’ with his Nursery colleagues. I have not had any input into the script so I can’t give away any major plot lines, but I am pretty sure it doesn’t involve Virgins or Arabs. There might be a shocking twist in the story, hopefully, just to keep the audience guessing (I know how dull they can be), I just do not know.
“Can you video it for me so I can watch it over the holidays?” I asked my sister in a moment of seasonal weakness.
“Oh, we can’t video it, I’m sorry.”
“Can’t you borrow someone’s camera? I’d really like to see it?”
“It’s not that, it’s just we’re not allowed to video it to stop the Paedos and stuff.”
This is disappointing on so many levels.
One, I cannot see my nephew in his debut stage performance, and two, my sister clearly lives in a town with a terrible paedophile problem.
I have seen some home movies taken by my sister (not like that, that would be disgusting and I would have to pay good money like all the other customers). They are generally rubbish. Her hands shake and she doesn’t understand the fact that there is a microphone next to her head. If these films were to find their way onto the Internet and into a perverts clutches, then I am sure it would send many paedo’s back onto the straight and narrow.
If you were a Paedo, would a non-denominational non-religious winter celebration really be the best place for you? Not being able to go, I can not be sure of the dress code, but I would imagine a silver jump suit and platform boots would stand out a little bit.
It is political correctness gone barmy. I can understand banning all sexual deviants from school plays (so long as they don’t mind people who enjoy a little bit of ‘experimentation’ that is still frowned upon in certain parts of America), but how is banning parents from filming their child helping anyone?
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Betty · December 22, 2006 at 9:24 am
Once again a few paedos go and spoil it for everyone.
I think I was Mary in a nativity play when I was little.
billyboy · December 22, 2006 at 9:31 am
Angry
This gets me so bloody cross I could spit.
Religion and political correctness in school in Britain is just frigging daft.
In France there are no nativity plays at schools because there is no religion taught in the public schools. This was brought in by Napoleon after the French Revolution. The theory being “That it is the right and responsibility of the individual to impart their religious beliefs to their children. It is not for the state to indoctrinate children with the beliefs held by those who are in power at the given time” That is a rough translation. So this means there are no veils, crosses or whatever. If you want your child to have a religious education then you send them to a private school catering for that. Religious beliefs are touched on as part of history, social studies etc but it is not taught or allowed outside that parameter. Everyone knows where they stand and it seems to be accepted without too many problems.
Britain and America are nations seized by fear. 20 years as an ace detective in London taught me that the fear of crime is actually worse than the crime itself.
Be sensible yes but for Fucks sake people need to stop being so wimpish and why is Britain is obsessed by paedophilia?
Here are two interesting facts.
1. Sexual offences and in particular offences against children in Britain were at their peak during the second world war. They just weren’t reported. The good old days!
2. When the News of the Screws was naming and shaming a couple of years ago, their staff had injured and killed more children in the year through drink driving than paedophiles had. They didn’t mention that in the paper did they.
People need to stop worrying about whatmight happen and get a life.
YoHOHO and Happy Christmas by the way!
S Hamilton · December 22, 2006 at 10:11 am
It all makes perfect sense to me. After all any self respecting paedo is hardly likely to sit in front of their computer and download kiddy pics with ease, when they could spend months planning and implementing an identity theft, getting extensive plastic surgery, drugging and kidnapping the actual parents of a child, masquerading as the parents at a nativity play, to shoot film of fully clothed children to take home and watch on their computer. Errr….
Peter · December 22, 2006 at 10:32 am
Two separate points in one post. This is called VFM. (Value for money.)
First off: more than ninety percent of sexual offences against children are committed by members of the child’s family. “Stranger danger” is infinitesimal, far, far less than the danger from road traffic. All this hysteria basically stems from a News Of The World campaign under editor Rebekah Wade.
In Scotland just last month some parents were banned from stepping on to a school bus to help their disabled child fasten his/her seat belt. Because they hadn’t been “cleared” by the police.
Second off and more scary: that we cannot have Christian celebrations in a British school. While I acknowledge the French situation (vive la difference), it has no bearing here. I was so damn glad at the recent Remembrance Sunday to see a Christian Minister leading Christian prayers and songs. And me I’m an atheist.
billyboy · December 22, 2006 at 10:54 am
Peter is right. Britain is a Christian Country and should celebrate Christmas. Even the head of the British Council for Muslims says that.
Mr Angry · December 22, 2006 at 11:13 am
Betty – Possibly the worst miscasting since Kate Boswoth as Lois Lane
Billyboy – I didn’t know that about News of The Screws, why did no other tabloid pick up on it?
S Hamilton – The lengths some people will go to eh?
Peter – More bang for your buck! I like it! And more abuse for News of the World, I’m spotting a pattern…
Billboy – I think we’re all in agreement then!
BoyOnTop · December 22, 2006 at 11:51 am
Oh the things that aren’t allowed in schools. Techers aren’t even allowed to help the little ones to the toilet, which can have rather disasterous results. A broken bone on the climbing frame? There’s a good boy, put this plaster on yourself will you until the ambulance arrives. Madness, sheer madness.
Anna · December 22, 2006 at 12:05 pm
I’m pretty certain that the little actors in school nativity plays aren’t naked, I’m sure they wear curtains and tea-towels, so why would paeds be interested anyway?
marycub · December 22, 2006 at 9:34 pm
So i guess the basque nativity neccessaty (spelling!) of a man taking a dump behind the donkeys is out of the question then? Surely thats discrimation against the man taking a crap? He just wanted to see the baby jesus like everyone else.
snowcrush · December 23, 2006 at 12:11 am
That’s harsh, not letting the parents film their kids!! Those are memories to pull out years later and terrorize their teenage and adult children with!
Sorry you don’t get to go, I’m really curious as to the theme of the play….
Sooz · December 23, 2006 at 6:00 am
We’d moved into risky territory this year – when parents were allowed to film from the back of the room!
Presumably that means Paedos have poor eyesight and that all the other parents’ heads will obscure the view.
Kaptain Kobold · December 23, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Actually I always found that the video-camera using minority of the audience got in the way of those of us who had just gone to see the play. Some parents seemed to see their child’s entire life through the view-finder of a video camera. So well done for banning them.