Political Correctness

[sudu]

Is it true that navity plays cannot be called navity plays anymore because this is offensive to other religions?

[bernardo]

No it is not true, and no it is not offensive.

[luckystrike]

Sorry bernardo, but in the school which Mrs. luckystrike teaches in, they now have to call the Nativity Play "The Infant Celebration".

I know, it's an absolute and utter disgrace.

[Octavius]

The question is "is it true that they cannot be called nativity plays because this is offensive"

I have to agree with bernardo (for a change), I don't recall any rules or law being passed across the nation.

[Octavius]

Besides, the word Nativity, is the general time and place of a person's birth and early years (i.e. native to). So who are ones being offensive (or indeed perhaps racist)?

[Dolly1308]

If the school in which Mrs.luckystrike teaches has someone who refuses to call the Nativity play by any other name what would happen to that person?

[kepla]

One would hope that common sense would prevail over abject stupidity. It doesn't matter (for the purposes of this argument) whether one believes in Jesus being born in a stable about 2000 years ago or not, it is still a play about someone being born and therefore rightly termed a 'Nativity' play. Likewise, it wouldn't matter if you considered ghosts to be factual or fictional - a story about them would still be a Ghost story. Given that a school is supposed to be a place where young minds are developed and educated (one might hope !) I think that it is deplorable that the point should have ever been raised.

[BigDogsWang]

Never mind Christian celebrations upsetting other religions, what about us atheists?

I personally feel that religion of any form is the biggest load of claptrap, but no-one listens to me when they put up the decorations in our office!!!

[Octavius]

The history of Christmas dates back over 4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was said to be born.

You must be a right barrel of fun.

[BigDogsWang]

Leave me alone!

Sulks off back to his knitting.....

[Laurinha]

Bah humbug you bigdogswang! lmao

[Gef]

This might get banned but PC = Pure Cr*p.

Why can't we live our lives like we used to?

[Octavius]

Because then we would be murdering each other in muddy fields and burning down dwellings?

[Dolly1308]

I presume then that bigdogswang ,you will be working on Christmas Day (I know it's a Sunday but that shouldn't make any difference to an atheist ).

[kepla]

'Political Correctness' ? ? ? - - - isn't that an oxymoron ?

In my experience there is nothing correct about politics !

Anyways, I asked two muslims, three jews, one hindu, a couple of seikhs, a druid, a witch, two buddhists and a kabbalist and they all agreed that to them the phrase 'nativity play' just meant a play about somebody being born (a couple of them had to check the dictionary definition of 'nativity'). Common usage within Christian circles is to use the phrase to refer to the birth of Christ, but that is one helluva lot less offensive than running out of petrol and finding the local petrol station closed because of ramadan !

[Octavius]

Since "politics" means 'the process of running the state' (taken from Greek politikos) and 'correct' having many meaning's from 'make reparations or amends' to 'punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience' I think it is most appropriate!!

[Whickerman]

Dudes - calm down...

Nativity plays as a religious celebration are terrific for kids and family alike, so long as they're Christian. If they aren't Christian, then it's pretty fair to ask that they don't have school time used for it. The separation of church and state must eventually happen, I suppose, as society becomes more eclectic.

But, should groups wish to celebrate their faith, then no-one should be offended, surely. I think people oversensitise the issue.

By the way - if it's a Christian school - I agree that you don't join the club if you don't like the rules...

[Glossopswift]

This is another one of those urban myths that is gathering pace. Neither the word nativity is banned nor the actual staging of such plays. Some schools/authorities/organisations choose not to do them for fear of offending non-Christians and then this is picked up by Daily Mail type papers and everyone who thinks it is stupid pass on the myth until it becomes almost reality. Nativities are alive and well and are going on at my daughter�s school. My mate Shahid is a devout Muslim and what really offends him is the fact that well-meaning people do things like this because they think it will offend, which it doesn�t in his case. Muslims get blamed for nativity not being celebrated in some schools when this is largely due to those that are trying not to offend people and those that think it is stupid but are happy to go around telling people that �it is against the law� or has been �banned�. I admire you sudu for taking the trouble to find out, unlike my Dad and a colleague who have both �told� me that Christmas is banned because their newspaper says so. And then someone told me that it�s illegal to coochie coo a baby because it said so in the Sun. I�m usually quite light-hearted on AB but things like this really get me going�GRRRR!

[oakleydoaky]

tonight with trevor macdonald proved that once again generally tabloid journalism to blame.

it is possible to change things. just tell the school you want a 'nativity' and get enought parents to agree and they will!

you see, if enough people agree who are the offended ones?! (they would be the minority in a democratic country)...................or is it not a democracy?