Christianophobia in the UK?

[Guest Gary Loughran]

Just caught this on bbc website - Christianophobia

I'm not politically correct [i understand the difference between right and wrong which nowadays seems to be the difference between legal and illegal (another topic entirely] nor religious...

My favourite solo artist Morrissey, is again embroiled in 'racism' scandal. He is quoted in the New Musical Express [NME] as saying the fabric and culture of being British is being eroded by the unbridled migrancy in the UK. I laugh, remembering that a black shopkeeper in London refused to serve my Da in his corner shop because they "didn't serve Irish" there...

Is PC just a new form of lobotomy, ECT for the sane??? Does every non-glowing opinion expressed regarding a culture/colour/creed/belief ad nauseum other than your own really make you a racist, homophobe, fascist, heretic??? John Simkin elsewhere has noted that Abrahams, Levy etc. are treated with kid gloves by the media: any mention of Israel lobby would be met with accusations of anti-semetism .

Political correctness to me is banal, neutral, unemotional, expressionless, souless prozac for the masses - and I don't do drugs either.

[Guest Stephen Turner]

Just caught this on bbc website - Christianophobia

I'm not politically correct [i understand the difference between right and wrong which nowadays seems to be the difference between legal and illegal (another topic entirely] nor religious...

My favourite solo artist Morrissey, is again embroiled in 'racism' scandal. He is quoted in the New Musical Express [NME] as saying the fabric and culture of being British is being eroded by the unbridled migrancy in the UK. I laugh, remembering that a black shopkeeper in London refused to serve my Da in his corner shop because they "didn't serve Irish" there...

Is PC just a new form of lobotomy, ECT for the sane??? Does every non-glowing opinion expressed regarding a culture/colour/creed/belief ad nauseum other than your own really make you a racist, homophobe, fascist, heretic??? John Simkin elsewhere has noted that Abrahams, Levy etc. are treated with kid gloves by the media: any mention of Israel lobby would be met with accusations of anti-semetism .

Political correctness to me is banal, neutral, unemotional, expressionless, souless prozac for the masses - and I don't do drugs either.

You could add on the fact that most Schools, play groups won't be staging a nativity play this year, for fear of giving offence to religious minorities. When my two Children were at School they regularly took part in this relatively harmless activity, nobody asked me, or their Mother, as Athiests, whether we minded them taking part in a religious play. I bet a weeks pay, nobody asked the minorities whether they feel offended.

[Guest David Guyatt]

I also remember a few years ago that the England Rugby team were not allowed to sing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" in return to standing watching the New Zealand Hukka -- as this was regarded as offensive.

Sheer twaddle.

For my money, political correctness is a mind numbing import from the US where it has been deployed as a social engineering tool aimed at dividing and conquering society. It has worked wonders there (in my view).

Gary's statement that right or wrong is today's legality or illegality is very insightful, I think. Diminishing everyday morality and ethics to a legal equation likewise undermines social cohesion. The same effect is seen in the undermining of religious observance (I am also not religious) where nativity scenes are increasingly banned these days. The argument deployed for doing this is that they insult other religions. Again sheer nonsense and twaddle. Few Britis object to other cultures celebrating their religious festivals and, I suspect, few other cultures object to the traditional religious observances of the Brits.

I cannot help but think that an eventual outcome of this trend will be an imbecilic and homogenised citizenry that is only capable of working, spending and sleeping - in other words slavish - which is doubtless the long term goal.

[Christopher Hall]

I also remember a few years ago that the England Rugby team were not allowed to sing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" in return to standing watching the New Zealand Hukka -- as this was regarded as offensive.

Sheer twaddle.

For my money, political correctness is a mind numbing import from the US where it has been deployed as a social engineering tool aimed at dividing and conquering society. It has worked wonders there (in my view).

Gary's statement that right or wrong is today's legality or illegality is very insightful, I think. Diminishing everyday morality and ethics to a legal equation likewise undermines social cohesion. The same effect is seen in the undermining of religious observance (I am also not religious) where nativity scenes are increasingly banned these days. The argument deployed for doing this is that they insult other religions. Again sheer nonsense and twaddle. Few Britis object to other cultures celebrating their religious festivals and, I suspect, few other cultures object to the traditional religious observances of the Brits.

I cannot help but think that an eventual outcome of this trend will be an imbecilic and homogenised citizenry that is only capable of working, spending and sleeping - in other words slavish - which is doubtless the long term goal.

Well stated, David.

Have a happy winter holiday.

[Norman Pratt]

Having played Fourth Shepherd, some years ago, I feel strongly about this one. It is very sad that children are deprived of the experience of performing, and parents of the experience of cheering them on. However, I name the particular beast in this instance as THE EDUCATION SYSTEM: Primary School teachers are so exhausted pouring over and accounting for their SATS results that they haven't got the time to put up tinsel and Christmas cards in their classrooms, let alone organise a Natvity Play. (Supply teachers make a very nice living at this time of year.) In Secondary Schools, there is now a new style of Religious Education which engages young people in the spiritual and encourages them to think and to recognise when ideas need to be challenged. It caters for the vast majority - agnostics - as well as children brought up in a firmly religious or atheistic background.

This is by no means the only type of R.E. being taught, because in the UK every single local authority has the job of making its own policy and syllabus. However, this peculiar example of British federalism allows a subject to exist which is fairly free of government interference. Good R.E. teachers have a freedom to encourage young people to think for themselves in a way that has been regulated out of all other subjects.

Edited December 6, 2007 by Norman Pratt

[Guest]

As part of the festive season at Dartford Technology College I am running a name the teddy bear competition with my tutor group (not for prophet of course).

In the event of anyone getting offended the bear gets 40 lashes.

[Norman Pratt]

I believe that Teddy Bear worship in the United Kingdom was an under-rated factor in recent Anglo-Sudanese negotiations. Worship is characterised by the 'Ahhhh' sound among its followers, who tend to be female. As I imagine you have people of that gender at your college, Andy, I think you may be playing a very dangerous game.

[Guest Gary Loughran]

I recently bought a Teddy Bear on ebay for my daughter at a cost of £10. We named it Mohammed.

A few days later she became bored with the toy and I sold it on for £25.

My wife asked did I really think I made a prophet?

[Guest David Guyatt]

As part of the festive season at Dartford Technology College I am running a name the teddy bear competition with my tutor group (not for prophet of course).

In the event of anyone getting offended the bear gets 40 lashes.

Only 40? Hardly enough to entice participation to the BDSM inclined goth students that roam the dark streets of Dartford at the weekends is it.

Although it is in absolutely bad taste (thank God!) and contrary to politically correctness (thank Allah!), I'd like to propose something entirely different. Why not kidnap a Saudi prince (assuming that Bush and his cohort haven't yet monopolised this activity), then ply him with large quantities of his regular, ex-domestic , alcoholic beverage and multiple foil-wrapped sachets of nose candy. Once he is in a suitablly "religious" mood you could then have a contest to name a member of his London based slave hareem. My favourites are "Abdullahette" or "Ibnette".

Once an acceptable name has been chosen, the prince can then indulge the favourite fantasy of all royal households by soundly thrashing her in public.

I'm also sure that if you had him ask the government nicely -- and perhaps tempted them with a small discount of his nation's usual product -- HMG would jump at the opportunity to rename Trafalgar Square to "Execution Square" and begin burnishing large curved beheading swords for exclusive Saudi royal use when in London. Perhaps Nelson's Column could be a little modified and a minaret set atop it.

[Guest Gary Loughran]

Have to add 2 more instances of PC gone mad.

The BBC and their radio stations refused, then u-turned, to play the classic Christmas song 'Fairytale of New York' because of the word faggot in the song.

Peter Crouch, the Liverpool footballer (soccer for those less cultured ) said after his horrendous challenge on Mikel of Chelsea that foreigners have a greater propensity to dive than their British counterparts. His agents reported this as racism to the FA, who saw no actionable offence. The agency has now threatened to continue fighting the case to higher footballing authority and perhaps courts.

These petty PC warriors, will make it difficult in future for real offences to be tried effectively, much like the boy who cried lupine type animal.