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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to find this nativity play offensive

137 replies

soggy14 · 08/12/2010 15:23

Have just been to dss nativity. It was called something like "Merry Christmas from around the world" and had the Christmas story told with breaks whilst kids dressed as being from different countries came adn danced and said "Merry Christmas". I found ti offensive - in particular they had children from "Africa" all with tribal war paint on their faces doing what looked like a rain dance, also lots of Indians in saris saying Merry Christmas, and for America they had kids dressed as cowboys and Indians. It was rounded off with a song about the fact that in every tribe across the world people were celebrating Christmas. Am interested to know what anyone else would think?

OP posts:
fishtankneedscleaning · 08/12/2010 23:09

OP Get a life! What other way is there for children to learn acceptance and diversity than through a fun activity?

FFS Let children be children without having whinging (and know it all) parents to spoil their fun, education and appreciation of others!

iTigress · 08/12/2010 23:25

I read the entire Cheese thread. Utter hilarity, thanks for the lolz Xmas Grin

monkeyjamtart · 08/12/2010 23:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MsKalo · 08/12/2010 23:54

I don't think there is anything wrong with this as such, but what annoys me about Christmas celebrations is that they are not about the REAL nativity story. Christmas may be celebrated around the world but it IS supposed to be about Jesus is it not!?!

Himalaya · 08/12/2010 23:56

OP don't be offended, but do be pissed off that they are wasting childrens time acting out lazy cultural sterotypes.

How hard would it have been to get the kids to dress up on white like many Zimbabwean christians, or dress as Ethiopian Christians or Nigerian Christians and to learn an appropriate phrase or dance? This wouldn't have been any less fun and they would have learnt something - like Africa is not a country.

This is something that seems to have passed many adults by, as demonstrated in Kerala1's 'i went to a wedding in Africa' story (really it must have been a huge wedding to cover a whole continent) - it's like a Chinese person going to a wedding in Scotland and going home saying it's common for men to wear skirts in Europe.

OP if you can find a way to do it without raising hackles do try some awareness raising with the school!

StuffingGoldBrass · 09/12/2010 00:22

Hmm, well I would be more offended by a primary school that wasn't specifically a faith school, taking the Christian midwinter myths too seriously if it was in a multi-cultural area.
As far as primary-age DC are concerned, all they need is the light fluffy celebratory versions of the main festival myths. If you have a preferred myth brand at home, educating your DC to take that one more seriously than the rest is your business.

BonniePrinceBilly · 09/12/2010 00:47

Actually many of us celebrating Christmas don't believe in "Jesus" so why should it always be about that?
It shouldn't be called a nativity because thats specific to the jesus myth, but I prefer my Christmas plays with no god in them.

ShoppingDays · 09/12/2010 00:49

Then why call it "Christ" mas?

BonniePrinceBilly · 09/12/2010 00:56

Because Christians appropriated the festival (ever heard of Mithras by the way?) and renamed it. Its now known as that in popular culture, doesn't actually mean anything.

frozenfeline · 09/12/2010 00:59

Oh come on!! It's an attempt by a school to show diversity in our world, not racism or stereotypes. If you are worried about the lack of jesus content, then don't be. Just because they don't have him in the end of year 'play' , does not mean the kids don't learn about him and the meaning of christmas in this country (generaly). It just means they are learning that they are not the only ones that are important !!

ShoppingDays · 09/12/2010 01:32

Actually BonniePrinceBilly, most texts with the supposed connections between Mithras and Christianity postdate the Christian texts. Also, Roman Mithraism emerged centuries after the Hebrew prophecies of the Messiah.

Sure, some Christians were influenced by the pagan calendar (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery), although present-day Christians can't turn back the clock I'm afraid. That doesn't mean they're not celebrating Christ's birth or that "Christ-mas" doesn't mean anything.

MrManager · 09/12/2010 01:39

But Christmas doesn't have a primarily religious meaning to the majority of the UK, even most Christians.

I wonder why we are always pestered with the 'true meaning of this holiday' when we never do the same for Pancake Day, Valentine's Day or Halloween.

ShoppingDays · 09/12/2010 01:54

Try looking at it the other way MrManager. Why should Christians be pestered into pretending that Christmas isn't derived from Christianity?

By all means celebrate Winterval or Yuletide or Consumerism, but personally I don't see the point of calling them Christmas. It just seems like sheep-like fashion-following to go along with Christmas if you don't believe in it. That's just giving an opinion, not "pestering". This is AIBU after all...

Also if people disagree with Christians supposedly hijacking pagan festivals then why do they themselves do the same to Christmas? Confused

MrManager · 09/12/2010 02:02

Because Christmas is now the word for the traditional winter festival held on Dec 25th. Why change the word? Why do you accept it being called Valentine's Day and not Love Day or something?

Ask most Christians what defines Christmas for them and I bet there will be a lot of talk about roast turkey, Christmas trees, Santa, etc. It just seems like a sheep-like fashion-following to go along with secular Christmas if you don't believe in it.

BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree · 09/12/2010 02:06

is this the Out of the Ark "children of the world" one??

If so - I think you're getting your knickers in a knot over nothing - DS's Sunday School are doing that one on Sunday (DS3 is an "Irish child" Xmas Grin) and nothing remotely offensive about it Confused

MrManager

"But Christmas doesn't have a primarily religious meaning to the majority of the UK, even most Christians."

even most Christians? Really........are you sure about that???

MrManager · 09/12/2010 02:09

Yes, BATCT, I would say most Christians prefer the family time, Christmas dinner, presents, tree, Santa part of Christmas to the church service, 'remembering the birth of our Lord' side of Christmas.

BaroqinAroundTheChristmasTree · 09/12/2010 02:12

and ermm - how many Christians have you met recently?

As I haven't met any recently who say that the primary meaning to them of Christmas is all of the secular stuff Xmas Confused

MrManager · 09/12/2010 02:17

Plenty. My family and friends.

And of course they're not going to come out and say the secular side is more important - but look at their actions. What is the highlight of their Christmas Day - the church service, or the dinner/opening of presents?

BonniePrinceBilly · 09/12/2010 09:54

Theres a big difference between culturally christian and religiously christian. I know a boatload of people who would tick the box Roman Catholic on the census, but they don't go to church, don't pray, don't say grace or celebrate Christmas in anything but a secular manner.

You have your "Christmas" I'll have mine. I telling us non-religious to call it something else is patently ridiculous. Especially when the tiniest attempt of inclusivity (Winterval anyone?) makes the braying pc-gorn-mad brigade deliriously rampant.

TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 09/12/2010 10:07

OOH - Is someone doing the why so non-christians celebrate christmas thing again?

Because it's fun. Christ has nothing to do with Christmas.

emy72 · 09/12/2010 10:16

I sort of see your point a little bit - although offensive might be an exaggeration.

Is it a faith school?

My DD1 came home the other day saying something like "Everyone in the world loves Jesus, as Jesus is in everyone".

I guess it's a similar principle?

Ariesgirl · 09/12/2010 10:18

Are you personally offended? Or do you suspect other people might be?

CuppaTeaJanice · 09/12/2010 10:19

It sounds far less offensive than the first Christmas play I was in at school.

At the age of 5, I spent the whole performance lying in bed with a boy (who wasn't too hot on personal hygiene as I recall). Then all my female classmates dressed up as dolls - red lipstick and blusher, leotards and tiny skirts. All my male classmates had blacked up faces and afro wigs. And they all danced around the bed before the creepy headmaster walked in dressed as Father Christmas.

It was the early 1980s, but just wrong on so many levels. I cringe when I see the photos.

GetOrfMoiLand · 09/12/2010 10:23

I wouldn't say it is offensive as much as demonstrating remarkable stupidity n the part of the teachers.

A bit of 5 minute googling would have pinpointed ways in which other parts of the world do celebrate christmas rather than portrating idle stereotypes.

'every tribe knows it is Christmas' what a load of rot.

Blu, I am with you.

And as for those normans saying 'have a cup of tea get a bit of perspective', this is mumsnet, we can all get a bit het up about trivia if we like (plently of people huffed and puffed at me the other day te purple saucepans).

TheCoalitionNeedsYou · 09/12/2010 10:23

CuppaTeaJanice - Are you sure that wasn't just a terrible nightmare you had?