To think that today's episode of Thomas the Tank Engine was quite blatantly sexist?

[WillNeverGetALicence]

Sodor United was playing a football match.

Male engines such as Thomas were given the exciting role of collecting the players for the match.

Emily the steam engine was given the job of taking the dirty washing to the "washing woman".

Emily decided this was not an important enough job for her to do.
So she tried to help the male engines with their jobs, which made them cross and tell her off for interfering with them and that she should be concentrating on her own job.

Then when the players arrive for their match there are no clean uniforms [as Emily has not taken the dirty washing to be cleaned].

She is glared at by her boss the male fat controller and the male players all look very put out indeed. Thomas just looks shocked by her behaviour.

Thus Emily learns that all jobs are important and she chuffs away to get the washing done and arrives back with it draped all over her [as she has been drying it on the journey back].

DS1 & 2 watched episode with interest. I sat there with mouth open thinking either I am very paranoid or this seemed to have some sort of anti-feminist subtext to it. A bit "woman know your place", don't be interfering with important men's work, don't think for yourself and don't deviate from what you are told by the male fat controller!

Yes, I know it is just a kiddie cartoon... perhaps it was just the hammering home of a female character [albeit a train engine] and her job being dealing with the dirty washing that set my teeth on edge!

AIBU?

I'll explain feminism to him later. At the moment he won't get the storyline anyway, he just likes trains.... And buses, and cars, and diggers, and tractors....

They will understand if their kit isnt washed they can't play - so the designated kitwash renaged on her side of the deal and was duly chastised for it with a hard stare.

possibly passive aggressive, out right aggressive even and clearly the Fat Controller (Cane he be called "Fat"?) is an EA and she should leave him

"And cinnabar yes, doing the washing is important work. But why should it be depicted as "women's work" which it clearly was in this episode - with Emily given this role to deliver the washing to the the "washing woman!"

All that shows is that Thomas is a sexist tank engine - not that the programme itself is sexist.

IIRC, Emily is the biggest Sodor United fan of all the engines, and by far the most knowledgeable, which is in itself turning a gender stereotype on its head.

I didnt think you were allowed to call the Fat Controller that anymore either. What was he supposed to be called now?

And herein lies the reason I deliberately keep my DS 2 away from Thomas

I hate the programmes and find them full of poor messages to children.

YANBU
Far from it.

Beeb doesn't air any old programmes which are a bit off...
rentaghost would be ok tho

But if Emily is the biggest Sodor United Fan it feels especially cruel to not let her collect the players - and be given the dirty washing instead!

And I think the boss was called the 'Fat Controller' in today's episode...

He is still the Fat Controller. His alternative name is Sir Topham Hat, but iirc he's always had both names and the PC one wasn't brought in to appease folk.

I think in the Americanised version of the show, the Fat Controller is "Sir Topham Hat" or something like that.

I've seen that episode a million times never occurred to me to be offended tbh. Doesn't Emily also get that job as she is too busy blabbering on and not listening? I guess it is a bit dodgy. But then you've got Mavis who does lots of dirty work and belle who's pretty cool.

It's funny you should bring this up as a friend pointed out the other day about the whole dirty diesel thing being a bit dodgy too.

I really need to pay more attention

I'm much less comfortable with the whole Steamie v. Diesel gang affiliation thing, TBH>

What on earth was she doing out the kitchen?

Shocking.

I actually didn't see the beginning of the episode storminabuttercup...

But that figures, female character "blabbing on and not listening"...

and

Wouldn't be 'Sir' if it's Americanised, would it? America doesn't have 'Sirs'...

No, you're right! He was formally named Sir Topam Hat by us pesky Americans. And given a wife, Lady Hat

What I don't like about Thomas is when one of the engines has a small fault and is overcome with fear that they will be sent to the scrapyard and melted down because they are no longer useful .One even hid for years somewhere on Sodor until Thomas found him and made him useful.

Sir Topham Hat is an evil fascist dictator. The sexism is surely secondary when you consider this.

Sounds pretty grim to me (though I like Cinnabar's positive spin).

Martha, Stinky, you sound like feminists to me - welcome to the dark side . The dungarees and rogaine for armpits are in the post .

PS, I loved Thomas as a child - have lots of the original books (which I think were first written in the 40s). But as an adult, I find the whole set up uncomfortably forelock-tugging and full of racist metaphors. Thank heavens (ghastly theme tune aside) DS seemed to prefer Chuggington.

Haven't seen the episode in question but both my boys loved Thomas books, videos and anything else they could get their hands on. Neither has turned into a raging MCP.

Children are quite capable of making a distinction between stories and real life, and also between old-fashioned attitudes and modern ones. They aren't going to turn out as miniature Fat Controllers just because they watch a few episodes of Thomas. Their attitudes will be shaped by what they see in real life around them. If you don't like Thomas etc, switch it off, but you really need to relax and have them do their own washing when they get to secondary school - that'll straighten them out....

you need to get out more

Sir Topham Hatt was not an Americanism. It was his name in the original books. Wikipedia tells me this is true. His name was revealed in the sixth book, Henry the Green Engine.

Really? Because Wiki told me just the opposite...

The name Sir Topham Hatt is first mentioned in the Foreword to Henry the Green Engine and also appears on his luggage trunk in the same book in the story "Percy and the Trousers". The first use of the name Sir Topham Hatt in the narrative comes in Duck and the Diesel Engine when Diesel refers to the character as "Your worthy Fat..." but is interrupted and firmly corrected by Duck who says "'Sir Topham Hatt' to you".

Henry the Green Engine

Book no. 6 Published 1951 Illustrated by C. Reginald Dalby

Although it mentions in the intro text on the wiki page that it is Americanised it later says that it was in Book 6. I think it means that American versions ONLY use
Sir Topham Hatt. :)

Ah, that must be it Jolly! I didn't think the Americans would call him that!

The original books are full of sexism, class prejudice, and, suprisingly for a vicar retaliation (Paying other engines out"), if you think about it. Very representative of the time it was written.