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?

maples - true. Old Testament rather than New

What makes it worse, is that the more modern epsiodes with Emily in them, are written by Britt Allcroft, A WOMAN!!!

Dont watch Beethoven that stupid American film about the St Bernard dog. The mother continually simpers and says things like "I know my opinion is of absolutely no account George" and bows and scrapes to her husband. Then gets a job and sends the children to a geriatric childminder who lets one of them fall in the pool. She runs home gathers the DC up and says words to the effect of "I will never leave the house again my darlings". All in a film about a blinking big dog. I mean why?

Cheers Lurcio

Praps I could be a closet feminist

I normally roll my eyes at people who find sexism in the tiniest things, but even I was shocked at that episode!

However, you did describe it beautifully OP!

I hate Thomas as I have always thought it was terribly smug and completely sexist. YANBU.

I was getting annoyed at Sesame Street yesterday. Male Elmo (fine, since DD thinks he is AWESOME), male book, male Mr Noodle, male this, male that. Next bit Abby the bloody fairy and fairy bloody school.

I, however, am someone who is professionally offended.

Tee I think you might be my older brother. He reckons sodor is a gulag.

written by Britt Allcroft, A WOMAN!!!

Not all women want to go unshaved and burn their bras. There is a natural order to life and the world, the sooner this feminist blip is consigned to history the better.

we like it. we like the trains. my son is 2. i dont give a shit about messages and sexism. i just love seeing his face when it´s on.

"There is a natural order to life and the world, the sooner this feminist blip is consigned to history the better"

Jumping, what do you mean by this, please elaborate!

Sir topham hat was originally the fat director until the railways were nationalised (can't remember exactly which book it was that happened. That's his actual name, the fat controller is his work title

We had the original stories plus the ones written by rev w awdrys son Christopher. I especially like the narrow gauge ones

Emily is one of the modern engines post 90,s I think.

Aw it's really sad to be offended by stories. If your children are old enough to pick up on it, then you can use it as a discussion point.

What about Enid Blyton books? Fabulous stories full of old fashioned gender distinctions. My idiotic all-girls primary school banned her books. They were my staple bed time reading for years, and mum used to talk to me about the way attitudes have changed/are changing.

Unless you have a totally 50:50 split of childcare, washing, cooking and paid work with your partner then you can't really say that the story was being totally sexist. In most families, mum still does more than 50% of domestic duties and that hasn't come about because Daddy watched a bit of Thomas the Tank Engine.

Having a female engine is actually new. The origional had all male engines and all female carriages. It has always been sexist.

Most kids TV seems o be the same.

I don't normally watch adverts on tv but recently sat through a car insurance adverts. One was cartoon style Go Compare with girls waggling their tushes and humungus boobs. The other was car sales ad where ordinary bloke gets gorgeous dressed to the nines girl running up and seriously snogging him.
WTF don't women buy cars????????
This was after reading an article on rape in the Sunday Telegraph which got me going
www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/jennymccartney/9498566/Whether-youre-a-politician-or-comedian-rape-is-seriously-unfunny-business.html

By the way I think that that episode of Thomas should be banned in the UK as sexist so can anyone direct me to who to complain to. I don't even know what channel it is on.

They ban TV shows for being sexist?

Does that mean all period drama should be banned?
How about all the Real Housewife shows?
Talk shows?

FFS there'd be nothing on TV!

whois tv programmes and advertising may not cause social values and ideals per se...

But they reflect attitudes and perpetuate them.

So if our children are watching tv shows, attitudes from these can be imprinted, sometimes very subconciously - therefore not particularly noticed and subsequently not commented on and discussed.

Children learn about the world by what they observe. This is from us as their parents, other adults they come into contact with, society in general...

Some researchers feel that television is the most insidious influencer of all because it is a passive activity and young minds are being fed ideas and beliefs without any explanation or discussion of these. Almost like a form of brainwashing.

Now I know brainwashing is not the intention of the producers of Thomas the Tank Engine. But i think it's naive to imagine that children's television has no impact on developing an understanding of the world around us.

And yes as parents we can take some responsibility for what our children watch and if they see anything which needs explanation we can try and help them understand that no, of course in the real world daddies and mummies have equal accountability for household chores.

But personally I would rather that any sexist, racist, disabilist narrative shown was also challenged. And recognised as the insidious influence that it is imo, not fobbed off as meaningless children's entertainment.

WTAF? YANBU!!

That said, Thomas is pretty sexist. They've only recently added female trains other than Annie and Clarabelle, who are pregnant people carriers scared of everything.

*They ban TV shows for being sexist?

Does that mean all period drama should be banned?
How about all the Real Housewife shows?
Talk shows?

FFS there'd be nothing on TV! *

Now, now Tee we're getting silly aren't we!!!!

Children's tv should lead the way, they always have lots of minority group presenters (I would say more than the actual population justifies) so there must be an agenda there. Why not more feisty women on kids tv.

Yes, I think you are being very very silly.

Who exactly are you going to report it to? The TV Police?

YADNBU!!!

I remember Thomas from the 80s being sexist, I thought things would have improved, but clearly not!

This does seem to be an anachronism. It is about time these stroies were dragged into the 21st century. I would have thought that equal gender roles were just a start of what could be acheived.

Rather than steam engines they should all be made electric (or whatever This does seem to be an anachronism. It is about time these stories were dragged into the 21st century. I would have thought that equal gender roles were just a start of what could be achieved in our overhaul of children?s entertainment.

Rather than steam engines they should all be made electric (or whatever trains run on these days. Clearly I am no expert but experts do exist that could be consulted. Don't they have trains now that float in the air using magnets and then just whizz along? A little bit of fact checking would be required before this storyline goes into production but you get the idea).

Also rather than sitting around chatting and playing football they should be working hard getting customers to their destinations in a timely manner to meet punctuality targets in order not to incur fines and possibly lose their licence when the contract next went out to tender.

If that is not happening the program should mainly consist of disgruntled commuters waiting at a platform impatiently shuffling from one foot to another while angrily looking at the clock and station announcement board which promises Thomas will be arriving on time despite 'on time' being five minutes ago.

I am not sure these ideas would necessarily improve the viewing pleasure for children but what price integrity? I realise this last comment seems to dismiss/trivialise the original post and for that I apologise because what you have described does sound unreasonable while your reaction does not.