"The Mummies on the Bus go chatter, chatter chatter" Really?

[BespokeStereophonicVinyl]

So, I attend a regular nursery rhyme session at my local library and 'The Wheels on the Bus' now seems to comprise the above delight, together with the equally offensive "The Daddies on the bus go shush, shush, shush"

I'm really bristling at this example of everyday sexism. Yes, I am a mother, but I am also educated to Post Grad level and have a bunch of fairly heavyweight professional qualifications too. Prior to having DD, I held a senior position in a very male dominated field and really resent the implication that when a woman (who may or may not have children) speaks, it should be assumed that it is mere 'chatter'. I'm also really unhappy with the idea that a big manly man has to step in to shut up all these hysterically chattering women, otherwise where would the world be, eh?

AIBU to take this up with the library/council? I just don't want DD to face the same constant battle that I did, to be taken seriously in life just because she's a woman. I think we owe it to the next generation to challenge this trivialisation of women's opinions.

I suppose we need feminists in this world else we'd still be chained to the sink unable to vote, but I do think you're over thinking this a tad! Lol

To quote someone up-thread 'better to over think than under think'

Many black women implies a lot of black women are cleaners. 1) this is not 'definitely true'.

Many in this context means a lot of. A lot of black women being cleaners would mean that more than the average number are cleaners.

Call it semantics, whatever, it's racist bollocks.

Many white women don't have jobs as cleaners either, some do.

If that's the way you've chosen to take it then that's up to you salem. I think it was quite clear from the poster and her subsequent posts what she meant by using that analogy though.

Many white women do have jobs as cleaners I have 5 on my facebook alone. What's wrong with that? Most own their own businesses actually.

I also disagree that a lot of or many means more than average.

I think you're attributing (wrongly) many to most.

Regardless, Rhombus has apologised in the case of it being taken the wrong way and has offered to get it deleted.

So why is it (as it is) perfectly right that we no longer "catch an Indian by his toe" or any of the other racist things that appeared in songs when I was a child, but sexist stereotyping remains absolutely fine?

but sexist stereotyping remains absolutely fine?

If it even is sexist stereotyping of course. quite a few people on the thread don't seem to think so... as chattering can be applid to anything / one.

Jason- have you ever heard the
word "chattering" applied to
Mes?

men, I mean.

I don't mean we should 'slot' into genders but I have a gender that means certain traits are more likely. Like arse talking on a bus with a mate. Why is this a problem?

Using 'parents' instead of 'mummies' or 'daddies' is the same as using 'cleaner' instead of 'black/white cleaner'.

The gender of the parents isn't important so why give it?

'chatter' is definitely a gender loaded word...just like 'hysterical' is. Sure men could be accused of chattering or being hysterical these days...but they mean something different when applied to a woman than when applied to a man, and are far FAR more likely to be applied to women than men.

icebeing do you believe that honestly?

I take it you believe the term 'ladies and gentleman' is as bad as referring to people as 'blacks and whites' then?

Actually why not stop there, why are we referring to children and adults at all? Surely that's ageism. Shouldn't it be people then?

Jason- have you ever heard the word "chattering" applied to Mes?

I've never heard the word Chattering before.... At all.

But I've heard the word droaning applied to all kinds of people, Which i assume is the same.

'The mummies on the bus debate nuclear physics and peer review each other's Vivas' doesn't have quite the same ring about it does it?

Grays

Many black women are not cleaners. Many cleaners may be black women, but that's completely different.

And what relevance is the white cleaners having their own business?!

grays I believe it enough that I always try and use 'parent' and 'child' as opposed to gendered versions in both everyday speech and in particular when reading to DD at bedtime.

This is tricky to do on the fly. But we are reading the Faraway tree at the moment and ALL the girls are all delicate and don't want to get their clothes dirty while the boys get into scrapes and come up with cunning plans to escape.

I don't want my DD to aspire to being a side character in someone else's adventure....or the love interest for that matter.

DH, who is a SAHP, got turned away from a baby massage group because it was for Mum's. So I don't see anything that reinforces the stereotype of Mums as primary carers as being innocent.

We had a flap at our choir because we had some female tenors...so the whole 'lets here the womens parts, now lets hear the mens parts' wasn't appropriate any more.

Everyone was all argh...its PC gone mad, there's no other way...argh.

I pointed out you just say 'let's hear the tenors'. It isn't actually difficult to do these things and they do add up to a big difference in the end.

Would 'lots' be better? Lots of women are cleaners. Lots are probably black. Lots are probably white. Lots = many but seems more palatable in the sentence.

Not really. Lots of cleaners are women would be better as it is factually correct. Lots of women are cleaners isn't.

And what relevance is the white cleaners having their own business?

Because people seem to think being a cleaner is a negative when in fact cleaners are business owners.

If a few thousand are cleaners then to me thats lots. So I suppose its what you think of lots isn't it.

salem the relevance is straight up racism....it feels wrong to demean white women with the title 'cleaners' without redressing the balance by hinting they are 'business owners' too...it doesn't feel wrong to demean black women with the title 'cleaners', if anything they should be proud of themselves for holding down a job at all - so you don't have qualify....because racism.

Haha, I also found it offensive and deliberately left those two verses out ; ) but then I'm apparently a militant feminist who also goes mad at Peppa Pig with its gender stereotypical mummy pig working from home and baking cakes, and daddy big working and playing football, Peppa playing fairies and George playing with dinosaurs, can't stand the show! Don't want my DD to see such toss. Much prefer in the night garden with its quite gender neutral characters, or mash a and the bear with a feisty little girl...growing up my role model was pippi long stocking, and I fully intend her to be DD's too! Kids are influenced by everything around them, and while I don't think you should take it up with the library, we can choose what we show and tell our kids at home.

DH, who is a SAHP, got turned away from a baby massage group because it was for Mum's. So I don't see anything that reinforces the stereotype of Mums as primary carers as being innocent

This I completely understand and is ridiculous. But I'm not sure this means we have to not make distinctions between men and women at all. And I really don't think you can say that using terms like 'ladies and gentleman' or 'the lady' is the same as using terms like 'blacks and whites' or 'the white'.