to complain that DD had an Empire Day theme at Rainbows?

[DancesWithTimMinchin]

DH is from a former colony. We don't think celebrating our history of colonisation is appropriate or inclusive. When we complained, the people who organise the Rainbow's didn't think there was anything inappropriate about celebrating Empire Day as a theme for a history-based afternoon.

AWBU?

My DF was from a 'former colony.' (Not British).

He was an educated man who, when we were exposed to the Spartans, Romans, Maoris etc encouraged us to read and think for ourselves.

If you travel, you'll find many people in 'former colonies' who have thoughtful and balanced views. It's worth stepping away from the current fashion to decry all things colonial and look at the hostorical context and legacy as well as (sometimes justified) knee-jerk outrage.

Just a thought.

WTF? Someone is actually organising an Empire Day celebration?

I thought we are passed this...

Right, I'm off to celebrate KKK day....

My question "is were we unreasonable to complain about Celebrating Empire day?". End off. I don't want 100s of people passing judgement on when I complained or how my leaders responded

But I think that when you complained is relevant to whether you were being unreasonable to complain.

For what it's worth, I don't think that it's acceptable to celebrate Empire Day. But if you sent your child, knowing what the activity was going to be, and then complained after, then , yes, I think you were being unreasonable to complain .

Once again assuming the worst of me - I was told this BY OUR DISTRIC COMMISIONER, I didn't make it up to get out of being a guiding volunteer. We have been told that our other children are not welcome, and boys is completely out of the question. We even lost a potential leader over it.

I wasn't assuming the worst of you. I certainly didn't suggest you'd made it up to get out of volunteering. I simply pointed out that it was incorrect and asked you politely not to put off potential volunteers by repeating incorrect information as fact. Ironically, given what a large part of the discussion has focussed on, the correct information can be found with a very simple google search: guidingmanual.guk.org.uk/policies/safety_and_safeguarding/adult_to_child_ratios.aspx

I haven't seen any of the several Guiders on this thread saying, or even implying, that they resent their volunteering role so I have no idea where that came from. It would be bizarre though to think that no volunteer should ever be allowed to let off steam about their frustrations.

Lots of racists on this thread, it has surprised me. Victim blaming too - it's up to the victim of racism to fix things, not the racist themselves. Because they are volunteers so can get away with anything. Lovely.

OP, I think you have handled yourself with grace in the face of the racists on this thread. And for those of you doubting it, yes you are racists. Teaching about a dark part of history is great, celebrating it rather less so. The ignorance displayed by many here is quite shocking.

I thought I would put myself in the position of the guiders and have a quick google. I know very little about empire day so I thought I would see what sort of info was easily obtainable.

Interestingly I found academic argument suggesting empires were not all bad and had benefits. I guess the concept of right and wrong changes all the time and as "ego" and "mooing" says there are different perspectives.

I had expected to find dire warnings that it was a horrendous thing, yet I found the initial meaning was to get you to think about other lands and the people who lived in them. They were very much the top hits.

So I can quite imagine how leaders without historical academic training googled this idea and came away with a fairly innocuous idea of what it is.

Considering we live in a country which is most comfortable and affluent precisely because of imperialism, and whose most important cities were built on the profits of slavery, and whose .multi-culturalism is due precisely to Empire, isnt it a bit ....silly to stick your head in the sand and say ;'NO Imperialism was bad, lets not talk about it '?

Headofthehive55. I googled it too, and the first article I found was simply a description of how it came about, when it stopped, and how it was celebrated. So I can certainly see how a leader, with little knowledge of the history of the Empire, could make the mistake that she did.

Nothing dire at all if you google. Including from the Wikipedia page.

Also, (warming to theme now) isnt rainbows part of the scouting movement founded by Baden Powell? Imperialist organisation anyway isn't it?.

Maria please RTT on BP and how the movement does not go along with his ideas wholesale.

I am not suggesting that the Rainbows "goes along with BP's ideas wholesale" I am just pointing out that it was an imperial organisation.

Can you say something is currently an 'imperial organisation' because it has routes in a culture of colonialism?

You can if you like Just5mins, go for it.

Would it be true? (Or helpful?)

I dont know Just, I didnt say it.

Oh you literally mean past tense?

all I am saying is that there wouldnt even be any 'rainbow guides' without that old colonialist Baden Powell would there? and that we are living in a country literally built on slavery and exploitation, with our national museum a vast repository of stolen goods.

There wouldnt even be a need for people to get upset about perceived 'racism' if the country we live in had not been a colonial power, now would there?

So where does that line of thought get us?

All the big museums are condemned by it; cities, banks, universities and so on. A smal but significant number of families were permanently enriched ( or further enriched).

How should we respond to that now?

small^

" A smal but significant number of families were permanently enriched ( or further enriched).

How should we respond to that now? "

we should eat them

They're probably quite gristly.