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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is PC gone mad

68 replies

sweeneytoddsrazor · 08/06/2018 23:11

DS 17 is off to Sorrento on a Geography trip. Kit list had all the normal things you would expect but specifically stated only club football shirts allowed, please no England shirts as we do not want to upset the Italians who haven't qualified for the world cup. Are they really going to be that put out?

OP posts:
Clutchcar10 · 10/06/2018 17:03

One company I worked for had a dress code of no football shirts.

scottishdiem · 10/06/2018 17:04

I think you misunderstood "upset".

It's not a teary but resolved with a cup of tea English kind of upset.

It was more beat seven shades of shit out the kids and stone the bus upset. Remember this is a country where every team has Ultras who tend on the violent side of things......

NotAgainYoda · 10/06/2018 17:11

scottish

Yes. It's a euphemistic phrase so as not to alarm the parents.

MyOtherUsernameisaPun · 10/06/2018 17:13

It's nothing to do with being PC and everything to do with football hooliganism. England football fans have a terrible reputation on the continent due to past events, so anyone in an England shirt is running a real risk of trouble.

Oddcat · 10/06/2018 17:21

Do you think that maybe the lads have got together and said 'let's all wear England shirts for a laugh' and word has got back to the teachers ?

bluebeck · 10/06/2018 17:26

What does any of this have to do with political correctness? Confused

OP is your AIBU that you object to the wording of the letter, rather than the sentiment it intended to express, i.e. Don't wear an England shirt you might attract trouble?

Surely you understood it? The trip organiser probably has enough to deal with without having to give detailed explanations when a one liner conveys the message quite adequately.

bluebeck · 10/06/2018 17:27

Sorry - x post . Yes - what Scottish said!

Original poster
sweeneytoddsrazor · 10/06/2018 21:42

Yes @bluebeck I understood it. I just thought it was trying not to offend Italians by suggesting they could be likely to cause trouble towards a group of college kids if any of them had an England shirt on, but by saying Italians were upset about not qualifying for the world cup made them sound a bit like wet blankets. I am more than aware of football hooliganism, we are a big football supporting family. And there are not that many students going and some are girls so the chance of more than 1 or 2 of them having an England shirt on was pretty slim. However one of the guys going is actually Italian and as club shirts are still allowed he could (if he so wished) turn up in his Juve shirt which would probably upset any football fans in Naples.

OP posts:
siwel123 · 10/06/2018 21:51

They're saying that they are upset about qualifying as to not terrify the kids and parents with the Italian football teams are known to have violent fans and have recently put a man in a coma. So don't wear footy shirts showing England support as you may get your head kicked in.

Battleax · 10/06/2018 21:51

What’s the actual issue you have?

Original poster
sweeneytoddsrazor · 10/06/2018 22:17

Just the way it was phrased @Battleax. I wouldn't of let him take an England shirt anyway, but I read it as they didn't want to offend Italians by suggesting they have violent fans, however as has been said it may be just not to frighten parents in which case I accept iabu,

OP posts:
RebelRogue · 10/06/2018 22:26

@sweeneytoddsrazor and if they didn't want to offend the Italians, especially since one of their students is one ...what's the problem with that?

LapsedHumanist · 10/06/2018 22:27

It’s to avoid the associations of hooliganism and attracting the wrong kind of attention, as pp’s said.

And it might get them barred from places. We were out having a drink in a nice Plaza in Madrid when a group of about 12 England fans appeared, singing “Engerlund, Engerlund...” None of the bars would serve them. They kept trying to go in places only to get turned away and when they tried sitting down at outside tables the waiters just ignored them. There was no international match on.

So, it’s a bit crass to go to another country and swathe yourself in a national shirt (bar actually attending an international match).

When in Rome...

Original poster
sweeneytoddsrazor · 10/06/2018 22:35

absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to offend Italians @RebelRogue. In which case they could have simply stated no England shirts. It was't necessary to avoid offending them by suggesting the sight of an England shirt would upset them as they didn't qualify for the world cup. That doesn't portray them in a very positive light either.

@LapsedHumanist there will be no going in bars, they are all 1st year college students so 16/17 and college is very strict on things like that.

OP posts:
CoughLaughFart · 10/06/2018 22:38

What’s your problem ? Are you just being goady?

LapsedHumanist · 10/06/2018 22:42

I didn’t say they’d get refused from bars. I said I’d seen people get refused from bars.
and outside seating areas.

Doesn’t take a genius to work out that cafes etc might not like it either.

Original poster
sweeneytoddsrazor · 10/06/2018 22:44

What’s your problem ? Are you just being goady?

No I am not, I have already explained why I thought it was odd, and said that I hadn't thought of it being written like that so as not to worry parents in which case I accept IABU as I read it differently to some others. No goadyness involved at all.

OP posts:
howfaralong · 10/06/2018 22:50

Maybe it's because English football fans abroad have a pretty horrific reputation.

Surely you must know that?

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