Nativity play casts kids as slaves - not happy

[Flowersintheg5rden]

Some of the kids in my children’s school have been cast as slaves in the forthcoming nativity play.

Bearing in mind all the awful reports of modern slavery in the media, am I being unreasonable to feel appalled by this bad choice of play for young minds?

Actual slaves? What age group?

I have never seen slaves in a nativity play. What kind of play are they doing?

Would you rather they had the roles of Herod and his soldiers, mass murderers of children?!
The Nativity is not a sugar coated fairy tale. It involves an unmarried mother, a tyrant king, a birth in a stable and a young refugee family fleeing to Egypt to escape being slaughtered.
But it is also the wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ, and his willingness to sacrifice his life in demonstration of his love for us. It presages the resurrection, the event that was to shape our history for the next 2000 years.
I love watching kids perform this each year, passing on the traditions of our church and country. It’s especially useful in introducing Christianity to children who may have missed out on it at home.

Shit. Is it a multi-cultural school? I'm assuming not.

“It’s especially useful in introducing Christianity to children who may have missed out on it at home.”

Don’t like the phrasing of “missed out”, as though some parents simply forgot to indoctrinate their children.

Actually I wouldn't be too fussed if it was the nativity and my kids school did that

It's acting and a story?

That's an odd nativity play - it usually is a sugar coated fairy tale complete with talking or singing animals, tea toweledtoweled shepherds and kinds in paper crowns arriving immediately, without a mention of Egypt.

It certainly could be put on as a gritty no holes barred production - probably not by the reception class though...

What age group?

*kings not kinds

Although babdoc, unlikely it was a stable. The translation is actually "animal's room" which all homes had (agricultural community). Also probably not an inn but the family home. Translation of inn would more accurately be "guest room". It would have been incredibly unlikely that they wouldn't stay with Joseph's family.
misses point of thread entirely
Seriously OP, what nativity play has slaves in? It could be done very well and teach children about the reality that slavery historically (and currently) exists, although could be tricky with younger ones.

as though some parents simply forgot to indoctrinate their children

Shit, I knew there was some brain-washing on my to do list. Dammit.

It's acting and a story?

I remember reading a story about the making of Amistad, the film about a ship carrying slaves, and how the prop people felt about putting chains on the actors and how the actors felt about it. It might just be acting but slavery is pretty real and emotional.

My ds would have been thrilled to be a slave. In Year one they made him dress as an angel, which as far as he was concerned, was putting him in a dress. He sat and sobbed in the car for at least 20 mins.

So personally I wouldn’t mind.

Also probably not an inn but the family home. Translation of inn would more accurately be "guest room". It would have been incredibly unlikely that they wouldn't stay with Joseph's family.

"AIBU to pissed off that some random relative of DH's has pitched up and given birth to the son of God in my spare room?"

Slavery was a fact of life in the Roman Empire, an ugly fact but still a fact. All wealthy households would have had them.

Now we think the nativity is about gritty realism, do we? Love to see the hours of labour with no pain relief then.

Glasgow - and all those visitors they had - total strangers! I bet some of them used the toilet too...

@glasgowworrier

That does seem a bit heavy for kids' nativity. DD was a servant in her Year 1 nativity (they needed to create extra parts so gave the Three Kings servants) - could they call them servants instead?

MrsTerry exactly - a sugar coated fairy tale is precisely what a children's nativity play usually is.

Love to see the hours of labour with no pain relief then.

sugar coated fairy tale

Is this one of Mr Kipling's nativity plays?

Shrugs... we had a whole carnival where the theme was the slave trade. Pretty much everyone, man, woman and child dressed up as a slave... but I live on an island that was heavily involved in the slave trade and the freeing of them. Nobody batted an eyelid or thought it inappropriate.

Yeah... 🤔

Thanks for your views. I’ve just checked with my friend, and it appears they are servants, not slaves. Apologies.

I’m less annoyed but I still don’t think kids should be servants either. It’s still linked to modern slavery, in my opinion.

Could it not be because of the reports of modern slavery that it's been added in?

maybe just DS's school, but every school play or nativity they put on the HT (who writes them all) manages to get a good point in that teaches the kids about some sort of issue that's relevant to them.

"AIBU to pissed off that some random relative of DH's has pitched up and given birth to the son of God in my spare room?"

Shaking with laughter.