to feel uneasy about my son reading Enid Blyton books

[frances5]

My son wants me to read him a book called the "Wishing Chair", I have read two chapters of it and it has a pixie in it called "Chinky". To make it worst the drawing of "Chinky" shows an elf like creature with slitted eyes. However I think my son is totally and utter oblivous to this.

Admitally Enid Blyton lived 50 years ago when people didn't know better. But do you think I am making a mistake letting my son enjoy this book? He is even trying to read it himself that he is so desperate to know what happens next.

When my son chose this book I had no idea that it had a pixie in it called "Chinky" other wise I would have diverted him towards something like Ronald Dahl.

Armadillo, I never said that you had to read EB to be educated. I just thought why dismiss an opportunity to educate? And could you please give me your definition of PC because I don't read the Daily Mail.

A slow clap for Quattro.

Yet again.

EB readers take their kids to McDonalds. It's obvious, ain't it

TA, come on the bike ride. On the way we can take some publicity material from the BNP. Or the Daily Mail. Take your pick. We can read them to our infants and take the manifold opportunities we have provided to them in order to explain what racism is.

You are in the habit, Quattro, of making sweeping generalizations.

Please explain how can words hurt you? I think the meaning of the "truism" is that they can only hurt you if you let them. If you choose to ignore them, they have no meaning, hence no power. "Water off a duck's back" and "turn the other cheek", just to get biblical, mean similar things don't they?

Can I add that I think a word is just a word, it is how that word is used that matters, also people hijack words and change the meanings, 50 years ago to say John is a gay chap and today to say John is a gay chap mean too things, the latter could be seen by some as offensive.
DPs sister is at Uni with a girl called Pakki (who is Asian), so is she supposed to change her name as others might take offence?

Tis a strange old world we live in, as we have seen on BB a black person's and a white person's use of the word n*** is totally different, its the same word who ever says it so why is it ok for one group and not another?
I have gay friends who refer to each other as queen, fag and old poff, so if a word is so upsetting and offensive it should be upsetting and offensive whoever is saying it should it not?

Also, I like EB and encourage my children to read books and would not stop them from reading EB.

Desiderata

The McDonalds point is about junk food for the mind.

Desiderata, I know where you stand on these issues and we are poles apart. I've said before that we are not going to agree on any of these points.

Kimi< I don't agree with you but I still think we should go on that bike ride.

Again, I agree with you, kimi. But Quattro will accuse you of being a racist.

I have tried to explain the definition of the term. A racist is someone who seriously believes that one race is superior to another. I know very few people who think like this.

This obsession with terminology is poncey in the extreme.

Oh and I don't feed my children on endless McDonalds,

Point A: Read the below and tell me that you don't genuinely want to try a google bun

Point B: Do you think the founders of Google were EB fans and if so, they didn't do too badly because of it....

"Well, come back and have tea with us," said Moon-Face, "Silky's got some Pop Biscuits - and I have made some Google Buns. I don't often make them - and I tell you they're a treat!"

"Google Buns!" said Bessie in astonishment. "Whatever are they?"

"You come and see," said Moon-Face, grinning. [. . .]

Soon they were all sitting on the broad branches outside Monn-Face's house, eating Pop Biscuits and Google Buns. The buns were the most peculiar. They each had a very large currant in the middle, and this was filled with sherbet. So when you got to the currant and bit it the sherbet frothed out and filled your mouth with fine bubbles that tasted delicious. The children got a real surprise when they bit their currants, and Moon-Face amost fell off the branch with laughing.

I agree, Quattro. Poles apart. But that doesn't mean I should give you a free rein without pissing on your strawberries

I did nothing but read Enid Blyton as a child......I ended up doing a degree in Biomedical Sciences, converting to Islam, marrying a Middle Eastern and probably have more foreign friends than English ones....

I rest my case!

Nikki - you haven't made a case! What case have you made? That not all people who read Enid Blyton are stupid? No-one was arguing that. That not all people who read EB are racist? No-one was arguing that they were.

Hmmm, but you think I am, don't you?

I have said on here before, I have friends from every walk of life, from council estate upbringing to peer, every colour, race, religion, age, size, and sexual prefrance (I even have some who can spell )
I have also met people in all of the above I would not Pee on f they were on fire.
A person is a person and you like them or dislike them on the merit of who and not what they are.

I do tent to agree that sometimes people do tend to try and tell other groups what they should be upset by. [ducks]

Ahh, but the insinuation was there....

I don't get this 'telling other people what to get upset' by malarky.

WHo on here has said I don't want my child reading EB cos Joe Bloggs down the road would be offended? Cos I've missed it if they have.

I don't want my child reading EB because I am offended by the attitudes in it.

Not sure if that remark was addressed to me D - but if so "You think I am..." what?

There's no need to duck, kimi.

People are people. They can defend themselves when in a foreign land. The last thing they need is uber-PC ... it makes them feel awkward and vulnerable and I do wish that some people would realize that their efforts are counter-productive to civic harmony.

Frances5, look what you've started! This is a whole lot better than Law and Order and CSI reruns! What a chat.

my experience is somewhat similar to Nikkies. However, just because I recovered to a certain extent from the views that I was exposed to as a child, doesnt mean that I want my children to go through the same experience. I would rather that they started from a less racist viewpoint.
However, I also want them to experience the EB magic.
Will be forced to re-read every EB before letting my children have it or consigning it to the bin, I think

desiderata - do you have problems?

I loved EB as a child and never read anything else if I could help it BUT I do remember reading Mystery of the Burnt Cottage when Frederick Algernon Trotter gets his nickname of Fatty and the other children thought it was funny. Didn't really like that and I was probably only about 7.

No I don't TA. Can't we just go on that bike ride?

I think that one way people have of excusing a little bit of racist language on the side is to say "it doesn't offend anyone" (even though it manifestly does) and "it's political correctness gorn maad" (a fatuous and essentially meaningless comment) and I've got black/white/pink/blue friends I meet regularly when they are serving me in the chinky so I can't POSSIBLY have any need to moderate my language.

I can only laugh, NN, at your question.

None, so far as I know. But thanks for asking.