to be outraged by Nativity casting as 'Innkeeper's wife'!!!

[PIPERHELLO]

Daughter (6) has been cast as 'someone's wife' in the Nativity play at school. 'Innkeeper's wife' to be precise.

Err...hello!?

This is fucking not OK! In 2019, to be identified as 'someone's wife'.

Normally I am pretty relaxed about all things school, and I certainly feel sorry for he teachers' workloads, but come on people!? This is 2019 - no woman should be identified by her relationship to a man!? SURELY!

Itching to call them out on this. Itching!

Slightly off topic but my dd was cast as an angel stood on the stage all proud in her homemade costume and stopped the nativity also when she stepped to the side and fell off the stage, cue 3 teachers running to check she was OK and me in fits of laughter because she fell of the stage

I believe the Innkeeper's Wife was in fact St Joanna, the midwife of Jesus, and is therefore a working female role model.

“ The Immaculate Conception is nothing to do with the Nativity.

I think you’ll find it’s integral to it.”
No it isn’t. It’s about Jesus’ conception and birth, not Mary’s.

My dd has been cast as a Sheperd... she was excited until she realised that shepherd wasnt in fact a chef and now she is livid. She was convinced she was cast as a cook.....

Should Doreen have a proper backstory
Why not? Might add something. Anyway, I thought we’d established she was called Sandra.
(and you’re correct, being named ‘Doreen, Innkeeper’s wife‘ doesn’t make all the difference. That wasn’t what I was getting at. Jeez, this thread’s hard going enough)

The immaculate conception is nothing to do with the nativity

Really???? I was once cast as the side of a barn. Basically I held up a bean pole with one of my class mates holding the other side to make the stable roof!!! I would have killed to be the inn keepers wife.

I went to a catholic school and the eternally damned ( ie Protestants like me) never got the good roles in the nativity as our heretical beliefs would have tainted the holy family!

The immaculate conception doesn’t relate to Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus AFAIK

Can I plead ignorance as a 55 Year old...and hopefully someone brighter than me and more woke (what does that even mean?) can enlighten me.... I'm doubting it but I'm generally a glass half full...

Is wife / husband meant to indicate possessions? Most people on here refer to their DH or DW or DM... putting aside the D part which is dubious at best much of the time, aren't wife, husband, mum just descriptors of someone's relationship to you ... by marriage or by birth in these examples. What am I supposed to call my partner to whom i am married but do not own? Please tell me and also why?

.... or is the post a bit bonkers. And apologies... I have read the whole 600+ responses. Sorry, Mrs culpa.

What the hell did this 'wife' do all day - probably as much as the Innkeeper I suspect.

Sorry I haven't RTFT (because work) but I have read that she was the one who actually delivered the baby Jesus and her name was Bridget (pretty sure there's no mention of Bridget in the bible!). However donkeys are traditionally often called Bridget (I have met two so I know that bit's true!) and the fact that St Bridget is patron saint of midwives and babies among many other things is not unrelated.

In the meantime, YABU.

Really???? I was once cast as the side of a barn.

This is rapidly turning into a Monty Python sketch.

"Eeee, side of t'barn? Luxury! I was back end of t'bus. And I was 'appy to play it."

Ehhh , Have I missed the edict that dictates one may not be someone's 'wife' ... I am extremely happy to be Mr Houseintheforests wife. ! I am also Houseintheforests full-time worker in a blue light service as well as Junior-Houseintheforests mother.. I have no problem being referred to as any of the above... in fact , when it comes to the job I'm not even afforded a name. Just a number....

Really need to get some perspective OP.. so much more in the world to be cross about. Much of which I've seen today !!

The immaculate conception doesn’t relate to Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus AFAIK

It's about Mary's conception without original sin. But it is an important part of the incarnation and the nativity.

I love how we're now onto the finer (and more ludicrous) points of Catholic theology

HOLD ON. Are we just assuming the innkeepers wife's gender identity?!? 😉

Best wtaf I have read for ages I am really too old for this shit I am so glad I grew up in a world that was before this

StCharlotte You're right - Bridget, not Joanna. St Joanna was apparently someone else's wife who came into her own as St Luke's witness and also a myrrh-bearer. She was around at the end, not the beginning.

11ElizabethinherGermanGarden

I believe the Innkeeper's Wife was in fact St Joanna, the midwife of Jesus, and is therefore a working female role model.

X post - we can't both be wrong

Love to see some of the posters who are so up in arms over this try and drag up 90 parts for the nativity play, without some of these non speaking, none named parts!

We do usually have Innkeeper 1-3, but they have their own inns. They all have partners - I think we've called them either innkeeper's wife or innkeeper's husband on paper. Adding in a partner just gives us more parts! Fortunately not had a parent complain over that one yet!!

Mind, had them complain over other casting issues ... you can never keep everyone happy, ever.

X post again!

StCharlotte Absolutely! Two people off of the internet agree = incontrovertible fact

Love the idea that Bethlehem’s midwife was called Bridget. That’s Bethlehem Co Kerry, I presume.....

I'm also thinking I want to take on the it was the year 0 thing. Probably more like 4BC if Jesus was executed in the 15th year of Tiberius's reign. Love this thread!

BertrandRussell But two of us said it! Two! Therefore it must be true.

Wife and proud and I am offended by your post @PIPERHELLO

The comment which said ‘my son was usually livestock’ an absolute classic