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!

If you were married to the innkeeper then you would indeed be his wife...... or am i missing something

Being a wife is now derogatory apparently

At every nativity I have ever been to parents were a mix of proud of their child, laughing at the child messing around and crying at the reception class rendition of Away in a Manger. I don't think anybody has ever said the Innkeepers wife perpetuates everday casual sexism.

I think they should be Innkeeper 1 and Innkeeper 2.

Of course, then there is the issue of the hierarchy...

Just my opinion but I think you're being absolutely ridiculous. I bet you are married right? I'm assuming you are indeed somebodys wife and somebodys mother? Sister? I'm not married but if I was happy to get married, it would mean I would be happy to be a wife. Stop being silly and enjoy life.

“ Being a wife is now derogatory apparently ”

Just checking. You do know that this is not what the OP is saying, don’t you?

Oh for goodness sake. Poor teachers.

My daughter was the Innkeeper's wife once...she got more lines than anyone else in the play...the lad playing her husband was a bit ineffectual...she gazumped most of his part before the dress rehearsal - basically the nativity went from her just persuading her husband to let them have the stable to a final version where he ummed a bit and she elbowed him out the way... Couple of years later the poor lad was one of three blind mice and she was the Farmer's wife...

That was the character/ role back then.
Just like a donkey carried mary, the Wiseman where men, they only brought one gift each and there was no room at the in. Ha ha, come on.

I do get it OP. Today in UK introducing someone merely as someone’s wife is diminishing. But...

It reflects the reality. Customers would have referred to her as the innkeeper’s wife. (Or as someone’s mother / sister). It’s set in the middle east and they still do that kind of stuff today.

Also and more importantly be very wary of reading insult into ‘wife’. That’s a rather sexist Western view of wives being unimportant and jobs being the way to define someone’s social worth. At the time / in modern middle east ‘wife’ doesn’t carry those connotations. Saying she’s the Innkeeper’s wife is saying she has power at the Inn and if you have a problem with that you can take it up with the Innkeeper who protects her.

I was cast as Mary once... it was a non speaking role

Even the donkey got a song, Mary... not a bleeding thing.

It’s exactly what she’s saying. She’s just over analysing as is the case with so many of these ‘feminist’ threads. They have little to do with women.

No. It’s nothing to do with “wife” being derogatory. It’s about identifying a women entirely in relation to a man. Imagine you and your husband were at a party, and you were introduced to everyone simply as Mr Redspider’s wife. Pretty sure you’d be a bit annoyed.

But the innkeeper doesn’t have a name either! He must be in mental turmoil

Surely if they are being historically accurate then being sexist would be acceptable?

It's not set today in the UK, it is 2000 years ago in the middle East.

I agree OP. Why can’t they both be innkeepers?

Why can’t they both be innkeepers?

Why? Would they both have been innkeepers 2000 years ago?

I have shared this view with my sil, who aspires to become a teacher. He did question do you definitely know that the role of Innkeeper has been given to a male?

Imagine you and your husband were at a party, and you were introduced to everyone simply as Mr Redspider’s wife. Pretty sure you’d be a bit annoyed.

2000 years ago, that would have been normal? Should we go through all stories and change them all, to keep up today's ways instead?

I needed this laugh after the week I’ve had

Ah yes, the historical accuracy argument. No girls in it at all then. No robots, Christmas trees, presents or, indeed, lobsters. Oh, and no carols either. Better not have it in English.

Apart from being in English I havent been to nativity with those things in. I think those things are quite appalling really. This is peoples religions, that just takes the piss imo. I am not even religious.

And of course it's in english. Translated doesnt mean changed

Besides which, I was simply answering your point about people being introduced as 'x wife' , yes, when this story was set it would have been normal.

Again, would you like us to burn all books and storys, only allow them if we change update them?

Oh and obviously girls are in it.

But girls are present in school. We cant pretend that doesnt happen.

“ Again, would you like us to burn all books and storys, only allow them if we change update them?”
You seem to be suggesting that a Nativity Play is a classic text (what was it translated from, by the way?) and that the innkeeper’s wife is a Biblical character......