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!

Never seen a nativity with a robot,Christmas tree or lobster in it!

I’ve seen one with a robot. The other characters were referenced by other posters. The point is that it’s not a set text. It’s a charming Christmas entertainment. And the innkeeper’s wife usually has lots of lines (a woman with a lot to say publicly- not very historically accurate). Why are people so opposed to her having a name?

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.

Five year olds are sticklers for historical accuracy, you know.

Actually, St Paul wrote the original Nativity Play. Lots of people think he was a misogynist but he did introduce the character of The Inkeeper’s Wife.

Why is Joseph even portrayed as a man in most nativities?
If you look at his role even 2000 years ago, a woman would have been more realistic. Another example of the patriarchy stealing all the lead roles.

Why is Joseph even portrayed as a man in most nativities?

Because Jesus had brothers and sisters. Bit difficult if Joseph wasn’t a man. The angel was a one time offer.

Wasn’t Joseph a man then? Did I miss something?

Shock horror, just been watching gogglebox and the commentator just introduced "Dave and his wife, Shirley"!!!

Yeah, he always does that ... also 'Giles and his wife Mary,'.
I always notice it and think why the fuck can't he say Mary and her husband Giles, just for a change.

That's the thing though, I don't think anyone is opposed to the innkeeper's wife having a name. They are just slightly surprised as the OP's " outrage ", in her own words, that the innkeeper's wife doesn't have a name.
And again, if a parent were to complain about a robot in the play as historically inaccurate, people would tell them to get a grip.
Here, the OP wishes to complain about the play keeping a historical fact, that women used to be merely seen as wives or spinsters ( or witches even). That's even more unreasonable than complaining about made-up stuff, so she has also been told by some to get a grip.

Dave and his wife Shirley is fine.
Dave and his wife not fine.

So the only historical fact that matters is to maintain outdated sex roles.......

edspider1

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

Am I in a parallel universe?*

Yes. As stated earlier, the IC relates to Mary being conceived sinless.

I haven't rtft but the innkeeper isn't featured in the biblical account. Neither is the stable interestingly.

With that in mind, to cast 2 children as innkeeper and innkeeper's wife is unnecessary. I doubt whether anyone considered the authenticity of the characters' identities given that they are fictional. In which case, it probably WAS casual sexism which meant the roles were identified as such.

I get it OP- it's insidious but I wouldn't have recognised it myself until it was pointed out.

Oh for crying out loud. No. It does NOT matter. Most of us don't give a crap whether the role is known as IK's wife or Lizzie or Britney. We just don't get the outrage one way or another. Historical accuracy is the reason some of us give for her being referred as the wife. As opposed to the school being the villain promoting casual sexism.

It doesn't really annoy me if i am introduced as my dh's wife in circles where they don't know me, and also i think my dh is quite cool so i kinda like it however i am also a successful career woman in my own right if thats of any relevance

Dave and his wife not fine
but it's not Dave, is it.

My god I feel for your DD I really do. So highly strung. She’ll not remember this, unless you embarrass her like this. YABU

Rtft @Abraid2

You realise this isn’t the school making this story up? Ffs

And spare a thought for the lad in the inkeeper’s role! Poor sod is so insignificant he hasn’t even got an actual name!

Have you logged it with 101? 😂

Dave and his wife not fine
but it's not Dave, is it.

Eh? Come again?

So what you want every historical thing rewritten to suit today's world.
You should never want that, we need things from history to show how far things have moved on. To educate our children. Because it's the way things happened in history.
The nativity is the nativity. Go watch it, smile at your daughters role and don't be a dick about it

YANBU. It’s dated and damaging! Even as a kid I found it strange and tedious that we had to act out that nonsense.