To see nothing wrong in the traditional nursery rhyme "Baa Baa blck sheep"

[Reallytired]

According to my daugher's nursery the nursery rhyme "Baa Baa black sheep" is racist. They have to sing "Baa Baa multi-coloured rainbow sheep".

Why is the traditional version considered offensive? It seems to me PC gone mad.

it is pc gone mad

there are black sheep - it is a description of a farm animal

there are not multicoloured rainbow sheep.... ever... well, none that I've seen!

mutlicoloured rainbow sheep doesn't even fit........

not this again

has someone been reading the Daily Mail?

or timewarped back to the 80s?

if your dd's nursery REALLY think that, tell them to get some proper diversity training.

bollox

I think this is an urban myth tbh, although the fact that your dd's nursery is quoting it is quite worrying.

I ran playgroups for years and we sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and not once did we get stormed by armed police in riot gear.

Is this true?
My DD's nursery sing "baa baa wooly sheep"- at least that still fits!
In relation to PC-ness I assume that nursey managers have heard that it is racist (probably some made up media 'PC gone mad' story) and changed it before anyone complains. People fall for a lot of these media stories of we "We can't have England flags" or " We can't sing are nursery rhymes" or "We're not allowed to celebrate Christmas in work and school"- ALWAYS turn out to be untrue!!!!
My DD sings both versions :D

They're probably just singing different verses with different colours to teach the children about colours.

bolleux.

I'd always thought this was a myth. I presume it's black because it alliterates with baa. And what rainbows aren't multicoloured? It's bad science, that's what.

Our nursery rhymes- late night

the predominantly black children at one of the places I worked at in Zimbabwe used to LOVE singing baa baa black sheep.

though it's funny I don't remember EVER seeing a sheep in Zimbabwe.............

I can never understand this claim that it's racist. It's refering to a SHEEP ffs, not making a judgement on a particular ethnic group (unless there's a sinister sub-text I haven't noticed ). It's madness and suggests that the people who make these rules don't really know what racism is.

It is obviously not racist, as it is the black wool in demand. If it was baa baa white sheep, it would be racist, as that would be saying white wool was superior.

Lol larks!

Black, as far as sheep are concerned, is a colour, not a frickin' race.

Now, if the children were singing "Baa baa Wensleydale sheep, or Jacob's then that may be construed as "racist".

NOBODY ever made this rule - sorry I'm not shouthing but can't do exasperated italics.
Honestly, it is worrying if people responsible for small children have

1. No common sense
2. No idea what racism is.

A toddler group I went to sang baa baa rainbow sheep. I thought it was myth until then.

cojones

Our nursery sometimes sing the traditional black sheep version, and sometimes a pink sheep version with different words. The children sing the traditional version seriuosly and colllapse in giggles at the pink sheep version. They recognise it as nonsense.

The black sheep of the flock was an annoyance to shepherds, because they couldn't mix its fleece with the rest of the flock's. In the Bible Jacob makes a bargain with his FIL that he gets to keep the black sheep. FIL thinks he has the better part of the bargain. But Jacob breeds the sheep so that there are more black sheep than white, and so he becomes richer thN his FIL.

This is where the meaning of black sheep of the flock being a shameful annoyance or embarassment comes from. Nothing to do with race. Certainly not racist!

Are the nursery staff city-dwellers who have never seen white/black/brown (just about any colour you can think of once the farmer has marked them) sheep?

They're red in the fields round here at the moment, I think it changes every lambing season or maybe the farmer's mood!

DD1 was cast as a "naughty sheep" in school nativity play a couple of years back. I was warned by the school against dressing her in black......

What did the sheep do that was naughty, MrsDepp?

I think its the 'yes sir yes sir.....one for the master one for the dame' that contributes to it being viewed as racist. The above in conjunction with the black. TBH we used to sing this in Zimbabwe too and never saw a problem with it, and it is still very popular in nurseries there too. I have no opinion on it, I can see both sides

PrettyC - is that where Jacob sheep get their name?