Sphe 'irish family'

[Orders76]

Has anyone seen the gript article that sphe books have Irish family v multi cultural...it's absolutely nuts if true

No. I don't read anything written by that shower.

Saw it elsewhere www.newstalk.com/news/so-offensive-its-unreal-outrage-over-anti-irish-sphe-schoolbook-1761156

It's mad Ted

Fucking hell.

Saw the Newstalk item on this subject. The school book is dreadful in its racist stereotyping of Irish families. Like a Punch cartoon from 1850. How on earth did it get past editors and officials in the Department? Like many people I'm not a fan of Newstalk and Gript has its own agenda. I always vote left where possible - though it's FFFG here since the dawn of time.

But this sort of nonsense will drive people to the far right. Does the Irish Freedom Party have a mole at Education thinking up garbage like this to piss everyone off?

It was discussed on Newstalk yesterday.
I heard someone say Family A is not too far away from something that would have been in a Punch magazine in the 19th century. Full of stereotypes and clearly the intent is to portray them as backward and not something to aspire to. Red hair, aran jumpers, irish dancing, plays GAA, enjoys the Fleadh. They even live in a thatched cottage. All that is missing is a leprechaun.
They don't allow the children to mix with other religions and they can only watch RTE. They are portrayed as racist and bigoted.
Family B is racially diverse, progressive, open minded, well travelled,eat pizza! This is the good family.
Part of the exercise is for the children to say which family they would prefer to belong to.

I heard a teacher saying on Newstalk that it was intended to open a conversation in the classroom but I think if that was the intention it really doesn't allow it. It portrays Irish culture as backward and something to be ashamed of. Bizarrely, it seems that this section doesn't appear in the Irish language version of the book.
In addition, the bad family is white, the good family is of mixed race. The initial draft SPHE book for the Leaving Certificate had reference to White Irish Privilege, though this has since been removed.
The whole exercise seems to be intent on teaching children that having pride in Irish culture is bad while celebrating other cultures is good.

Family B needs telling, it's the Red Crescent in Syria, unlikely to be the Red Cross that their blind brother is volunteering with. So either the kid is talking crap, or their brother has made off with the American Go Fund Me money and is living it up on a free gap year in 'Asia' (which apparently has one cuisine so is probably one country). 😂

I saw a funny comment on X. Family A with their Aran Sweaters to keep warm and taking holidays in Ireland would be a model family from a Green/ save the planet perspective. Family B are clocking up the air miles and the food miles !

Movies? Notions

https://extra.ie/2024/09/04/news/irish-news/publisher-school-irish-family
The publisher has apologised and, needless to say, the Department of Education is not accepting responsibility.

Well I don't think Norma Foley takes responsibility for anything ever. It was a Gaelscoil in her own constituency that blithely announced that all toilets would be mixed sex. Until the parents loudly objected. Now they've compromised. 1 toilet for boys , 1 girls and 1 unisex. In other words 2 boys toilets and 1 girls. She is quite hopeless really. Future Taoiseach material no doubt.

Just to add a confession : I own not one but two Aran sweaters. My adult kids wear them too. But they are all dark green / blue. Does this lessen the offence ? 😂

No, dark colours are worse because they're what culchies wear - the mud and shite don't show up. 😂

Careful Fink or I'll report you for anti-culchie sentiment or give you a shoe up the arse with my wellie

It’s massively offensive. My family are very into traditional Irish music, we couldn’t afford holidays abroad growing up so only had Irish holidays and few of those! I have red hair. We ate generally potatoes and meat and veg for dinners. Nice to know a generation of Irish children are being taught that my family are apparently bigots 🙄 and that it’s wrong if they would like to be in a family like mine. I am not the only one either - this describes alot of families in my locality (poor farming communities).

I can’t believe there was a section on ‘white Irish privilege’. What white Irish privilege!!’ My poor father was beaten in school and had no shoes growing up. My mother had her left handedness beaten out of her. It’s only in the past two generations that the standard of living for Irish people has improved.

id like to know more about the upbringing of the author.

I agree with you OP and nearly posted this yesterday. It’s discussed with my older DC last night and both agreed that it is offensive (they both have red hair BTW). When I first read it I thought it was a parody - imagine being the teacher who has to teach this?

I also noted that this is not printed in the version used in Irish speaking schools so I find it doubly offensive.

We all agreed that no other country would ever use a description about their own people as offensive as family A. I do not for a minute believe it was an oversight.

I have a friend who was totally against the free school books system because she believed that children would be taught stuff their parents disagreed with, particularly in relation to gender. I thought she was paranoid, but now I’m not so sure.

@Iloveshihtzus I’ve seen other excerpts from the SPHE books and they do teach things like cis gender (offensive) and gender identity as facts which is outrageous.

This is very sad! Our children should be very proud of their heritage. Accepting others should not mean rejecting yourself! That is NOT inclusivity. Love your neighbour as you love yourself ; you must first love/appreciate yourself (including your heritage) so that you can be able to do the same for others.

I think a board of parents should first approve text-books before they are used in schools.

I think a lot of it comes from a deep seated but unacknowledged self loathing in some Irish people. It probably needs its own thread really.
For example , attitudes to our language. I got talking to a Welsh teacher once and he found this very puzzling. He said some people speak Welsh fluently, some have a smattering and some don't. Some have a passion for the language and others are not that bothered ' but I have never met anyone who hates Welsh or finds it embarrassing '.

This strange phobia doesn't affect foreigners who live here. One of our star pupils locally was a Kurdish girl originally from Iran. I suppose she is some kind of inadequate or bigot come to think of it as she played camogie too.

I cannot get over this. Our taxpayers money being spent on promoting racism & discrimination against the Irish race.. Brainwashing our kids into thinking they're inferior..
I hope every single parent remembers this come election time.

There is a question where is asks "Would you prefer to be a Part of Family A or Family B"? Like wtf.

Funnily enough this activity wasn't included in the Irish language version of the book. Wonder why that was?

A poll last week showed almost half of voters would vote for FFFG again, add in either Social Democrats/PBP/Labour and it will be more of the same.
Depressingly, I don't think SF would be much better though.
I don't really see any difference between the 3 largest parties.

I think SF would be a complete disaster but credit to Michelle O Neill in N.I for following the Cass report recommendations.. All we're left with is Aontú, Independents & the Nationalist parties..

Ps thank God the Greens are nearly gone🙌

I crossed my mind too!
I have a moss green one (if that’s not too Oirish) and a navy blue one.
Also I’m white with Irish tendencies so should I be shunned?