School "Culture Day' - why didn't school see this coming?

[mids2019]

https://www.joe.co.uk/news/school-issues-statement-after-sending-girl-home-for-wearing-union-jack-dress-496690?fbclid=IwY2xjawLkEB9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmXD4szLMfsqNubbE12kCn_Noe5jb2VGlNFVU0_IUIevHxzByCQ-5GXFN8F8_aem_P-q7I_yFCq82TY-Qr8mGdw

A local school state d a huge debate by sending a girl home on school culture day for wearing a union Jack dress. The question is why the school should have naively held an event which actually least a to more division than unity?

My daughter (white British) attended a similar event, for which she paid a pound, and dressed in jeans and t shirt. I asked how she had decided upon the attire and she stated 'well I don't have a culture'. I then had to explain that she did have a culture and even the jeans and t shirt were a product of fashion changes in western liberal society. We had a discussion about all the great products of white British culture, the music,science, results of the industrial revolution, shared experience in great wars, monarchy etc.

There is a white British culture but going into detail about this obviously brings into focus cultural divide and opens up divisive areas whether white British culture benefited from colonialism and past oppression.

Of course culture day probably was meant to highlight minority cultures and act to promote dress etc. from ethnic minorities as a welcoming inclusive gesture but by allowing all pupils to think about their culture we have to define 'white British' culture and by defining 'white British' culture schools have inadvertently started a discussion they didn't intend.

Oh come on. You’re not that naive.

No do explain. You’re sure it’s a TR stunt of some kind.

Feel free to evidence your claims that it was right she was sent home.

Don’t reverse on it now, you have the spotlight. Do say

Lots of cups of tea!

Of course. Olivia Rodriguo brought it back at Glastonbury.

Only on mn is the Union Jack the worst thing going.

If there were other kids sent home, I'm sure of there's plenty of teenagers who will have something to say soon enough. We won't be waiting long for the full story whatever it turns out to be.

The irony being Turkey consumes more tea per capita than the UK does, so that's arguably just one more thing we've co-opted and attempted to pass off as something "uniquely British".

The fact that so many posters think England doesn't have a culture is depressing and baffling.

We have so many cultural icons. Our history is documented over thousands of years.

Why do you think we have no culture but, say India does?

Taking India as an example, what culture do they have? Curry and sari, maybe their dances and Bollywood?

So comparing to England, we have Roast dinners, country dancing, BBC, mini skirts, or suits, or plus fours..

Obviously both countries above have much more to talk about, but you get my drift.

England has a huge culture. HUGE.

I think a pretty dress and a statement hat, ie royal wedding or ascot style, would be perfect for celebrating English culture on culture day. Hats at events and weddings is a very British and English thing, it isn’t done in most other western countries. Or dressing for the races in tweed is also very specific to the UK. Lots of fun ideas possible.

Yeah, same, would be good to hear the school's side.
Which you don't seem to get much in media now, used to be both sides reported on.
Not so much now in an age of frothing and rage clickbait.

Yes, that too (sigh)

I’m not sure. That’s why I keep asking about the involvement of Tommy Robinson and whether it’s true that Courtney has been asked to speak at a rally later in the year. Because if that IS true the school may have been worried about far right involvement, and that may shine a slightly different light on the Head’s actions.

I’m not sure. That’s why I keep asking about the involvement of Tommy Robinson and whether it’s true that Courtney has been asked to speak at a rally later in the year. Because if that IS true the school may have been worried about far right involvement, and that may shine a slightly different light on the Head’s actions.

This thread makes me think the UK and England need new flags without all the connotations. A bit like when the Confederate states had to drop their flag and go with state flags for the individual states or the full US flag, instead. Sometimes the optics of a specific flag are just too bad and it no longer represents what it's supposed to.
I also think people need to stop demanding that people define "British culture" as things that are "uniquely" British. That's like saying, "that's not a car, wheels aren't unique to cars, mopeds have them too." The thing is greater than the sum of the parts.
But what do I know? We're not British. 🤷‍♀️

Yep. Can't mention or dress or basically do anything related to being British unless it's falling over yourself to humbly apologise for your very existence. When will enough apologising ever be enough, so we can all crack on together and move forward as one instead of this shite that only builds up division and resentment?

It's basically handing Reform the next election on a silver platter 😩

Does it have to be unique to form part of a countries culture though?

Obviously every country has a culture.

"Taking India as an example, what culture do they have? Curry and sari, maybe their dances and Bollywood?

So comparing to England, we have Roast dinners, country dancing, BBC, mini skirts, or suits, or plus fours."

India is vast and contains many different cultures.

English culture isn't really that distinguishable from general UK culture. If you broke England down into areas that had populations the size of Wales/UK/NI, you would find more distinguishable cultures.

@SriouslyWhutNow

I understand there are negative connotations with the English flag for some due to the EDL, but it is also flown from churches across England with no negative connotations whatsoever. And there are no negative connotations to the Union Jack. It is a proud and joyful symbol of unity.

Perhaps - but I think the answer then is to take it on the chin.

By sending her home they played into the Tommy Robinson narrative.

It’s not “gratuitous” to point out that she has been invited to speak at his rally, and her dad has posted excited “reaction” videos of her jumping up and down at the news all over FB.

The school misjudged this, but her dad has set this up hoping they’d take the bait.

The apology felt very "I'm sorry your feelings got hurt" rather than "I'm sorry we were wrong" to me. Very diplomatic. And 0 reference to the other kids who were supposedly sent home too.

If you’re suggesting TR was involved in the 12 year old girl’s decision to wear the dress she did you’ll have to evidence that.

DD1 went into hers the other week wearing jeans, a hoodie.... and her concession to British culture and history was wearing the t-shirt she bought when we went to see Six because apparently disposing of unwanted wives was what she felt was a big bit of British culture or something.

99.9% of the kids were wearing football shirts or hoodies! School didn't care - 99% of the staff were similarly attired I think.

My understanding is that there is actually a bit of a back story to this as the incident took place in Northern Ireland where the union jack does create very differing views and is associated with some very difficult times!

I’m suggesting that her parents-or at least her father-did. And it appears that he is a Tommy Robinson fan. How do you feel about Courtney potentially speaking at one of his rallies?

No, of course not.

It's just remarkable how often tea-drinking is mentioned as something that is inherently British when it's actually common across much of the planet and simply something people from a lot of cultures indulge in. It's not really any more British than "eating" or "walking" is.