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.

They didn't admit that they were wrong. Only that they could have handled it better.

I don't understand who's culture you're meant to dress up as? Surely we could be getting into appropriation, mockery, blackface even?

Are they just meant to pick a random other country and dress up in their attire? Like everyone from those countries all dresses the same?

And if it's meant to be authentic then surely some schools will just have almost all kids representing black British or white British or Asian British culture.

Handled what exactly better?

A girl in a spice girl type dress. What’s the issue for you?

Brit pop?
Some really ignorant posters on here.

For goodness' sake. This happens all over the world in one form or another. What about the saying: "As American as Apple Pie?" The USA has only been a nation for around 250 years and the UK and many other European countries were making apple pies in one form or another centuries before this. Why all this nitpicking over a cup of tea?

America doesn’t really do ‘culture days’ like this because both white and black Americans have been deracinated (probably better to say had an ethnogenesis) and thus has no attachment to any sort of external homeland. It would just be a celebration of various aspects of American culture.

Only more recent immigrants would have this, and they are still a minority.

Well I don't know. The school didn't specify. Whatever actually happened. Which is somewhat unclear still.
And I've never said I have an issue with the dress, the dress is fine. Which is one reason I think there's more to it.

The idea that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy from China is a myth.

You’re speculating without any basis.

It likely was just the dress, which is why the school apologised. Everyone making up anything to excuse it is just spreading false stuff.

Just take it at face value, they messed up.

I’ve read back on the thread between you and that poster, and I’m struggling to see where she has said or implied that only white people can be British.

You, on the other hand, seem to be saying that white people (white British people, to be precise) don’t and can’t have a culture. Is that right?

Why are people saying they're trawling his facebook as if it's something to be proud of and not weird stalkery behaviour? His politics are irrelevant whatever they may or may not be. It was a mistake by the school, pure and simple. If anyone doesn't like that they need to examine their own motives.

The flyer from the school stated that "Your attire must reflect your nationality or family heritage" so of course she could not "pick a random other country and dress up in their attire?" as that would be going against the school's instructions. She picked attire with the flag of her nation on it. That followed the instructions.

That wouldn't be taking it at face value. That would be making assumptions. The school's apology didn't reference the dress, only an "incident" and that they will " reflect on how this could have been handled better". You don't seem to have read what the school actually said... that they have issued an apology does not make every claim by this dad entirely true.

Stop stirring without any basis for accusations.

The school has apologised, that’s it. You won’t get more.

The same with my late Dad.

And this.

I was going off the fact it has been stated more than once or twice from different sources

Which accusations have I made?
They haven't apologised for the things you claimed they have. So you stop.

Which different sources? Other than the same quotes from the same man being printed in various places...

They apologised. That’s fine by me.

You’re suggesting there’s more to it, that has no basis.

Why do that?

I think that sounds great: scout uniforms, football tops or whatever a kid thinks defines them. Well done your school.... not yet infiltrated by the thought police I guess.

But that is correct and given what happened that just confirms you can’t dress to celebrate British Culture. What is so offensive about a flat cap and a chequered shirt

It might well be fine by you. I don't care. They didn't refer to her dress or admit to making the wrong decision. So don't say they did.

If you stop going on about there being more to it when you have zero basis for that then great.

Look at why you’d do that too.

Yeah I know that. I was just talking more broadly about the purpose of such events. I stated most would end up representing British culture of some description if it was authentic. I'm not saying the kid with the union jack dress did anything wrong.