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.

It happened in my local village - not saying where because it’s outing. But a car manufacturer with a plant here has traditionally donated and decorated the tree since the mid 1980s. Now it’s not allowed because it may cause offence to those of religions other than Christianity. Same reason the Christmas market didn’t happen. You may not like it, but it happens, and there are plenty of other examples you can find in the press. If you’re not prepared to take on board the examples you’ve asked for it begs the question, why ask in the first place.

@Rosscameasdoody

“Not if you’re Welsh Scottish or NI it doesn’t.”

Are you claiming the Scottish and Welsh are missing out on not feeling more British as well?

Who exactly is missing out here!
Like I said, I am a Londoner, a proud Londoner and I am English, which I am also proud of. I do not need some supposedly proud British thing on top of that. I see us as being in a good healthy alliance with Wales and Scotland etc.

Those who need to be British. Do you live in an area you cannot otherwise be proud of?

I am prepared to accept facts about this sort of thing. The problem is, that on further investigation, MOST cases of Christmas being banned turn out to be misunderstandings. That’s why I’m asking!

Also I am not up for the pile of misogynistic nonsense coming out of Reform whatsoever. Nor aspects of Brit Pop either.

I am incredibly happy that the new Labour Government will be teaching my state educated children about misogyny on the internet. And I would divorce my DH immediately if he voted Reform or sent my DD to school in a British flag.
But yes, I am proud to be a Londoner and English.
So how do you reconcile that!

I have no clue what you’re talking about. I was referring to the fact that the child wearing the Union Jack was not the only one turned away. So were children wearing the Welsh flag and that of St George, as well as one representing the farming community. And what is wrong with wanting to be British ? It’s got nothing to do with where in the UK you live, but a sense of who you are and what your heritage is. Why do you think British people are not entitled to that ?

Reform are just jumping on the DEI bandwagon Trump style. It is all rather cheap and tiresome.

Ask away. That’s all I’m prepared to divulge because it’s outing. And this was not a misunderstanding. It was the end of a forty year old tradition, for which none of the residents of the village were given a choice.

Do you have anything you’re prepared to provide links to? The Christmas tree thing sounds absolutely shit. I wish I could track it down so I could be properly outraged!

@Rosscameasdoody - only the school can answer what the criteria were for the day they put on and it all sounds like a misunderstanding to me, in any event, and possibly some parents just did not fill in a form in advance.

“And what is wrong with wanting to be British ? It’s got nothing to do with where in the UK you live, but a sense of who you are and what your heritage is. Why do you think British people are not entitled to that ?”

You can feel British all you like. As much as you like.
But you cannot make me feel “British”. We all have our own sense of identity and it can be based on feelings. I am a Londoner first and foremost, and I feel English and I feel 100 per cent that I am a woman and a mother. I have been to Scotland once and never to Wales. I do not not “feel” British, it is a construct as far as I am concerned.

The way we all individually construct our identities is hugely complex.
Given Brexit and now this Reform storm in other regions of the country, I feel even less “English” and even more strongly Londoner. That is just a fact I am being honest about.

Even the Christmas tree thing, if true, one would need context.

I am a practising Christian. Our church one year decided to scrap the original expensive real Christmas tree and get a fake to be used for many years, and instead to divert the cost of funds spent on the real Christmas tree, to put towards food to be purchased for the homeless and needy to feed them on Christmas Day. It was felt that was more in the tradition of Christianity than spending ££ on a very large Christmas tree.

Without full context, and everyone’s side of the story, one can never get the full perspective.

Seems like patriotism is not allowed in Great Britain anymore.

There was one in our town that had to be taken down before Christmas because it was unsafe. I suppose that could be classed as “Health and Safety Gone Mad” rather than cultural erosion. Although it was a bloody big tree….

How many posters on here would be happy to let their 12 year old make a speech at Tommy Robinson rally? Personally, I wouldn’t
let mine speak at any sort of political
rally….

https://www.britishfuture.org/vision/

There are people trying to sort the mess out, in an inclusive way.

Olivia Rodrigo wore Union Jack shorts at Glastonbury. If a teen wanted to do the same would you have this strong reaction?

In fact does that flag provoke this reaction wherever you see it? At the Olympics for example

You sound like you feel very strongly about it.

If it wasn’t dangerous, it would be boring.

My employer donated his local village Christmas tree last year.

He also happens to be Muslim, so I know at least one definite non-Christian who allows Christmas trees.

WTAF

As I said yesterday, @EasternStandard,you really are much cleverer than this.

Well it didn’t wash the first time so please don’t bother again.

Without being distracted by pp I am interested in @Araminta1003who does seem to have an aversion to the Union Jack

I’m interested in how far that goes

I haven’t seen any other threads, so remain unconvinced.

That’s ok the feeling is mutual.

@SleeplessInWherever But if Brits can’t be proud of being British because it was chance, then no one else can be proud of their nationality or national culture either, for the same reason.

How can you then feel that it’s a good thing to have a culture day encouraging the thing you think is illogical nonsense?

Feels like you think national pride is for the little people… and minorities (they need it of course, poor things).

Just strikes me as odd, that’s all. The double moral treat I mentioned in an earlier post. Superior to the minorities who are vulnerable enough to need a little pride in their heritage, and superior to the trad little englanders who are uncouth enough to want it.

I would put my life on it being white British women conjuring up this "innovative and diverse" day. And I'd bet even more money that it was a white British woman that sent that girl home.

Because what diversity really means to these people is a daft tip toey pc way of saying black/brown. So they should state their case instead of using a broad word and then changing the goal posts when a white British girl wears a British culture theme.

Perhaps these teachers and "innovators" should ask their black and brown students (because I'll guarantee they weren't thinking "polish" or "swiss" etc ) whether they'd continually like to keep being reminded they're "different" and being celebrated made a tick box point of.

If this last decade has taught us anything: it's that keep segregating people by "difference" funnily enough ends up causing more division and ultimately harm to everyone.

I should imagine many black and brown people absolutely cringe and groan at stories like this, because they then realise it causes the anger to be directed at them, like they've made a fuss. But as always, it'll be white British (usually middle class) women on their behalf.

How about we keep school for learning not political allyship.