Three Little Pigs 'too offensive'

[PosterChild]

By Sean Coughlan

A story based on the Three Little Pigs has been turned down from a government agency's annual awards because the subject matter could offend Muslims. The digital book, re-telling the classic fairy tale, was rejected by judges who warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

Becta, the government's educational technology agency, is a leading partner in the annual schools award.
The judges also attacked Three Little Cowboy Builders for offending builders.
The book's creative director, Anne Curtis, said that the idea that including pigs in a story could be interpreted as racism was "like a slap in the face".

'Cultural issues'
The CD-Rom digital version of the traditional story of the three little pigs, called Three Little Cowboy Builders, is aimed at primary school children.
But judges at this year's Bett Award said that they had "concerns about the Asian community and the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

The Three Little Cowboy Builders has already been a prize winner at the recent Education Resource Award - but its Newcastle-based publishers, Shoo-fly were turned down by the Bett Award panel, run the government's technology agency.

The feedback from the judges explaining why they had rejected the CD-Rom highlighted that they "could not recommend this product to the Muslim community".
They also warned that the story might "alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)".

The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate pigs: "Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?"

Animal Farm?
Ms Curtis said that rather than preventing the spread of racism, such an attitude was likely to inflame ill-feeling. As another example, she says would that mean that secondary schools could not teach Animal Farm because it features pigs?

Her company is committed to an ethical approach to business and its products promote a message of mutual respect, she says - and banning such traditional stories will "close minds rather than open them".

Becta, the government funded agency responsible for technology in schools and colleges, says that it is standing by the judges' verdict.

"Becta with its partners is responsible for the judging criteria against which the 70 independent judges, mostly practising teachers, comment. All the partners stick by the judging criteria," said a Becta spokesman.
Becta runs the awards with the Besa trade association and show organisers, Emap Education.

Merlin John, author of an educational technology website which highlighted the story, warns that such rulings can undermine the credibility of the awards.
"When benchmarks are undermined by pedestrian and pedantic tick lists, and by inflexible, unhelpful processes, it can tarnish the achievements of even the most worthy winners.

"It's time for a rethink, and for Becta to listen to the criticisms that have been ignored for a number of years," said Mr John.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7204635.stm

[PosterChild]

"Animal Farm?
Ms Curtis said that rather than preventing the spread of racism, such an attitude was likely to inflame ill-feeling. As another example, she says would that mean that secondary schools could not teach Animal Farm because it features pigs?"


What is irony, Alex?

[burmafrd]

What gets me is that people are paid well to do this.
And this is the government that the libs want to run even more of our economy?

[iceberg]

they're catering to the whiners and only rewarding the whine, which will only encourage them to find more "atrocities" in life we must dumb down to. soon one day we'll be a land of fuggles and dwadles we have to tell stories about so we can make up fluffy creatures of our own so no one will be offended.

only that will i'm sure offend someone.

long gone are the days you just had to get over it.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by burmafrd

What gets me is that people are paid well to do this.
And this is the government that the libs want to run even more of our economy?

What gets me is that you right wing reactionaries get worked up over stupid crapola like this... with all that's seriously wrong in the world, you guys get jacked out of shape over a stupid kid's story??

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by silverbear

What gets me is that you right wing reactionaries get worked up over stupid crapola like this... with all that's seriously wrong in the world, you guys get jacked out of shape over a stupid kid's story??

it's not a kids story that bugs me. it's YET AGAIN someone can say "that's offensive" and make people change.

why are THEY so worked up over a kids story, sb?

[PosterChild]

Originally Posted by silverbear

What gets me is that you right wing reactionaries get worked up over stupid crapola like this... with all that's seriously wrong in the world, you guys get jacked out of shape over a stupid kid's story??

It's not about a 'kid's story.' You're just yanking our chain, I reckon. But come to think of it, and as you know, football was originally played with a pig's bladder. Would you lay down too if football was banned because it's just a game? After all, in reality, its dirty, offensive past must be unendurable to some in the pig-hating culture. And we can't have that!

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by silverbear

What gets me is that you right wing reactionaries get worked up over stupid crapola like this... with all that's seriously wrong in the world, you guys get jacked out of shape over a stupid kid's story??

No it is just sad when people have become so thin skinned that nothing can be said or written without wimps getting bent out of shape.

[trickblue]

It's only legal to offend Christians these days...

[iceberg]

Originally Posted by trickblue

It's only legal to offend Christians these days...

and white males. if you're a christian white male you can't feel good about yourself cause of what people you don't know and were never related too did decades ago.

[Doomsday101]

One thing for sure someone is spinning the hell out of the 3 pigs for someone to get offended. It is just a children story and people putting their own sick meaning behind it.

[BrAinPaiNt]

Originally Posted by trickblue

It's only legal to offend Christians these days...

Does that make me an outlaw.

I say we send over copies of deliverance and hotel hell to all of their theaters.

That guy in hotel hell running around with a pigs head on would scare the crap out of them.

[Rackat]

Originally Posted by BrAinPaiNt

Does that make me an outlaw.

I say we send over copies of deliverance and hotel hell to all of their theaters.

That guy in hotel hell running around with a pigs head on would scare the crap out of them.

[joseephuss]

Plenty of books and stories have been pulled off shelves and out of schools because of gripes by both left and right extremists. This particular case may be due to hippie liberals on the far left, but they don't own a monopoly(when will that game be banned?) on what is essentially censorship. Of course the point is that extremists are trouble no matter what side they are on.

The funny thing to me is that the Three Little Pigs probably has already been dumbed down from the original version much like many other fairy tales.

[Maikeru-sama]

Originally Posted by iceberg

and white males. if you're a christian white male you can't feel good about yourself cause of what people you don't know and were never related too did decades ago.

That's just ridiculous.