Sunday, September 18, 2011

What The Heck Has Happened To Britain?

These were the people that brought government and education to people around the planet. These were the people who created "common law", whose children created the US Constitution, who were the last, best hope of humanity in Europe in World War II.

What the heck has happened to them? What sickness has overtaken them?
London’s Daily Mail newspaper reports that teachers are being pushed to brand thousands of children as racist or homophobic in a permanent database run by Great Britain’s Department for Education.Records of these juvenile utterances follow students when they switch schools, and can be used against them if a future employer or university asks the school for a reference.Teachers who do not report any incidents are criticized for “under-reporting.”

Using the word “gaylord” was considered a hate crime. One child was entered into the database as a racist for calling another student a “broccoli head.”
I could be snarky and lament that they've never gotten over that loss of empire thing, but that wouldn't be a serious comment. This is a serious issue, resulting in a serious question: what has happened to them?

8 comments:

Jean said...

On the one hand, there is not much that I would put past the UK government these days (sadly). OTOH, I've never heard of this publication and I want some more reliable citations before I believe this story. There should be some outside links. Color me dubious.

David Foster said...

If you read stuff that C S Lewis was writing circa late 1940s and early 1950s, about the current zeitgeist in Britain, you get the feeling that something like this was on the way.

Darren said...

You haven't heard of the Daily Caller, or the Daily Mail (which has been around for over 100 years)? I've heard of both, and if you don't like the Daily Caller, here's an article several months old from the Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1348089/30-000-pupils-branded-racist-homophobic-bigots-teachers-nursery.html

Jean said...

I like that article much better, thank you. I am familiar with the Daily Mail, but this article is more detailed too. Guess I'm clueless about the Daily Caller though.

Anonymous said...

Basically what has happened is that the Daily Mail has been bought and is able to spout its usual nonsense of lies and bullshit

Anonymous said...

For the record, I am a teacher in secondary school, my partner is a teacher in primary school and NEITHER of us have ever been "pushed" to brand anyone racist or homophobic.

There has been no criticism for "under reporting" and at no time has anyone been prosecuted under hatecrime legislation for calling someone a gaylord.

Neither is the a central database where children are entered as anything.

But apart from that, it is a great report from the unimpeacable daiy mail!

http://www.mailwatch.co.uk/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI

Darren said...

That it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, but I'm glad to hear from a teacher. I grant, I'd certainly like to get the opinion of someone to which this has supposedly happened, if they exist.

Ellen K said...

Darren, it's a big problem because unlike here, in Europe refuting your personal history is almost impossible. Here, people can have dogfights and still be hailed as a hero if they are really, really sorry, but I digress. What's more disturbing that this is the rise of anti-Jewish sentiments in Europe in general and the UK specifically. I've read some pretty horrifying stories about desecration of Jewish cemeteries and defacing synagogues but also including attacks on students to the point that some synagogues are closing their religion based schools. Funny how the UK establishment can get upset over a random childish comment, but fail to get excited at all by what amounts to an organized attack on an entire religion.