September 2021 | Page 24

Jottings

News from the UK and around the World
. . . the wild , the wacky , the wonderful , the weird and the downright infuriating
Wokeo and Juliet ?
September is traditionally Back To School month and during the new academic year , there ’ s little doubt that Shakespeare will be included in the English Lit curriculum of many students . However , parents should be aware that if their little darlings will be studying Romeo and Juliet , they are in serious danger and may require counselling .
We know this because the current production of the play at the Globe Theatre in London carries a health warning . Yes , we know it includes fight scenes and the deaths of the two lovers at the end ( sorry , just given away the plot ) but why does the Globe feel it necessary to warn theatre-goers they will witness suicide , drugs use , gun shots , and stage blood ? It even hands out leaflets with the phone numbers of help lines and a mental health charity after the curtain comes down in case any audience members need emotional support .
The theatre says that its “ critically acclaimed production brings the play into today ’ s world with an anti-romantic Romeo and Juliet .” However , the measures have been branded “ barmy ” and “ wokeness gone mad .”
Tory MP Pauline Latham described them as “ ridiculous ,” adding , “ How have we come to this after so many years of Shakespeare ?” Actor Christopher Biggins commented , “ What they are trying to do is insulting to the mentality of theatregoers ,” while someone else joked , “ Wait till they get to Hamlet !”
It ’ s raining them
As August began , we learned that the Scottish government had hatched plans for 8,000 civil servants to add pronouns to their email signatures - despite nearly 60 per cent saying they are against the move . Employees , it announced , would be encouraged to include terms that reflect their gender identity such as she / her , he / him , they / them or nonstandard terms such as zie or zir .
According to The Telegraph , an internal survey to gauge reaction during June sparked a fierce debate with six of ten workers against the proposal . The paper claimed that their concerns were
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