Jottings
This was deemed to be unfit for the ears
of easily-offended snowflakes. Self-
appointed diversity police objected to
phrases which included “curly Latin
kinkies,” as well as “yellow Chinkies” and
even “Red Indian boy.” It appears that
snowflakes are unable to understand the
concept of context. While the song
would be unlikely to be composed or
recorded nowadays, 1969 was a very
different time. Blue Mink’s bassist
Herbie Flowers, now 81, said he was
bewildered by the ban, adding that,
“there are far worse things played on
(BBC) Radio 1 these days, songs full of
obscenities and violence.” He added,
“You would have thought the world had
got bigger fish to fry than this.” Quite ...
Meanwhile, two icons of children’s
literature have been snowflaked in
recent weeks. First, the creator of Noddy
and the Famous Five, Enid Blyton, came
into their field of vision when it was
revealed that she was denied the honour
of appearing on a commemorative 50
pence coin. The UK’s Royal Mint
described the author as “a racist, sexist,
homophobe and not a very well-
regarded writer.” Their views came out
when minutes of a meeting were
obtained in which a committee debated
whether the coin should be struck to
mark the 50th anniversary of her death
in 2018. Second, was Fireman Sam who
has been dropped as a mascot by the
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service
over fears he could put women off
joining. They say he does not “reflect the
inclusive nature” of the service, and have
put their faith instead in giant fire
extinguishers called Freddy, Filbert and
Penelope. Your Jottings team fear that
Dora the Explorer may have to declare
herself gender neutral and that the Mr
Men have a serious problem to
overcome.
And before we leave the subject, we must
mention a parent who has called for
innuendos to be banned from TV
programmes. Jane Evans has been
branded “sad” and “an idiot” on social
media after stating that parents should
not have to explain rude jokes to their
children. One person commented, “It’s
part of our heritage. We’re the country
of seaside postcards, Carry On,
pantomime ...”
Gender debate
NHS bosses in Scotland have warned
nursery staff against referring to “boys
and girls,” claiming that “gendered”
language can lead to violence or murder.
The guidelines from NHS Greater
Glasgow and Clyde are part of a pilot
project aimed at creating “gender
25
friendly nurseries.” These include
considering the use of phrases such as,
“Good morning, boys and girls,” and
asks, “Is it made clear to visitors to the
nursery that no distinctions are made re
boys and girls when being addressed?”
The report suggests that “throwaway”
comments can influence a child for the
rest of its life.
Meanwhile the UK’s Gender and
Equality Commission has criticised the
guidelines which allow transgender
children to use the toilet of their choice.
It says the policy is “ignoring the rights
of girls.” A draft document, expected to
be in English and Welsh schools this
month, says that girls who feel
uncomfortable with such an
arrangement should be given the use of
a private changing room. The
Commission says it wants to protect
children who meet the legal definition of
gender reassignment as well as pupils
who are “simply exploring their gender
identity.”
Vegan views
Your Jottings team is very open-minded.
Any lifestyle is acceptable provided it’s
legal and we’re not obliged to practice it.
So when we heard that a group of vegans
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