Jottings
News from the UK and around the World
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Woke Watch
Despite the holiday season , a steady flow of woke news stories continued to clutter the desks of your Jottings team last month . Here ’ s just a few , some resulting from Freedom of Information requests sent by The Times to all 140 UK Universities . You ’ d be too depressed if we published all of them …
In London , the Globe Theatre has been promoting a new production about Joan of Arc depicting her as non-binary , and “ questioning the gender binary .” The use of the “ they ” and “ them ” in reference to the historical figure was described by Frank Furedi , emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent , as “ violating the historical reality to legitimise view in the here and now .”
History students at Manchester Metropolitan University have been warned that a medieval text , “ Miracles of the Hand of St James ,” includes descriptions of the miracles which “ can be pretty graphic and may be off-putting to some .” Some “ outdated ” language in the 1970s translation has also been removed .
Snowflake students at Aberdeen can now sleep safely in their beds after receiving a “ trigger warning ” about the Old English epic Beowulf in which a fire-breathing dragon is slain by the hero . To avoid distress , academics have advised their flock that , “ there will be monsters .”
And it ’ s not only students being offered gratuitous advice . Families visiting the Watercress Line in Hampshire , home of
Thomas the Tank Engine , have been told off for talking about the Fat Controller , one of the central characters in the children ’ s books by Reverend William Awdry . The adjective describing the iconic Controller is now considered a “ slur ” they were told , and said the gentleman should be referred to by his name , Sir Topham Hatt . Whether Sir Topham is a he / him or a they / them is unclear .
On the other hand , Hampshire Constabulary appears to have woken up to damaging wokeness with its Police and Crime Commissioner scrapping two-hour educational sessions for offenders accused of racism , sexism , misogyny and transphobia . Donna Jones made the announcement after widespread
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