Politically Correct          - 30/11/2016      <--Prev : Next-->

My editorials are becoming very Grannyfied and for that I apologise!!

One of my favorite Granny duties is to read to my Grandson, he is like a little sponge, absorbs everything and loves his books, (especially chewing them) and he already has a bookcase full!

I must admit though that I must have become a lot more politically correct than when I read to my own children. Is it age or is it wisdom that makes me realize some of the beloved old nursery rhymes are really very callous

Now take that perennial favorite 'Goosey Goosey Gander' and I quote 'took him by the left leg and threw him down the stairs!!'
Help me, how cruel is that Should I be teaching my Baby Boy to be cruel I never gave it a thought though when I sang Goosey Goosey Gander to my own babies!! (But thankfully despite their torrid upbringing they are not awful machete carrying folk!!)

I googled nursery rhymes and came across a site '11 beloved nursery rhymes that kids should never hear'

Well this cracked me up! I guess according to the author we should be encasing our children in cotton wool and not allowing them to see the world as it really is. Jack and Jill should apparently be banned cos Jill 'Never got up in the morning' alluding to death, now should we really hide death from our children

Peter Peter pumpkin eater
Had a wife and couldn't keep her
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well!

Now come on, here we go, this surely has brought about wife beating, domestic abuse and all sorts of ills!!
And those wretched Three Blind Mice who had their tails cut off with a carving knife by the farmers wife, no wonder Kids have nightmares!!

Now the Georgie Porgie rhyme had me squirming, was I going to bring my grandson up as a womaniser

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.

And no child would ever recover from this sordid and morbid nursery rhyme !!
Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all

Some of the nursery rhymes of course are history lessons all on their own like 'Ring a Ring a Rosie', which is a reference to the Great London plague in 1665, so we should never allow our children to sing that at parties !!!

Ring-a-ring a rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down.

As for that old lady who lived in a shoe, she alone accounts for the horrific rise of Child Abuse in the world I am sure :
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do.
She gave them some broth without any bread
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

As for Baa Baa Black Sheep

Later on our children will be subject to those master of great horror writing, Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, and Mary Shelley who tend to dominate the craft so really are these terrible nursery rhymes going to make any difference in their little lives.

Now all of these nursery rhymes undoubtedly have a deep, dark, plot lurking, a violent inner-meaning, unhealthy origins and an ominous thread, and should we be reading them to our babies!!

Of course this is written totally 'Tongue In Cheek', I wear the Politically Correct Mantle only when it suits me!!
I am just totally thankful that the dreaded Alzheimers has missed me out so far, and that I can remember these lovable nursery rhymes 33 years later!!

Fortunately I have come across a delightful book of Nursery Rhymes adapted to an African theme, no malice and misery here, just plain joy and simplicity.



BULAWAYO WATCHDOG

BULAWAYO PUBLICITY ASSOCIATION

A vintage Air Rally in which 20 international teams will be participating are flying from Crete across Africa, starting on 12th November and stopping along the way in Bulawayo on 8th December. What an honour for us. The teams are coming from Canada, Germany, South Africa, USA, Israel, UK, Belgium, France, Botswana, Russia and Switzerland and will be flying biplanes from the 1020s. The public is invited to watch the aircraft from the JMN Nkomo viewing platform, from 8.30a.m to 11 a.m.
The pilots will no doubt be interested to learn about the Silver Queen a Vickers Vimy aircraft which was attempting the first trans-Africa flight between the UK and South Africa in March 1920 which landed in what is today Ascot race course. Unfortunately when the plane took off it was carrying too much fuel and crash landed, with no fatalities. In 1970 a small memorial was erected near the crash site at the corner of Winnies Way and Fairbridge Way as near as possible to the crash site to commemorate the country's first aircraft to touch down in Bulawayo.
The Bulawayo Publicity Association would like to wish its members and all the Bulawayo people who have supported it with cash and kind over the years, its very grateful thanks. We cannot express the joy you have given us and confidence in continuing to promote this special city of ours. Thank you. Take each day as it comes, don't fret about the morrow and may you have peace and happiness over the Christmas period.

V BELL (Mrs)
DIRECTOR.