Abba's gonna kill me for this one.
Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be a topic that is widely debated in this country. Everyone just accepts that you must be politically correct, in the same way that everyone accepts that you only must do so when speaking in public. But recent events have raised my eyebrows concerning the neseccity of this little social peripheral.
1. SWARMS OF PRIVATE LAWSUITS
One important rule of political correctness- the big corporation is always wrong. Our courts are conveniently set up in such a way that even if the company would not be found accountable, it would be cheaper for them if they settled. So we end up with rich kids/snobs sueing corporations for ridiculously trivial and inevitable transgressions-- and getting even richer off it. This seems like lunacy to me and (hopefully) you as well. Is it really that bad to put a person like that, who would take advantage of so many others in for their own benefit, in their place-- even if it would hurt their feelings? especially since that's the point?
2. THE SICK BRUTAL FRENCH KINDEGARTEN SONGS
Being at yeshiva in the cheese state, i often come into contact with canadians. For those who don't know, Canada is made up of five major groups:
*Brits
*Frenchies
(Real Brits are called Britains, real Frenchies are called Frenchmen. Canadians are neither.)
*People who can't decide if they are Brits or Frenchies
*Punk rockers
*The coast guard
The Canadian government tries to interject a little bit of it all into their educational program, so the Canadian kids end up memorizing sweet little songs from Britain, France, and Punk rock. I ended up hearing a lovely french kindergarten song, which i would never be able to spell out, but which i did have translated for me. The lyrics?
"A little bird, we have a little bird-
a little bird, what should we pull off it?
Should we pull off the head? We should pull off the head!
Off with its head, off with its head,
little bird, little bird,
oooooooooo! ..."
The song then repeats, moving on to the feet, wings, etc. This blatant depiction of graphic violence to French (and Canadian) school children (and little birds) greatly disturbs me. so, can i say that french schools are wierd? no, i couldn't get away with that, even on my blog. sorry, frenchmen. as if you care anyway. i mean, gimme a break!
i understand the need for sensitivity towards others, people who i dont understand- but these people i understand, and i see what they're doing to be plain and obvious stupidity. what's so shocking about ridiculing the ridiculous? it's certainly something to think about. and as it were, i got time to dwell on it-- depending on which variation you use, that song can take awhile to sing.
(I apologize to any Cadians who felt abused by this post. I don't really think badly of canadians, except that my roomate is one, so in order to thouroughly denegrate him, some innocent people will inevitably need to be offended.)
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7 comments:
Maybe I'm dense, but I don't see why your dad would have any problem with this. Odd.
Technically, it's translated:
Bird, nice bird, I will pluck you. I will pluck your head, neck, etc... Pluck like with a chicken you want to eat for dinner.
my dad hates when i put anything opinionated on my blog. ha! go ahead people, be offended, try to shut me down! i'll just laugh and write something even more offensive! seriously, my sisters blog was down for some time because some moron took offense at something she wrote, and started printing it up and distributing it to his relatives. i refuse to be cowed. so..... i posted about propriety. sometimes im so tactless.
my canadian friends translated it the other way. but truthfully, plucking a little bird's head while it squirms in your hand is quite as gruesome as dismembering it. yeesh. now i'll never get that image out of my head.
What, PT can blog about opinions, but his kids can't. I didn't realize your sister's blog was down, but that flap must have been what the post about blogosphere anonymity was all about.
About the song, I was just being anal.
Kids, don't forget to spellcheck...
Canada also happens to hold your cousins, and we are not brits, frenchies, undecided (we have decided we are neither), punk rockers, or the coast guard. We are aliens. You have been warned.
ok there are also illegal aliens. my bunkm8 tells me there is another subdivision called "wierd chinese-looking people who stand on street corners and stare at you". i've decided this probably just folds into illegal aliens. or punk rockers. or both. (sure your not a punk rocker?)
it seems once again my fathers nitpicky spellchecking comments shall go unheeded.
"Alouette, gentille aloutte,
Alouette, je te plumerai."
Boy, does that song ever bring back memories! Several decades ago, I majored in French. Unfortunately, that was enough decades ago that it took me 10 minutes to remember the original French lyrics. Oy. By the way, for the record, an "alouette" is a lark.
So, nu, do you think English-language lullabies are any more polically correct than French ones? How's this?:
"When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all."
All the king's horses and all the king's men--not to mention the half of the J-Blog Medical Center professional staff with whom you're acquainted--wouldn't be able to put that baby together again.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go guzzle some more tea with honey and some cough medicine (Sambucol Immune Syrup, anyone?), not to mention grab a tissue.
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