Here's one for all the left-leaning PC brigade. It has amused me since yesterday.

Miss Dally (1) has a neurological condition and is in a specialist residental school. Yesterday the teacher decided to have a lesson about lesbian and gays (she's had umpteen over the years - not sure Mr Gove would approve when she could be learning to do arithmetic, but that's a separate point). One of Miss D's traits is that once she gets something into her mind it is more or less impossible to shift it and the school themselves have told us that is as a result of her condition. Now one of the things that she has had in her mind for many years is that gays / lesbians are "sick". So, she announced her opinion to the class and that she "hates" it. The teacher then says she is a lesbian to which Miss D repeats her views! Teacher then calls Miss D a "bully"! You couldn't make it all up.

So, what is the ranking of "offence" here?

- Miss D a bully?
- Teacher not allowing for her disability and so discriminating against her?
- Teacher as the responsible adult was the "bully"?
- Miss D is homophobic?

Probably a few more PC offences in there?

so did you tell your daughter that gays are "sick" in her younger/developmental years?

No.

To many kids nowadays 'sick' means great.
She must be square.

Your daughter seems to be homophobic. That is not an "offence against PC", it is just offensive. It's sad that this behaviour "amuses" you. If she has an understanding of what it means to be gay, then she is also capable of understanding why homophobia is wrong.

Offense isn't made it is taken, any issue is with the teacher.

Rewind the tape and start from the presumption that the teacher is correct, with a bit of luck you'll see things differently and realise your past mistakes.

I haven't a clue what it's like to be gay, but I know homophobia is wrong

One might ask if this is the same Dally who claimed that he was thumped by a son for demanding to know if said son was gay?

The same Dally who has spent years on here making frequent claims that homosexuality is unnatural; that homosexuality is the end of civilisation as we know it; that if any gay gets beaten up by police/right-wing nutters for going on a Pride march or demanding equality then they deserve it and good; that gays have to wear nappies (you all know what he means) etc etc etc?

On could ask this.

Really?
The topic that is so important to you has never been mentioned by you to your daughter?
Well then, I wonder where she did get the notion.

Extraordinary, isn't it? Especially since, according to Dally himself, he has been thumped by his own so for daring to ask if son was gay - a question that son considered reprehensible precisely because that is what Dally has instilled in said child.

So one son gets all the lectures and attitudes, but not the daughter.

Notion derived from seeing a couple of same sex individuals kissing on a TV programme when she was little. Her reaction was adverse and it has stuck since.

No, what amuses me is consideration of the PC angle on all this not the events themselves.

I thought this may engender some serious debate but obviously not.

So, I will try. Let's assume the facts are as outlined above and not more nuanced.

Given Ms D is a severe disability through no fault of her own, and always tells the truth as she sees it, there is no question of her being "homophobic" in a knowingly or malicious way, irrespective of her stated views. So, although what she apparently said could be clearly construed as homophobic if there was no malicious intent (she likes the teacher) and she probably has not got the mental capacity to understand the concept then I am not sure she could be considered to have acted in a homophobic fashion.

Given as has been stated on here homosexuality is not any form of illness / disability it seems to be either a natural state of affairs or a lifestyle choice then any disability discrimination can only have been one way - towards Ms D.

Then the question of bullying comes into it. For a responsible adult acting in loco parentis to accuse a severely disabled youngster who needs 1:1 or 2:1 care full time of being a "bully" is frankly pathetic and smacks of bullying the relatively defenceless youngster.

The other issue here is, of course, the "Gove" issue I mentioned in the OP. Why are kids with such problems being "taught" this nonsense when learning the basics of life would be more sensible? Why should someone's sexuality be a matter for schools to "teach"? It is frankly ridiculous.

I suspect that people have difficulty with your claims that your own attitudes and statements have had nothing to do with what your daughter has said.



Very few disabled people are disabled because of fault of their own.



Her comments are quite probably what she has picked up from you.



Agreed. She's simply parroting her father's oft-stated prejudice (based on what has been seen on this forum).



Whose report is this all based on?

Do you know, for instance, if the teacher was upset/offended etc – or merely trying to illustrate a point to the children about what people out in 'the big, wide world' might find unacceptable/bullying etc? This is not intended to be, in any way, unkind or accusatory about your daughter, but would she have the ability to understand such a difference?



Ah, this may well be the nub of the issue.

The facts of life are the "basics of life".

And 'why' such things are on the curriculum is illustrated superbly by you've posted here over the years, much of it 'confused' at the best. One could similarly well ask why schools should teach evolution since there are apparently quite substantial numbers of parents who would really rather it were not taught because of their own beliefs.

If your daughter is in a residential school, what do you think is the likelihood that she will ever be able to lead a normal (statistically-speaking) independent life with a job/career?

If not, why (since you appear to consider it an either/or situation) would maths be more important than something that could still have an impact on her own life and how she relates to others?

It is slightly off-topic from Dally's original point but you touch on an interesting topic here. As I think you know from my previous posts my son is Autistic. It is highly unlikely he will ever be able to lead a normal (statistically-speaking) independent life with a job/career.

He has terrible trouble with Maths to the extent I can't ever see him having the ability to make sure he isn't ripped off in shops. However he has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of History.

The school doesn't teach History in the 6th form (which he entered this year). It does teach maths and science as well as things to try and prepare them for the world outside.

There is a balance to be struck and so IMO Dally should not bemoan discussions about sexuality because "maths is more important" but equally it's not valid to exclude such children from studying academic subjects.

As you can probably tell my son's sixth form education is not inspiring him much at all and there were no options to decide whether he wanted to study the humanities or the sciences for example. You just get what is on offer.

That was the point where you had the opportunity to explain that it's not compulsory and not wrong either.
Did you do that?
Did you?


Your amusement and your use of the term "PC angle" highlights your own prejudice, nothing else.
"PC" is always used as a pejorative, usually from a reactionary like you, I have never heard anyone claiming to be PC.


Read this back to yourself and ponder whether term "this nonsense" illustrates your own attitude and whether the missed opportunity, mentioned above, has informed/reinforced your daughter's views.

My best guess is that you have instilled/reinforced an intolerance in your daughter and the school is having to do what you didn't do and, worse, undo what you did.

Is that so, you fat ugly numbskull knut?

My own father wrote to my school complaining about us being taught the theory of evolution - he did not and will not accept we evolved from monkeys. Bizarre attitude but not un-common in 70+ year olds

Whats his "theory"?

I'm doubting most of Dally's events tbh, all to convenient.

Pesky gays.

I don't remember being taught about that at all - ma have happened but never stuck and got to give up all Cirencester at the end of my third year because I was bad at it/had absolutely no sense of it having any relevance to me or my future.

I do have vague memories of my mother storming into my primary school in London (I went to three primaries and two grammars because of moving around) and complaining about something we were being taught. I'm not 100% sure, but I think it may have been to do with sex education. Even now she believes that sex education should just be: 'tell them to say no'.

Strange parents some people have/had.
It explains a lot.

I thought that believers in evolution do not consider humans to have evolved from monkeys. Maybe your father objected to the schools sloppy teaching?

Eh? You had a knock on the noggin again?