Rant of the Day: Nursery Rhyme Apparently Racist

[Andrew]

Why black sheep are barred and Humpty can't be cracked

Heard about that on ABC radio this afternoon, googled it when I got home and found the origin. Basically, it's about children being taught to replace "black sheep" with "rainbow sheep" in the nursery rhyme "Baa baa black sheep".

Personally, I think it's taking it too far. The claims that the rhyme "Baa baa black sheep" perpetuates a negative racial stereotype are bewildering. The only characteristic the sheep displays is a willingness to share its three bags of wool with the master, the dame and the little boy who lives down the lane.

Not only that, but there actually are black sheep. The rhyme references a real breed of sheep. One could argue what the black sheep represents, but since it isn't described in any kind of way that could be considered a racial stereotype - unless there's something I'm missing - so I'd say it does in fact represent a black sheep and nothing more. The fact that a black sheep is chosen is most likely due to the effect of alliteration, the way it rolls easier off the tongue.

Don't get me wrong. Racism is a serious and problematic issue and I'm all for finding a way to stamp it out and discourage it wherever possible. But it seems these efforts are conjuring up racist connotations where they certainly did not exist before. It seems whenever the word "black" is used, it immediately must be concerned with race and therefore racist. To me, that's just stupid. Next they'll be telling me I'm a racist for describing the Microsoft keyboard I'm typing this post with as being black in colour.

It reminds me of all the conspiracy theories about Disney movies. It seems to be a bunch of people with nothing better to do than create issues where they don't exist.

[Fitzy]

yeh i heard they have to change most of the nursery rhymes!
its a multicultral sheep not a black one

[Nick]

What a load of crap.

It's probably some old lady looking for attention who thought of that ridiculousness.

[dada]

Eh

I'm black but I also think some of these allegations are pretty outlandish. I remember going to some fastfood place once with a friend and they didnt give us ketchup so interpreted that as being racist ("They gave that white guy ketchup"). I interpreted that as they have a million people in line and a drive through to attend to so I can at least accept that they might forget a thing or two every now and then.

Sometimes these kinda caims are warranted and others its just plain silly.

[Laxation]

the world is getting too politically correct... too many people think that sueing people is the way to go

[Jowe]

Damn crackers. Always trying to put a brotha down.

[koberulz]

oh god, i can imagine it already.

"you looked straight past the black gamecube and picked the purple gamecube? you racist!!!!! youd rather have faggoty purple than have anything black?? i will sue you for everything you own, even though you've done nothing to me, and im white anyway."

[Its_asdf]

People always try to over-analyze things.... Every little thing is looked at as racist or sexist or whatever.

[J@3]

Normally I'd disagree with this, but since a car load of people decided to yell "fucking black cunts" to some of my friends tonight I'm inclined to agree that maybe things need to be better controlled due to interpretation from the children.

[cyanide]

Maybe changing "black sheep" to "rainbow sheep" is only going to make it even more racist when it wasn't intended to be racist in the first place?

It's like saying Rock-a-Bye, Baby should be banned because of its cruelty:

Rock-a-bye, Baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
Down will come baby,
Cradle and all.

I don't understand why this poem is still sung to children, anyway.

[Drex]

Rainbow sheep? Now homosexual are going to complain.

[Ruff Ryder]

Maybe changing "black sheep" to "rainbow sheep" is only going to make it even more racist when it wasn't intended to be racist in the first place?

It's like saying Rock-a-Bye, Baby should be banned because of its cruelty:

Rock-a-bye, Baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
Down will come baby,
Cradle and all.

I don't understand why this poem is still sung to children, anyway.

Exactly what I started thinking, same with
Ring around the Rosie
Pocket full of Posies
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down!
That originated from the Black Death (lol) aka the Bubonic plague which wiped out a quarter of Europe's population in the 14th century.

But the fact that they replace it with a rainbow sheep is messed up lol. I think replacing it with a rainbow sheep makes people look into it more as a racist thing than it really is. With a dumbass point of view, I could read into it as replacing black with gay, and accepting gay over black, but I'm not gonna be foolish and read that much into it. Hell, she's gotta get people to stop reciting the old version first. Just like when we changed French Fries to Freedom Fries, I don't call them freedom fries, I still call em French Fries.

[cyanide]

I still think the idea of changing french fries to freedom fries is just as stupid as changing black sheep to rainbow sheep. I'm not going to start saying it as "rainbow sheep," how retarded is that?

[KIG1]

im black and im not offended by the baa baa black sheep.

damn people make to much of racism

[Jackal]

I don't care much for the sheep thing, given I don't sing the nursery nor do I plan do so for my children. The freedom fries on the other hand, I refuse to call them freedom fries, I grew up calling them french fries, what stupidity is that? Now because everyone wants to become all correct etc, I'm supposed to go call them freedom fries? Oh go fuck yourself.

[Axel]

Hope I'm not bumping this thread too far... found this worth replying too though.

Eh

I'm black but I also think some of these allegations are pretty outlandish. I remember going to some fastfood place once with a friend and they didnt give us ketchup so interpreted that as being racist ("They gave that white guy ketchup"). I interpreted that as they have a million people in line and a drive through to attend to so I can at least accept that they might forget a thing or two every now and then.

I never recieve ketchup. I believe it's become standard practice to not give them out unless asked, to keep from wasting products. Also I never get salt with my food... or napkins.. gotta ask for everything anymore

[Bang]

Maybe changing "black sheep" to "rainbow sheep" is only going to make it even more racist when it wasn't intended to be racist in the first place?

It's like saying Rock-a-Bye, Baby should be banned because of its cruelty:

Rock-a-bye, Baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows
The cradle will rock;
When the bough breaks
The cradle will fall,
Down will come baby,
Cradle and all.

I don't understand why this poem is still sung to children, anyway.

Nothing beats Three Blind Mice when it comes to violence. (and isn't that insulting handicapped people?)

[Andrew]

That one will be next, right after "Sing a Song of Sixpence".

[shadowgrin]

This is baaad! Baaad I tell you.
Rock-a-bye Baby really is weird and freaked me out after I learned the words.
I thought, why would anyone sing this horrible rhyme to a kid or a baby?

Fuck political correctness. Why call "blacks" that are born in the U.S. "African-Americans", just call them "Americans" damn it, they are after all born as American citizens. Why don't they just call some of the "white" Americans as "British-Americans, Irish-Americans", etc. If political correctness was really to be implemented, the only ones desreving to be called just as "Americans" are the native American Indians.