The school held the World Book Day celebrations by asking Year 7 children to come dressed as famous literary characters.
The Fifty Shades of Grey series has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and depicts a relationship between college graduate Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey.
It is notorious for explicit scenes featuring sex acts involving bondage.Just as ‘Dracula’ is notorious for scenes of horror, and ‘Schindler’s List’ is notorious for themes dealing with Nazism.
Yet would the school have turned a hair if he’d come dressed accordingly?
She said: “We thought it was funny. We were walking home from school and he had the idea of going as Christian Grey.
“At first we laughed it off but then we discussed it with a few friends and saw the funny side and decided it was quite a good costume idea.
“He went in a suit and shoes and with an eye mask and cable ties. The cable ties were tiny and not enough to do anything with them. We didn’t think there would be a problem.
“I got a phonecall home from the school saying the outfit was inappropriate and that he had been excluded from taking part or being in any of the photographs.”I despair. I really, really do. If the school didn't want any ‘inappropriate costumes’, did they consider sending home some guidelines?
Perhaps to the teachers too, for whom a fictitious serial killer is just fine and dandy?
The M.E.N has attempted to contact Sale High for comment but it has so far been unavailable.Ah. But this is 2015. That couldn’t last:
…the school insisted he was able to fully take part in the WBD event after his costume had been "modified."
A spokesman said: "The school stands by the decision it made yesterday in relation to the costume worn by one of its students to World Book Day.
"The decision reflects the school's high standards in terms of student behaviour, welfare and safeguarding.
"The student was not excluded from taking part in any of the activities as has been wrongly reported, his costume was modified and he was then able to fully participate and enjoy the day with his peers.
"The aim of our world book day events was to celebrate and encourage reading and we are disappointed that what was a fantastic day for our students, has been marred by this issue."No, marred by your complete and utter overreaction to the incident, actually.
The entire debacle also gave the usual suspects a chance to sneer at the reading habits of the lower classes:
Yeah, that doesn't ooze smug condescension one bit, love. I guess we can leave out any idea that jealousy might have prompted this? I'm sure being a freelance policy and law reformer specialising in criminal justice & gender equality brings in the big bucks as much as writing chick-lit....
Bunny
ReplyDeleteRight, I have not read 50 Shades of Grey, but I gather it is a book, I believe the give away is that it has a cover which tells you its name, and writing on the inside. As opposed to say an aardvark which doesn't.
To be fair Julia, it is a shit read but fair play to the 'author', she's done very well out of it and I bet most women just skimmed through to the naughty bits.
ReplyDelete"...Policy and law reformer, now freelance..."
ReplyDeleteIn other words, a self-important little nobody who's so far up her own rectum she can tickle her tonsils...
"I despair. I really, really do. If the school didn't want any ‘inappropriate costumes’, did they consider sending home some guidelines?"
ReplyDeleteBecause you shouldn't need a guideline regarding an 11 year old and erotica, especially as it's supposed to be about a child's favourite book. You're basically into a visit from social services if you're saying that's the case.
You might need a guideline for 14-15 year olds - I was reading Fanny Hill around that time.
I'm almost always up for a bit of teacher-bashing, and this exercise strikes me as ill-considered and of dubious educational value, but in this case I'd rather direct all my fire elsewhere. I'm not a parent, but who would even think of an 11-year old son as a character from an erotic novel? Yuk.
ReplyDelete"She said: “We thought it was funny. We were walking home from school and he had the idea of going as Christian Grey." So, it appears that an 11 year old boy was aware of a storyline involving sado-masochism, whipping, bondage, and tampon dealing. Just what sort of planet is the mother of this kid on and what kind of relationship will he have in his later years? If he becomes a billionaire, then he can do what he wants (all the others do) but if he becomes a gas fitter, plumber or something in 'social meeja', he's likely to end up in court and on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life. The storyline is crap, the characters two dimensional and the plot has, allegedly, been (carefully) plagiarised from several other erotic tomes. Still, it could have been worse, he could have gone as Russell Brand spouting his rant about how to improve society (starting with suicide would be a good start).
ReplyDeletePenseivat
To be fair I haven't read the trilogy. Although my wife has been wading through it. I am not a young man and confess that our love making of late has been a tad violent. Luckily, I have a gentle mistress who is always ready with the ungent.
ReplyDelete50 shades of grey?
ReplyDeleteYou mean Ilford film in the 80s?
I'm with the stigler on this....who would need guidelines?
ReplyDeleteI sent my son to 'Book Day' dressed as Hitler. Have you ever read 'Mein Kampf'? A turgid read, indeed. Anyway, it didn't go down too well with the 'authorities'. To be fair, my son didn't make a convincing Hitler as he is blond. I
ReplyDeleteXX Have you ever read 'Mein Kampf'? XX
ReplyDeleteYes. And I still challenge people to this day to show me EXACTLY where in Mein Kampf he EVER suggested killing Jews.
They never can, because he DID not!
(Not in Mein Kampf, and not in his "Table talks" either.)
"...and I bet most women just skimmed through to the naughty bits."
ReplyDeleteNot a bet I suspect you'd lose... ;)
"In other words, a self-important little nobody who's so far up her own rectum she can tickle her tonsils..."
Spot on!
"Because you shouldn't need a guideline regarding an 11 year old and erotica..."
There's a fair amount of that thrown in too...
"I'm not a parent, but who would even think of an 11-year old son as a character from an erotic novel?"
ReplyDeleteSomeone who's only just more mature than her child..?
"Still, it could have been worse, he could have gone as Russell Brand spouting his rant about how to improve society..."
Heh!
"I sent my son to 'Book Day' dressed as Hitler. Have you ever read 'Mein Kampf'? "
I bet she wishes she'd thought of that one now!