FUCK OFF FUCK OFF FUCK OFF

[thedivinegoat]

So Cullyn brought home a booklet from school - one of these Help your Child to Read (cos if you don't do this you're a shitty parent) and please make use of this voucher to buy one of our fine products (50p off if you spend £50) things.

Page 7 read thus

Let boys be boys and girls be girls

Until the day your daughter expresses an interest in rocket science or your son gets into show jumping, you won't go far wrong if you try them out with these kinds of books...


Boys...

• ...enjoy books about their interests - especially dinosaurs!
  
• ...like books that are a bit scary, funny or have silly jokes.
  
• ...often have a shorter attention span, so books you can dip in and out of may work better for them. Try comic strip books and non fiction.
  
• ...prefer big, bold, colourful illustrations or things that can be moved or touched.
  
• ...like reading to have a purpose, for example books that show you how to make things.

Girls...

• ...enjoy series of books about the same characters.
  
• ...like to listen to talking books and watch DVDs of favourite books.
  
• ...enjoy a bit of fantasy, magic and make believe - princesses, castles, etc. like sparkle and glitter on the pages.
  
• enjoy books that have props with them - dolls, soft toys, dressing-up clothes.
  
  
  RAGE HULK KILL SMASH
  
  
  I will of course be complaining to the school, and to the fuckhead at the local education authority who thought it would a good idea to send this crap out, so any suggestions for good turns of phrases will be gratefully received.
  
  I need a feminist rage icon.

Comments

[the_changeling]

"I so enjoyed your instructions on letting little boys be boys and little girls be girls. Personally, I'd always felt it was more appropriate to let them be people. I can see the depth of my mistake now, as I'd failed to notice that hegemony wasn't to blame for gender stereotyping, but as you say, it is somehow biologically innate. I do confess to being perplexed however, on how to follow through on these suggestions, without letting my children in on the secret that they can no longer choose their reading according to personality, as opposed to gender. For instance, that hugely noted and distinguished series of books with the same characters and magical creatures by J.R.R. Tolkein, a man, is on my 'male' bookshelf. Whereas my book selections on females who've won the Nobel Prize in Sciences, must, alas, be tranferred into the 'male' section as I swap J.R.R Tolkein out to the 'female' shelf.

I don't suppose you could send someone round to advise me on which books should be in the pink bedroom, and which in the blue? Somewhat akin to the pink and blue shelving units in a certain toy store? I'd hate my daughters to catch me reading the wrong book to them, after all they might get a totally inappropriate view of what roles are open to them in society? Must dash, my little princesses are on top of the garden tree, pretending to be pirates: can't have them letting the side down like that."

[thaddeusfavour]

That's pretty brilliant. Funny too. :P

[thedivinegoat]

I think I might actually have to send that in. That is awesome.