Women/Mums. Aren't you sick of changing nursery rhymes?

Question

Things like 'Miss Polly' song now has a female doctor and silly stuff like that. I realise its intentions but it's warping the historical place of these traditional songs. What next? The Duke of York's a gal with 10,000 chicks? Dr. Foster's a she? Sleeping Beauty's a fella? Let's stop all this rubbish. Feminism isn't made of changing the words to old songs.

Yes, but where does updating them leave us? It's boys these days who need good role models anyway. It's all very girl-centric all of a sudden and it feels false. I grew up with original nursery rhyme wording, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty etc. and it has not hampered my professional progress.

Answer 1

I agree. Blue (the cat) says that tradition is a art that is loosing ground in today's society. I am looking for Xmas toys for my grandchildren and have been given rules. This means I can not buy weapons, dolls, trucks, tools, fantasy items and this makes it hard to shop. I have to buy things that are not gender related. I was informed that everything has to be asexual because we do not wish to stereotype the children. We do not want them to be violent and we can not let buy things that may enhance a imagination. Blue (the cat) says it is down right goofy.....For goodness sakes lets stick to tradition and sing our songs and play the way we want. Today it seems everything is censored and children are lucky if they even get to hear music and stories. Good luck with your nursery rhymes. May you never forget the traditional version and sing out loud all that you can remember. Before we begin the dark ages all over again. Goodness next they will start burning books in the court yard.

Answer 2

This is an interesting topic. I side with the people who believe that what you put into tiny people's brains at an early age is important imprinting for later in life so I see nothing wrong with taking this into consideration. A good many of the early
nursery rhymes were actually forms of political protest and criticism with thinly veiled references to the faults of British royalty. They're very interesting from that standpoint to study but they don't have any real meaning in today's society. So, why offer updated rhymes? Or as someone above said, mix the old with the new. We like the old because they remind of us of our own childhoods but that is not their primary purpose, is it?

EDIT to add: Here's an example of the actual meaning of Ba Ba Black Sheep. It's not racial at all. http://nurseryrhymes.allinfoabout.com/Baa_baa_black_sheep.html

RoVale: The in the version of Sleeping Beauty that I grew up with the prince did kiss the Snow White, no other hankie pankie going on. No twins.

Answer 3

I actually am more interested in hearing the background stories of these nursery rhymes. What many parents tell to their children today are heavily santized versions of much more gruesome stories that were written centuries ago. Many of them were written as warnings to children as to what could happen to them if they misbehaved. I like the originals more than the santized stories because they actually make sense. For example, what do you really think Jack and Jill were doing? You don't go up a hill to fetch water since it flows downhill and is more likely to be in a low lying place than on top of a hill. They were doing something else up there.

By the way, Sleeping Beauty was not awakened by a kiss. As to what he did to her, let's just say that she ended up having twins, a boy and a girl.

Answer 4

I don't think that these changes are at all pervasive. Most people just carry on with the traditional. There is much more to gender conditioning than nursery rhymes.
Nothing wrong with changing the odd pronoun though - it is a tiny difference, and if children are always hearing he then they will associate he with all those roles (ie everything except mum, g'ma and sister) - I want my children to know that women are in all roles in life and are just as good in those roles.
I think that the baa baa black sheep thing is conservatives trying to make liberals look stupid. I have never heard of it in any real context at all.

Answer 5

I say keep the old songs but sing new songs, too. Mix it up. Kids need a sense of the reality of our history, but they also need to be able to imagine alternatives. BUT I don't want my daughter thinking her only alternatives are waiting for her prince to come. She can hear Cinderella but she'll also hear The Paper Bag Princess!

By the way, I am wholly against the Disneyfication of all the old stories....like The Little Mermaid with a happy ending? Yeek! I suppose they want The Little Matchgirl to win the lottery, too. It's insidious and creepy.

Answer 6

Maybe I live in a bubble or something, but im not aware of any of this? While I have noticed a few new nursery rhymes, since twenty years ago, but not many feminism ones.

Answer 7

It does seem to me that changing words in songs and books to reflect an updated cultural belief is somewhat destructive to history.

Changing "he" to "she" in a nursery rhyme, or taking the N-word out of Mark Twain, isn't going to magically make sexism or racism disappear. And in a way I think it's helpful to preserve things as they were deemed appropriate in their time. They help us gauge just how far we've come.

Answer 8

I agree.My friend(who is very um...lets say robust) just complained to the choir leader of the a song the kids are planning to sing at the schools xmas program.The verse "Jolly Ol fat Saint Nick " offends her.

Answer 9

Funny, I figured that nursery rhymes, of all things, had been left untouched. Is this really a problem of sick-getting proportions?

Answer 10

I love tradition, its amazing how many things are changing and there is only minimal value. I have a duaghter and I teach her she is her own master. I still read the old stories to her.