Why are we teaching children to be fascist?

I had a conversation with my three year old recently that went something like this:

Her: Let's build a castle.

Me: OK

Her: you build it and I do this

She starts to pretend to preen herself in an imaginary mirror. I pile up six pillows 

Her: Do I look pretty mummy?

Me: I think you are pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing. You going to climb up?

She eagerly clambers atop the pile

Her: You need to climb my hair cause I can't get down 

Me: Why can't you climb down? 

Her: You need to climb up my hair though.

Me: But that would hurt you, don't you think. I reckon you are clever enough to climb down on your own. 

She climbs down looking pleased with herself

Me: Well done. See you can do it.

Her: Now you be stuck in the tower and I climb up your hair.

Me: But that would hurt if you climbed up my hair.

Her (Stroking my hair) : But it's ok now it's yellow.

Me: Come on let's both climb up

Silliness ensued.

I moved on from the yellow comment because it threw me so much. I would love to know where my daughter picked up in so much detail the story of Rapunzel. I was very glad to have the opportunity to present an alternative reading of the story and as she get's older I'll continue to offer a critique.

But it saddened my soul that we are clearly teaching fascism to three year olds. My three year old thinks it is preferable to have blond hair. Just reflect upon that. Can we please stop telling children these horrific tales of violence and prejudice.

Dear World

Dear World,

I am writing to you because you are a very dear friend and I am under the impression you are not 100% at ease and really quiet worried about us. We are very grateful for your concern but feel it is quiet misplaced. 

When I was going on maternity leave with my first child with no job to return too due to lack of funding, I didn't get the overwhelming impression that you were concerned about 'what I would do'. It seemed it was a for-gone conclusion. I was now a 'mother' that was work enough.

My best friend was concerned, but we quickly learned not to discus it around you world, lest we be chastised for not considering devoting yourself to your children as important. (Something we never said or thought)

Now that same best friend is going on paternity leave which I am gathering world is making you extremely anxious. It would seem that you are deeply concerned about him 'not working' and taking time to devote to his children possibly a 'waste' of his talents and skills.

Do you see the contradiction?

It would seem to us dear world that you are defining us in a way we do not wish to be defined. You are defining me by my relational status and aforementioned best friend by what he does. Neither of us wish to be defined by either of these things. It will be messier and less simple but we think you will be richly rewarded if you get to know us as we are with all our contradictions and frailties. 

And instead of becoming anxious by the choices we are making why not use them to catalyse your own imagination of what might be possible.

In deepest love

Me :)

A New Year

Inspired by Hannah Mudge's blog here are some reflections and some looking forward to 2014.

2013 was an odd year. I was mostly pregnant which drained me of energy. Life was pretty stressful for a number of reasons and mostly I was glad to see the back of it. It did have some redeeming features, a new baby and some fabulous lodgers. Like Hannah I also found little time to write and when I did found myself getting into probably pointless discussions about gender differences.

2014 feels like a very new year and I am getting increasingly energetic about it. There is so much to be done. 

Today I began to read the news again - depressing. 

First thing I read yet another suggestion we are in danger of heading to a police state. 

Then for one reason or another I ended up on the Center For Social Justice Website which caused me to become so irritated I overcame years of deliberating and waiting for them to swing to the left and joined the labor party.

So first blog of the year, hear are my thoughts on the Center for Social Justice. I am too depressed to deal with 'ipnas'.

Center for Social Justice - sounds like the sort of thing I should love. I do not I find it incredibly problematic. 

My first problem is its name. Social Justice means something in common understanding. the Center has taken the phrase and appropriated it for their own purpose. Social Justice in most people's understanding, would involve changing the social structures in which people are oppressed. 

CSJ narrative seems to be that social breakdown causes poverty. Reading between the lines would suggest they think people chose to be poor. Most social justice activists and organisations would probably argue that poverty caused by economic inequality causes much 'social breakdown'.

I could get over all this if the they described  themselves as a right of center think tank on social issues. But they don't they describe themselves as 'independent'. They have pictures of Cameron all over their website and most crucially they were set up by Ian Duncan Smith. Are they really trying to convince me they are free to critique government policy? All this explains the 'social breakdown' rhetoric though.

Bllur!!!

Then I read that Cameron's barber got given an MBE. 

I imagine I will be blogging quiet a lot of grump this year and hopefully seeing some collectivist action against ridiculousness.  

I was given a red beret for Christmas. Wearing it definitely makes me feel revolutionary. To the non-violent resistant barricade and lets all get an ipnas.