The Three Potentially Offensive Pigs
I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow down your shoddily constructed...
Shoo-fly publishing's The Three Little Cowboy Builders is circulating the blogosphere as the latest casualty of eager political correctness. The digital pop-up book based on the classic story, The Three Little Pigs, was not shortlisted for the first annual (British government-backed) BETT Awards because, according to the panel of educator-judges, "the use of pigs raises cultural issues."
Today's BBC News report elaborated on the panel's judgment. Apparently, the use of pigs in the story was considered potentially offensive to Muslims. And Asians. And, well, construction workers:
The judges criticised the stereotyping in the story of the unfortunate pigs: "Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?"
(Examples of judges' comments must have been released by someone associated with the book, because they are not reflected at all in this vague public statement, which essentially says that the book just wasn't good enough.)
Looking for some kind of response from any of the potentially offended communities, I found this Daily Mail article from March 2007, about a church school that renamed their Three Pigs musical "The Three Little Puppies." It includes a statement from Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra of the Muslim Council of Britain who said, "The vast majority of Muslims have no problem whatsoever with the Three Little Pigs. There's an issue about the eating of pork, which is forbidden, but there is no prohibition about reading stories about pigs."
No comment so far from the builders. Bob?
For the oft-maligned wolf's perspective, you can also check out children's laureate Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! --Heidi
stanley smith on January 25, 2008 at 02:54 AM
What a load of religious crap
Joe on January 25, 2008 at 07:14 AM
So who is offended by the wolf?
Are people with prosthetic legs going to be offended by peg-legged pirates? Are lawyers offended by sharks or leeches?
I'm offended by trees in stories that move and talk and eat people... C'mon people... Last time I spoke to a tree, I couldn't understand a word it said, and it wasn't fast enough to grab me and eat me....
Jacknut on January 25, 2008 at 08:18 AM
This isn't a religious thing as much as PCniks being oversensitive.
JMHawkins on January 25, 2008 at 08:27 AM
Didn't someone coin a term for what the judges have done here? Beclown themselves.
Wildmonk on January 25, 2008 at 08:28 AM
If I were Muslim, I'd be offended at people thinking that I was so easily offended...
moptop on January 25, 2008 at 08:39 AM
Shakespeare used the word "beclown". Somebody may have revived it recently whom I hope is doing better after his recent surgery in Australia, but that somebody did not coin it.
Jim C on January 25, 2008 at 08:40 AM
Dogs are unclean Haram as well unless used for hunting purposes. So the puppies would not work either.
Michael on January 25, 2008 at 08:43 AM
One is left wondering how long before Orwell's "Animal Farm" will be rewritten substituting vegetables for pigs, a la Veggie Tales.
willis on January 25, 2008 at 09:44 AM
"If I were Muslim, I'd be offended at people thinking that I was so easily offended..."
Not true. You would be easily offended and fill obligated to kill whoever offended you.
plutosdad on January 25, 2008 at 09:56 AM
Wait a minute, they seriously think that PUPPIES about to get eaten by a wolf is somehow LESS offensive to children? Hello? Were they trying to make all the children cry or something? What kinds of morons run that school.
Banjo on January 25, 2008 at 10:09 AM
What kind of morons? Educators.
Sam on January 25, 2008 at 10:18 AM
Leftists are so eager to express their dhimmitude that they are outpacing the demands of the Islamists.
Pathetic.
The Luke on January 25, 2008 at 10:20 AM
This is Britain, eh? Unfortunately, I'm not surprised.
TallDave on January 25, 2008 at 10:55 AM
I am offended by books, which are against my new religion that I've just invented, so I demand the BETT stop giving awards to books, or I will be forced to call for their deaths (though mine is a religion of peace, and I will kill anyone who says otherwise).
Californio on January 25, 2008 at 10:58 AM
Is it not a form of condescension to assume a member of the "other" (i.e. not my group) is so sensitive that your merely mentioning something like a pig is enough to make them swoon?
Tim in TX on January 25, 2008 at 11:04 AM
While it is true that in this instance it looks to be a case of PC run amok, not religius nuttery, I recall seeing several instances in the past of muslims freaking out over dogs or pigs (let's not even get started on the ice cream)
When little children throw tantrums, do we reward them with giving them what they want? (well, some parents do, and I think you'd find a correlation between them and the appeaseniks) No, we don't Screw Three Little Pigs, let's publish The Story of Bacon.
Bill Hopper on January 25, 2008 at 02:04 PM
Maybe if Jews threatened to bomb buses and underground stations or set fire to entire neighborhoods then the Anti-Semite UK would take notice of the same pig prohibition affecting keeping Kosher that the Anti-Semite UK is so solicitous about when it affects Muslims.
Maybe.
M@ on January 25, 2008 at 02:34 PM
I love the judges rationalization! I'm going to disappear LOTS of stories using that logic.
"is it really true that stepmothers are wicked? Are we saying that step-parents want to kill children?"
"would a person REALLY like eggs and ham even if it was green? are we saying that the pork and poultry industry is not telling us the truth?"
""is it true that cats wear hats and cause trouble if your parents arent home?"
""Is the jungle really where the wild things are, and isn't that saying that African people are monsters?"
This way no one will be offended. Of course, in a perfect world there would BE no books, because thats how these kinds of racist and offensive words are spread.
j on January 25, 2008 at 03:37 PM
You are all missing the point. The story is being targeted because the moral is offensive to leftists. Islam is a convenient pretense.
Expect other works with "conservative" themes to be similarly targeted (e.g. Animal Farm).
The Luke on January 28, 2008 at 12:08 AM
If only Orwell were here to see this....