My latest parenting mistake which I blame on my ADHD: Fi got cast as Tiger Lily in our school play (Peter Pan) so I immediately panicked. I ordered 4 (or 5) different styles of inexpensive Indian costumes on Amazon. And some plastic American Indian jewelry. And a hundred feathers and 3 headbands and stuff to make headbands in case the pre-made headbands didn’t work out. And two types of Indian feather earrings. And mocassins!
After all the stuff arrived, after we had put it all together to create the perfect American Indian costume, I found out that the school had revised Peter Pan to be “politically correct” – they took out the mermaids, removed the slang, changed the “Lost Boys” to the gender-neutral “Lost Children,” and changed the Indians to NATIVE ISLANDERS with nary a FEATHER to be had! Apparently, politically correct natives wear HULA SKIRTS and LEIS!
Who ever heard of a Tiger Lily without the iconic feather?
Now I have to go scare up a hula girl, and I’m tired. Scampering around like I do to keep one-step ahead of forgetting things is exhausting.
Next Halloween, whether they like it or not, my kids are going as a tribe of politically-incorrect Indians.
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Hahaha! Whoops.
I am confused, can’t we leave things the way they are supposed to be? And work with it? Is it not age appropriate? I get so confused by what’s good and what’s deemed bad. I am making my own list of what I want my kids to read and see. Before its gone. Tiger Lily no feathers – what’s next?
You’re so right – if Tiger Lily is politically incorrect, what does that make all the characters in Huckleberry Finn?
I don’t understand this decision at all. Why is a pacific islander more PC than a Native American? The controversy comes in with the WAY you portray someone – not who you are portraying. Like the racists/cartoonish images some football teams have used of Native Americans. Not the feathers and the mocassins. I can totally understand your frustration!
I’m really only frustrated at myself for going ahead and getting all the Indian costumes. The people at the school are so nice – her teacher is hand-sewing her native islander costume for me since I can’t sew (!). I’m not sure why they changed them to islanders but I will find out! Also, I’m really attached to the idea of Tiger Lily being an Indian with the feather.
Looks like somebody at the school has some issues…Ah, I hope the kids still like the play and to be a part of it. And, I wanted to say the same thing – next Halloween you don’t need to worry about the costumes!
Yeah we’re all going as Indians, with costumes to spare! Hopefully I’ll be able to convince my kid’s friends to go as Indians, too! (-:
The slacker in me wants to say that this is what happens when you are prepared, but that is probably just my years of unpreparedness talking. It is nice that the teacher is going to help with the costume. I would be lost if someone expected me to sew a costume.
I don’t understand changing the Indians to Native Islanders, at all. I prefer it when they stick to the original story.
I don’t think so if costumes should be judges from political aspect. Political correction is only important for the adults because they often misuse these things. Children just wanna have fun, they don’t care about politics!
Ah, yes. Welcome to the education system that will decide for you what is offensive. History is full of events and people who run the gamut from selfless and heroic to callous and evil, who hail from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are human and are flawed, and need to tell our history as it happened, rather than whitewashing it, or worrying that someone will be offended at it. Goodness gracious!
My thoughts are with you as you journey further into the public school system and encounter so much more silliness and political correctness! Thankfully, you will meet teachers who are absolute treasures, and then you will also run up against the rest.
Thanks for that head’s up, Kim! (-: