A Woke Society? **Mod Warning In Post #435**

Sunny Disposition

It turns out society wasn't as woke as we thought. All it took was Twitter to change hands and the facade of loony liberal victory broke into a million pieces before our eyes.

People are back to giving out about years old Covid restrictions, burning out refugees and having sex with people of the opposite gender.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519083#Comment_121519083

Add to that all the people who’ve been cancelled being more popular than ever.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519083#Comment_121519083

It was always a facade - but if you judge society by what you read on Twitter, you're a fool.

NewbridgeIR

A very neckbeardy article in today's Irish Independent by Tanya Sweeney

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/tanya-sweeney-its-never-too-early-to-teach-children-about-physical-boundaries-even-with-santa/a44892303.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=seeding&fbclid=IwAR1tdKVHz4og7LOpM6qi66V0URdoWxdAepXe6K4vUCzaYLorCD-KEHIqpfc

Tanya Sweeney: It’s never too early to teach children about physical boundaries — even with Santa

"There’s some things you can always rely on this time of year: running out of batteries; a relative who makes dodgy Irish coffees yet swears it’s their ‘specialty’; and, among the most time-honoured of them all, a visit with Santa.

The latter can go one of several ways.

If you have really little kids, they can be starstruck by the big guy and effectively rendered mute. They can refuse point blank to have anything to do with him once he’s there in the flesh. Or they can scream the grotto down.

Brian Dowling and his husband Arthur Gourounlian were no doubt banking on the beginning of a lovely family tradition with their one-year-old daughter Blake when they took her to see Santa at Palmerstown House.

Yet their photo opp went a little awry when Blake realised she was “not 100pc sure of Santa”.

“Evidence will show from picture number 3 that when Santa got too close, Blake was HAVING NONE OF IT. Quoting her daddy, Blake was like BYEEEEEEEE,” they joked on Instagram later.

I get where Blake is coming from. He may be the person that brings everyone presents and festive cheer, but equally, Santa is a stranger and can often be a scary looking one at that when you’re a year old.

Luckily, Dowling, Gourounlian and their social media followers saw the light side. And look, no doubt Blake will look back at these photos in later years and laugh about the time she wriggled free from Santa.

But at the risk of sounding like the Grinch here, there’s probably a bigger conversation to be had about little kids and their own personal boundaries, Santa or not.

How many children have been told to sit on Santa’s lap, despite being clearly uncomfortable about it? And how many parents disregarded that discomfort, determined instead to make the most of a photo opportunity? It can’t be fun for Santa either, the poor overworked sod.

Earlier this week, when Santa took a visit to a Florida shopping centre, three-year-old Adley, the daughter of influencer Katie Love, told Santa ‘no’ when he asked if she wanted to sit on his lap. When Adley firmly set her boundaries with Santa, he praised her ability to communicate exactly what she wished.

What Irish family doesn’t have a picture of a smallie visiting Santa and, instead of enjoying the opportunity to get a word in ahead of the 25th, looks pretty spooked and upset instead?

And, after witnessing the moment in person, Love asked Santa to repeat his expert response on camera.

“This is her body and she’s in control of her body,” he told the camera.

“I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap and she said no, and I said: ‘Way to stand up for yourself and way to say what you believe is true.’”

We should be teaching small kids who are old enough to say it, to say no. Not just when it comes to Santa, but any situation in which they feel physically uncomfortable or compromised.

They need to learn that it’s not rude or impolite to look after their own physical boundaries.

’Tis the season to visit Santa, but ’tis also the season to catch up with extended family, which means every house in the country will hear some variation on the ‘give your auntie Breda a kiss there’ refrain.

Parents often mean well, but I’ve lost count of the times I’ve told a young niece or cousin or friend’s child that they don’t need to give me a hug or kiss just because their mum told them to.

Many’s the Christmas in which I was told, as a young child, to hug this uncle that I never saw, or kiss that great-aunt that I didn’t know.

My parents meant well, of course, and kids were not really encouraged at the time to opt out, but I wish I’d been given the permission to say no or least do things on my own terms."

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Boards.ie's law: As a thread about woke grows longer, the probability of it descending into basic linkdumping approaches 1.

That's four in the last page-and-a-half now.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522015#Comment_121522015

What in the suffering Lord Jesus is your point??

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121516691#Comment_121516691

A simple statement of the obvious.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121519083#Comment_121519083

You imagine that twitter/x is representative of anyone but the loony fringe. Most people have never been on either as they have to much sense. Twitter represents nothing real.

thegame983

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121516691#Comment_121516691

They're just regurgitating American identity politics and the clapping seals lap it up.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522673#Comment_121522673

As opposed to Irish identity politics which have been reguritated by various national bodies for the clapping seals to lap up since 1921 (and probably before)...?

NewbridgeIR

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522274#Comment_121522274

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522449#Comment_121522449

I did think that my description of the article was sufficient. Anyway....

1/ TS conflates Santa (fictional character) with strangers and conveniently overlooks that an adult is always with the child at time of visit

2/ The most logical reason for the nervousness is completely omitted. The child knows that they're in the presence of somebody who has absolute power over their gifts and some of them will be apprehensive as a result.

3/ Article comes across as needlessly preachy and joyless.

There are 105 comments on the Irish Independent's Facebook page for this piece. 99% are negative.

thegame983

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523234#Comment_121523234

Ignore these posters. All they do is leave snarky responses to anything posted in this thread.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523234#Comment_121523234

That writer is an absolute dose , everything she writes is pure garbage.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523234#Comment_121523234

The thing is you never actually made a point. You just called it "a neckbeardy article". I mean: so what...?

Make a point relevant to the thread title and then use the article to back up your point. But without an opinion or point, there's really nothing for us to debate.

Jack Daw

According to a letter to the Editor in today's Irish independent Ireland is possibly the most racist country in the world.

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-ireland-may-well-be-the-most-racist-and-discriminatory-country-in-the-world/a692030881.html

Considering that genocide of ethnic minorities has occurred in numerous countries around the world in the past century and considering that's some countries don't allow foreigners to attain citizenship at all and considering some countries have incredibly restrictive immigration laws (much more restrictive than Ireland) and considering citizens in some countries weren't allowed to vote due to the colour of their skins, I would suggest all evidence points to the contrary and Ireland is probably one of the least racist countries in the world.The one thing we are the best at in the world is pathetic self hatred and a sense of guilt over for no reason

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523315#Comment_121523315

I think comparing Ireland now to counties historically isn't really an equal playing field, and nor is it equal to compare it to non-democratic countries, but I would agree with you - the claim is a bit hysterical.

Bigotry mych more so than racism is definitely on the rise though. Its one of those things that could lead to the statement being true if it's not nipped in the bud, but it doesn't have to woke OR racist - the vast majority of Irish people are neither.

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121501765#Comment_121501765

Imagine walking into work and saying "All the black people in here are bad for my mental health".

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523277#Comment_121523277

So asking someone to make a poin we can devate and not linkdump is 'snarky' now, eh?!

Jack made a very good point above and I replied to it two posts above this, so that blows your theory out of the water. If you disagree with either him or me, feel free to reply. If you don't, don't. Simple.

Jack Daw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523447#Comment_121523447

Even excluding historical comparisons, we're a fair more tolerant society than the vast majority around the world.I think that writer appears to be unaware how racist most of eastern Europe is for example, or how little immigration China allows to it.

There are very few countries in the world as tolerant and accepting as Ireland is, people who think this isn't the case are just completely ignorant about the rest of the world so they think there are a few incidents of racism in the one country they're aware of therefore it must be the most racist country on earth.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523835#Comment_121523835

In trms of racism, yes, i'd agree with you. But in terms of iverall bigotry we're probsbly about average. Certaunly mot the worst one way or the other.

Not sure how you'd go about empiricaly measureing it though.

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121504079#Comment_121504079

By replying to me you made it personal. And yes you denigrated persons posts. Read the charter.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526267#Comment_121526267

I have no idea what you’re on about. I may have denigrated someone’s post, there have been a lot of stupid posts. But that’s what I am calling stupid, the content of the posts not the people.

Stop being so sensitive

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522673#Comment_121522673

edit : mixed up posters

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526607#Comment_121526607

Reads forum charter...stop being a dick mod.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526624#Comment_121526624

If you’ve a problem with my posts, report them.

Im not being a dick and I don’t moderate this forum.

gameoverdude

I can't report at the moment. Can somebody else do it for me please

Edit you are a mod. You know the rules. Your posts were dickish.

Jequ0n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527062#Comment_121527062

Done. Though you know nothing will come of it

gameoverdude

Of course

Hamsterchops

Is Ireland a woke society?

That's the question as posed in post #1 of this thread, and to be honest I don't know the answer, but I do know that in recent years the BBC is being accused of being woke, and I can certainly say there's probably something in that ....

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121555524#Comment_121555524

If you’re against censorship, Boards isn’t the right place for you. Every forum has rules.