Anyone else offended by cowboys that build?

[[GH-SC]Ryctor]

Apparently muslims in England might be (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325109,00.html)

The animated virtual book for primary school children, The Three Little Cowboy Builders, was also criticized for its potential to offend builders.

The row centered on the Bett awards, which were supported by Becta, the Government’s technology agency for schools. The judges’ remarks, reported on the education technology Web site Merlin John Online, included: “Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?



What.The.Fuck is a cowboy builder and why is he offending the cranky english muslims? :confused::confused:

Limeys confuse me more and more every day.

[LongStepMantis]

Ok.
So when is the "we have to kiss Muslim's ass for no reason" parade going to end?
I don't have anything against them, apart from the whole "want me to be dead" part.
But why the hell does anyone care if they're offended? They aren't special.

And then they say it might offend builders...
That's it, someone call me when all these politically correct assholes die.
I wanna make the most politically incorrect children's book in history, just so I can smile while everyone complains about it, and give them the finger as I slowly drive off in my baby seal skin covered limo fueled by orphans.

[mr. murphy]

I wanna make the most politically incorrect children's book in history, just so I can smile while everyone complains about it, and give them the finger as I slowly drive off in my fur-coated limo fueled by orphans.

I wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Mother Lost Her Head". It told the story (in rhyme!) of two little children searching for their mother's body, which had wandered off without her head. Each page had a picture of the mother doing something humorously head related - trying on a bowling bowl, karaoke singing - all with copious amounts of neck spray blood.

For some reason I can't find an interested publisher!

[LongStepMantis]

I wrote and illustrated a children's book called "Mother Lost Her Head". It told the story (in rhyme!) of two little children searching for their mother's body, which had wandered off without her head. Each page had a picture of the mother doing something humorously head related - trying on a bowling bowl, karaoke singing - all with copious amounts of neck spray blood.

For some reason I can't find an interested publisher!

murph, if I was a publisher, you would have yourself a fucking deal. :D

[roboninja]

Yet another case of "Politically Correct" BS. I have been lucky not to have much of this type of thing affect me personally, because I do not think I would react well to such insanity.

[[GH-SC]Ryctor]

But what the hell is a cowboy builder?!?!?!?!

[Ancalagon]

There was a play in the UK, that was about the 3 Little Pigs. It was changed to the 3 little puppies, because apparently because Muslims dont eat meat, they are offended by pigs.

Right. Funny thing was, the newspaper asked a Muslim community leader what he thought, and he thought it just showed how ignorant they were - they arent offended by pigs.

But ya, this case is totally stupid, and I think anyone who is offended by cowboy builders needs a big can of STFU.

[LongStepMantis]

Ryctor;1220959']But what the hell is a cowboy builder?!?!?!?!

Obviously, they build cowboys...I think.

[[GH-SC]Ryctor]

So confused!! :confused::confused::confused:

[SuicideKing]

It's because it's a version of the three pigs story, you know with the wolf blowing down the crappy houses of the first two? The key is pigs. Yes, Britain is going WAY overboard with their pandering to muslims. Quite sad to see. The beef is, the three little pigs in that fairy tale were builders. OH noes!!!! That must be implying that reciprocally, builders are pigs! Pigs are unclean, therefore, this story offends muslim builders.

It's utterly retarded, some people need to grow the fuck up.

[bKangy]

It's very stupid - what annoys me more is that it is very, very rarely the Muslim population who brings up the supposed offence and consequently tars them really badly. It's a small minority of people who have very little in the way of any understanding of how different cultures are actually mingling in this nation. This is touched on in the article:

"To be told that we cynically set out to alienate minority groups is a very narrow-minded view.” She said the group had had messages of support from the local community, including Muslims. The book had already won an award in a separate competition."

[DevilUknow]

I looks to me that it was banned because it was offensive to BUILDERS (http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3104670&c=1) not Muslims. The term Cowboy Builder refers to undocumented and untrained builders, and doesn't have anything to do with Muslims.

It also mentions that Muslims probably wouldn't buy it due to the use of pigs as characters, so it sounds more like a business decision than woolly headed liberals trying to destroy democracy.

I think Fox News just thought they saw a "stupid rag head" story and ran with it.

[[GH-SC]Ryctor]

I looks to me that it was banned because it was offensive to BUILDERS (http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=284&storycode=3104670&c=1) not Muslims. The term Cowboy Builder refers to undocumented and untrained builders, and doesn't have anything to do with Muslims.

It also mentions that Muslims probably wouldn't buy it due to the use of pigs as characters, so it sounds more like a business decision than woolly headed liberals trying to destroy democracy.

I think Fox News just thought they saw a "stupid rag head" story and ran with it.

Errr did I link the fox news story?? I thought I'd copied the london times link thats in the fox story..

[Ancalagon]

Faux News does it again. Can we ban them from this site? Just ban the word fox.

[SuicideKing]

Faux News does it again. Can we ban them from this site? Just ban the word fox.

:rolleyes:

This (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/children/article3241394.ece) make you feel better?

[DevilUknow]

Well, The Times are owned by News Corp (http://www.newsint.co.uk/) I believe, so same shit, different pile.

And it still seems the story is more focused on potential offense to builders. The head-line seems a mite inflammatory.

[IrishWhiskey]

Oh for crying out loud. Here's a slightly more accurate description without an anti-Muslim agenda.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7204635.stm

But judges at this year's Bett Award said that they had "concerns about the Asian community and the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

The Three Little Cowboy Builders has already been a prize winner at the recent Education Resource Award - but its Newcastle-based publishers, Shoo-fly, were turned down by the Bett Award panel.

The feedback from the judges explaining why they had rejected the CD-Rom highlighted that they "could not recommend this product to the Muslim community".

They also warned that the story might "alienate parts of the workforce (building trade)".

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?" She said the group had had messages of support from the local community, including Muslims. The book had already won an award in a separate competition.This book wasn't pulled because of objections by any Muslims. Thats wasn't even the heart of the judges idiotic comments. It was because they thought that it demeaned builders and that pigs wouldn't fly well (pun) with Asians, Muslims, Hindus, and other cultures. With is of course retarded, but not part of a global conspiracy to surrender to fundamentalist Islam.

[IrishWhiskey]

Ryctor;1220931']Anyone else offended by cowboys that build?
Apparently muslims in England might

What.The.Fuck is a cowboy builder and why is he offending the cranky english muslims? :confused::confused:

Limeys confuse me more and more every day.They don't. The judges thought they might offend builders. But Fox News conveniently left that part out of the original story.

Picture from the book:
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44375000/jpg/_44375959_pig203.jpg

[Dr. Douche Nozzle]

I don't understand how can one not like bacon....its so tasty!

[Karamazov]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44375000/jpg/_44375959_pig203.jpg

Looks like a Lovecraftian horror.

[Atepsflame]

They don't. The judges thought they might offend builders. But Fox News conveniently left that part out of the original story.

Picture from the book:
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44375000/jpg/_44375959_pig203.jpg

Ok, I see how that could offend builders. If they were reallly big pussies that let portrayals in children's books they'll likely never encounter get under their skin.

[SuicideKing]

Oh for crying out loud. Here's a slightly more accurate description without an anti-Muslim agenda.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7204635.stm

This book wasn't pulled because of objections by any Muslims. Thats wasn't even the heart of the judges idiotic comments. It was because they thought that it demeaned builders and that pigs wouldn't fly well (pun) with Asians, Muslims, Hindus, and other cultures. With is of course retarded, but not part of a global conspiracy to surrender to fundamentalist Islam.

I don't think anyone specifically said that muslims got the book pulled, myself, I railed against the government's pandering to them. Such as the fact that that they are starting to replace "terrorism" with "anti-islamic activity." (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508901&in_page_id=1770&ct=5)

Ministers have adopted a new language for declarations on Islamic terrorism.

In future, fanatics will be referred to as pursuing "anti-Islamic activity".

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said that extremists were behaving contrary to their faith, rather than acting in the name of Islam.

Security officials believe that directly linking terrorism to Islam is inflammatory, and risks alienating mainstream Muslim opinion.

The alleged terror attack on Glasgow Airport last summer: The Government is renaming Islamic terrorism as 'anti Islamic activities'

In her first major speech on radicalisation, Miss Smith repeatedly used the phrase "anti-Islamic".

In one passage she said: "As so many Muslims in the UK and across the world have pointed out, there is nothing Islamic about the wish to terrorise, nothing Islamic about plotting murder, pain and grief.

"Indeed, if anything, these actions are anti-Islamic'.

Another section referred to enlisting the Muslim community against "anti-Islamic activity".

I don't know if you've ever lived in England Irish, but it's getting really bad, especially in the lower income areas. People are getting pissed off when predominantly muslim immigrants move into a portion of a city en masse, and start essentially operating as separate entities.

Also, for your information, when Britons use the word "Asian" they are most certainly not referring to say the Chinese, or even the Indians (you mentioned Hindus) really. "Asians" are mainly Pakistanis, and other, what we would consider "middle-eastern" predominantly muslim communities.

Regardless of whether there was specifically a muslim outcry in this case, it is undeniable that this self-censorship was enacted to avoid offending the growing muslim community in Britian.

[bKangy]

I don't think anyone specifically said that muslims got the book pulled, myself, I railed against the government's pandering to them. Such as the fact that that they are starting to replace "terrorism" with "anti-islamic activity." (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508901&in_page_id=1770&ct=5)



I don't know if you've ever lived in England Irish, but it's getting really bad, especially in the lower income areas. People are getting pissed off when predominantly muslim immigrants move into a portion of a city en masse, and start essentially operating as separate entities.

Also, for your information, when Britons use the word "Asian" they are most certainly not referring to say the Chinese, or even the Indians (you mentioned Hindus) really. "Asians" are mainly Pakistanis, and other, what we would consider "middle-eastern" predominantly muslim communities.

Regardless of whether there was specifically a muslim outcry in this case, it is undeniable that this self-censorship was enacted to avoid offending the growing muslim community in Britian.

Have you ever lived in Britain or are you firmly attached to the pages of the Daily Mail?

[SuicideKing]

I have lived in Britain, and am a British Citizen. (I have dual citizenship) Dad's side of the family is originally from the Lake District, but now everyone mainly lives around Morecambe.

I've also lived 8 years in France, (first Montpelier, then Chennevieres-sur-Marne, a Paris suburb), 4 years in Martinique (to France what Hawaii is to the US), 2 in Haiti, and most recently 4 years in the US. So no, I'm not talking out of my ass.

[IrishWhiskey]

I don't think anyone specifically said that muslims got the book pulled, myself, I railed against the government's pandering to them. Such as the fact that that they are starting to replace "terrorism" with "anti-islamic activity." (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=508901&in_page_id=1770&ct=5)Which is an odd thing to bring up if this story doesn't have to do with Muslims getting something pulled. Its very clear that some people did (understandably) think that from the story, including the OP.

I don't know if you've ever lived in England Irish, but it's getting really bad, especially in the lower income areas. People are getting pissed off when predominantly muslim immigrants move into a portion of a city en masse, and start essentially operating as separate entities.Same thing is happening in Ireland, only the main problem is with African immigrants. They look different, dress different, stay in tight knit communities, have language problems and because many are poor or from less orderly countries, are usually associated with crime and drugs. In my small hometown there was a brutal and savage beating to death of an old man well known and loved across the town by kids of an immigrant family. There was an immediate and understandable backlash against the immigrant community, who are a jarring change in a town that remained pretty much the same for hundreds of years. But I don't think its wise for papers or anyone else to deliberately stir up that sentiment to punish a group as a whole.
Regardless of whether there was specifically a muslim outcry in this case, it is undeniable that this self-censorship was enacted to avoid offending the growing muslim community in Britian.No, its not. The judges said the book wasn't quite good enough to win for various reasons, and in their comments mentioned that it was offensive to builders, and might not be popular in various ethnic groups. Its possible the judges thought it was the best, and didn't give it the award because they feared attack from radical Muslims in the country, but there's no evidence of that. Fox and the Mail framed it that way intentionally to stir up anti-Muslim sentiment.