- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Spain |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Family minister cuts racism from fairytales
Published: 18 Dec 12 15:45 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20121218-46839.html
German Family Minister Kristina Schröder has announced she cuts discriminatory terms from children's stories — like "Negro-King" in Pippi Longstocking — when she reads them to her young daughter. She also called the Grimm fairytales "often sexist."
- Merkel: business must fight immigrant prejudice (25 May 13)
- Fraternities mull 'Aryan purity' test for members (24 May 13)
- Cardinal: Women should stay at home and breed (24 May 13)
"Even without bad intentions, words can cause damage," she said. "When a child is older, I would explain what kind of history the word Neger has, and how hurtful it is to use that word."
Depending on how it is used, the German word Neger can mean anything from the outdated and inappropriate term "negro" to the seriously offensive "nigger" in English.
It was the first time the family minister had revealed her personal opinions on raising children, and talked publicly about raising her 18-month-old daughter Lotte.
She also described Grimm's fairytales as "often sexist." "There is very rarely a positive female character in them," she said, which is why she intends to read other stories as well as the Grimm classics, to give her daughter other role models.
Perhaps more controversially, the minister also said that she intends to stop pretending that Father Christmas exists "as soon as the first doubts appear." She said she would then tell her daughter, "Father Christmas is just a nice story."
But though she said honesty is very important to her when raising her child, she said there was one situation where she would always lie - when parents realize that they love one child more than another. "[One would] have to be very rational and absolutely never show that. Never. That really is an iron rule," she said. "That is one of the few situations where I would definitely lie."
The Local/bk
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Merkel: business must fight immigrant prejudice
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday called on Germans to fight prejudice against immigrants ahead of next week's integration summit. READ () »
Chinese premier visit to strengthen trade ties
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday as the two export powerhouses seek to further strengthen economic ties amid brewing trade spats between Beijing and the EU. READ () »
Skyscraper festival hits new heights in Frankfurt
Frankfurt city skyline is being celebrated this weekend with a skyscraper extravaganza. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to witness spectacular events, daring feats and music in the sky. READ () »
Police put Germany on terror alert for CL final
German security services have been put on high alert after picking up terror warnings for public viewings of Saturday night's all-German Champions League final. READ () »
Helicopter sprays 220 kids with insecticide
15 young children were taken to hospital late on Friday after bug-busting authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia accidentally dumped toxic insecticide over a primary school during playtime. READ () »
Bundesbank chief: allow eurozone defaults
The head of the German central Bundesbank Jens Weidmann said on Friday that eurozone countries should be able to default, a possibility which the EU has gone to great lengths to avoid during the current crisis. READ () »
Fan wants Bayern ticket-Oktoberfest beer swap
A Bayern Munich supporter is so desperate to get his hands on a ticket for Saturday's Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund he is offering to trade 20 litres of beer and a rare free table at Oktoberfest. READ () »
Nationwide cannabis limit rolls nearer
Germany could in the future have a country-wide “tolerable limit” for cannabis possession, it was reported on Friday. Currently, this amount differs between states. READ () »
- 25/05 Merkel: business must fight immigrant prejudice »
- 25/05 Skyscraper festival hits new heights in Frankfurt »
- 24/05 Nationwide cannabis limit rolls nearer »
- 24/05 'Germany is indifferent to neo-Nazi violence' »
- 24/05 'Herrenberg is a colourful, cultural gem' »
- 24/05 Cardinal: Women should stay at home and breed »
- 23/05 Hipster Berlin dogs get meaty frozen yoghurt »
- 23/05 Grey seals return to German Baltic shores »
- 22/05 Justin Bieber's monkey becomes 'German' »
- 21/05 The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek dies at 74 »
- Cardinal: Women should stay at home and breed »
- Germany tops world popularity poll »
- Ten German body parts »
- Nationwide cannabis limit rolls nearer »
- Keep your socks on Highlights
Latest news from The Local in FranceMore news from France at thelocal.fr
Latest news from The Local in NorwayMore news from Norway at thelocal.no
Latest news from The Local in SwedenMore news from Sweden at thelocal.se
Latest news from The Local in SwitzerlandMore news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
Shiply Worldwide Ltd
Shiply the Online Transport Market Place -
PsyShrink Frankfurt
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
Weiss Institut
Free yourself from Smoking addictions, Sugar craving and Alcohol addictions -
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop - The online supermarket for expats -
PsyShrink Munich
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
Chambervelt Rooselain & Cie Ltd.
Insurance and financial planning for English speakers in Germany
Jobs in Germany, in English923 jobs available
678 new jobs this week
29 new jobs today- Manager Product Development TWC / Insecticides
- Innovation Manager International Packaging Technology (m/f)
- Marketing Management Trainee Programme in Hamburg
- Senior Process Engineer - (m/w)
- Automation Engineer - (m/w)
- Senior Buyer/ Availability Manager - (m/w) as soon as possible
- Junior Utilities Engineer - (m/w)
- HR High Potentials - Manager HR Projects (m/f)
- Financial Analyst Accounting (m/f)
- Intern Sourcing Europe Dry 2 - Fresh (f/m)
Blog- Apr/09 Touring Tempelhof – Europe’s Largest Historical Monument
- Apr/09 Spring in Berlin 2013 – Where, What Why and When!
- Mar/12 Living Like a Local – Tell us what you think and win a weekend in Berlin!
- Feb/04 Escaping the City – Our Recommended Suburban Getaways
- Feb/04 Berlin Tegel Airport Transfers – How to get into the City
EssentialsDating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your style? Find a German sweetheart here.Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather section.Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of charge.Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.RegisterRegister now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discussNews from the Goethe-Institut- Dual Vocational Training in Europe – An Export Winner “Made in Germany”
The dual vocational training system “Made in Germany” is enjoying an amazing comeback – all over Europe.... - Let’s read together! Parents and the Promotion of Reading
It is good for children when they read a lot and actually enjoy it. - Collectivity and Representations of Community in Dance
With its streams of data and traffic, the present age is creating new forms of community. - Living Like a Poem – Sarah Kirsch Dies (05/23/2013)
On 5 May 2013, the poet Sarah Kirsch died after a short but serious illness in Heide in Schleswig-Holstein.... - Food trucks – meals on wheels
Small mobile restaurants are starting to catch on in Germany and they are often far more than your average snack wagons with Currywurst and Pommes.
News from Young Germany- So You Want to Be an Artist
The tradition of hands-on training in the arts is alive and well in Germany. Interested in studying visual, performance, or sound arts? Keen to pursue graphic and product design, textiles, or typography? Germany is home to many exceptional art schools as well as a rich history of excellence in and support for the arts. - Frankfurt's Skyscrapers: A Guide
Frankfurt is known for banks and skyscrapers. So what is behind the colossal glass, steel, and stone facades of the city’s buildings? Meet Frankfurt’s tallest. - Conference - Pioneers on Dual Training Abroad
Germany‘s system of dual training is one of the foundations of its economic strength. - The all-German final in Wembley
Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund are playing in the final of the Champions League at London’s Wembley Stadium. - German first feature film in Cannes
A directorial debut from Germany makes it to the competition “Un Certain Regard” at the famous film festival on the Côte d’Azur.
News from DeutschlandOnline- Theatre festival between the Saar and the Mosel
The Festival Perspectives in the German-French region around Saarbrücken is staging European theatre, dance and music productions. - The European Year of Citizens
2013 is the European Year of Citizens. - Europe Day, Robert Schuman and Class 4a
Enthusiasm for the idea of Europe – in the 60th European Competition, schoolchildren from Germany show what this could look like. - Relief organizations
The portals presented here provide information on the help programs offered by different organizations.
-
Shiply Worldwide Ltd
- Design Engineer Aerospace in Toulouse
- Design Feasibility Engineer / Craftsmanship Engineer (m/f)
- Director User Experience (m/f) at XING
- Ingenieur Sondergasapplikationen (m/w)
- Lead Commodity Leader (m/f)
- Lead Commodity Leader (m/f)
- Praktikum Information Management / Internship IM (m/f)
- Product Manager / Engineer (m/w) for our Search Engine
- Senior Anti-Virus Researcher (m/f)
- Senior Strategic Project Manager (f/m)
- 18:57 Champions League final
- 18:45 The current weather in Munich
- 18:31 Schwarzfahren - three strikes and you're out
- 18:12 Online dating sites for Germany
- 18:10 Saturday Night Shindig, the 30-somethings meetup
- 18:09 Meet 'n' Eat - LE pique-nique français
- 18:04 20ies Something- feeling lost
- 17:52 Moving from Australia to Germany
- 17:17 I just can't seem to find...
- 17:17 Festsetzung clarification - Gewinnermittlung?
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Your comments about this article:
Racism and sexism is paramount to german and european culture. After 800 years of superiority it maybe in the DNA?
Why only suppress fairytales like Grimm brothers and continue to perpetuate other lies and myths?
In which culture is it not so?
followed by:
"...she said honesty is very important to her when raising her child..."
Perhaps her political views don't allow her to be honest about the religious nature of Christmas.
I wonder how far she would be prepared to go in revising and sanitising European culture and history, to fit in with her ideological views, Book burning was used for this purpose in Stalin's Soviet Union and Hitler's Germany - would she feel comfortable in such company?
I do not have an answer for that question? However. What I do know, its not only europeans. The Japanese read and educate their young children racist fair-tails in school. Not sure I understand what the Japanese issue is with black people?
I will go out on a limb and include China and the other european conquered Indonesian countries? I know of mexico and other south american countries. Most of the Caribbean Islands, another mixed group of conquered and colonized people read to their young children racist stories.
Some in the above mentioned groups, use the Bible and Quran to justify racist and sexist fair-tail stories. Why any black person would subscribe to the teachings and worship in those religions is a mystery to me?
Pathetic Minister !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately she doesnt understand that these words had no such "tolerant" meanings in Lindgren's years & have no racist sense today in most of cultures. It has a racist meaning only in US & for politicians.
Tolerant synonyms: for Lindgren's "Negro-King" = "Afro-American in-the-future-King", yes classic Fairytale....
Such a censor should never be allowed near children or students of any age. Just another book burner type. In the end Freedom must win, and people not smart enough to create must not be allowed to deface the works of the creative.