Monday 11 January 2010

Training Witchfinders.

I could have made this up...

Over the next three weeks hundreds of Lancashire children will attend interactive presentations in Blackburn.

During the Streetwise event an animated lion asks Year 6 pupils what they think a terrorist looks like.

Once the youngsters have given their response, the lion shows them a picture of a crowd and makes the point: "A terrorist can look like anybody."


But I didn't.

10 comments:

Fidothedog said...

That's funny as most of the terrorists seem to follow one certain religion and have names like Ali, Omar and suchlike.

Or is that stating the bleedin obvious.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps we should show our children pictures of government ministers so that they know what cultural and economic terrorists look like.

Put them on the kitchen wall, labelled in red ink, with crosshairs on their foreheads, so they can double as dartboards.

John Pickworth said...

No, This isn't funny... its quite horrific really!

"They hope to make children as much aware of terrorism as the dangers presented by roads, fire, water, strangers and the internet."

Oh, so are the police going around town asking the kids what a B Road looks like? Showing them a photo of a motorway in Afghanistan perhaps for added impact? What about the Internet? Apart from the risk of a sprained wrist, how is the Internet dangerous exactly? No seriously?

"The reference to terrorism has been approved by the force's Preventing Violent Extremism unit"

The what!!! Do they just dream up these departments on their summer holidays? Maybe their office is just down the corridor from the Preventing MPs Fucking Over The Economy unit? Or maybe on the next floor to the Avoiding at all Costs Handing Out Completely Unnecessary Penalty Fines unit? I'm sure at the very least it must share the same building at Police HQ as the Lets Catch Some Crooks unit (staffed by Shirl and Tracey who used to work in Tescos back in the 80's).

"We're not trying to scare anybody, we're just raising awareness which will hopefully help in the long term."

By targeting primary school children AND a town with a very substantial asian/muslim minority? Yeah, that wouldn't possibly scare anyone.

Next week, the Police run into packed theaters shouting fire!

"The safety and wellbeing of children is so important and Streetwise is a great way to impact on their behaviour and actions..."

Right. Got it.

The last time a State became so extra-parental they called it the Hitler Youth.

Like I said, I'm horrified.

Antipholus Papps said...

So what's the fucking point???

Er... the establishment and maintenance of a totalitarian fascist state. I thought that was obvious.

Leg-iron said...

They're not being taught how to find a terrorist.

They're being taught to find the 'witch' and to suspect every adult of being one. Anyone who isn't behaving in an approved manner. Anyone who looks a bit odd. Anyone who shouts at them and anyone they take a dislike to can be denounced, reported, arrested, fingerprinted and DNA swabbed then released with a 'Well, we have to investigate such reports, you know'.

This will find just as many terrorists as all those section 44 stop-and-searches. None at all.

There aren't all that many terrorists and the police already know who they are and are already watching them. This isn't about making kids aware of terrorists.

It's about making them into Junior Spies.

JuliaM said...

Does attendance at these events require parental approval, I wonder?

Leg-iron said...

Julia, probably not, but even if it did it would be the Witchfinder method again.

If you refuse to denounce the witch, then you must be suspect.

So it would be a brave parent indeed who refused to let their child have anything to do with this.

banned said...

Surgeon Consultants have to be re-checked by the Vetting & Banning Commitee (ISA) whenever they attempt to get involved with children in areas of the NHS other than their own, Police Officers do not.
Back O/T, I well remember, as a London child in the 1970s, them trying to get me to hate the IRA and the Irish in general; that didn't work either.

Anonymous said...

@Fidothedog - no, that's just the latest set. 25 years ago, you could re-write your statement with "one certain religion, and have names like Paddy, Seamus, and Donal".

Either way, it's like a mathematical set/Venn diagram - even if all terrorists are purple, not necessarily all purples are terrorists. It's an exercise in creating/perpetuating a culture of fear/suspicion.

WV: endov (the world as we know it?)

microdave said...

"Anyone who looks a bit odd."

Best you don't go down there with your hat/mask on....

Or Obo, for that matter!

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