I totally understand why education is needed to ward off rasicism, quash ignorance and promote inclusion. Does this reek of perpetuating a negative Irish stereo type or am I just getting defensive?
Surely there are better approaches than presenting biases like this? Who signs off on this rubbish?

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1f52nki

Posted by earth-while

43 Comments

  1. Consistent-Daikon876 on

    Family A is like what you’d expect from 1800s Ireland. Load of shite really. Family B’s life is too good to be true.

  2. Bitter-Equal-751 on

    Wait til you see what lobby groups and NGOs want for the new primary school curriculum.

    [Draft Primary Curriculum Framework | NCCA](https://ncca.ie/en/primary/primary-developments/primary-curriculum-review-and-redevelopment/the-primary-curriculum-framework/draft-primary-curriculum-framework/)

    [NWC_Submission_on_the_draft_Primary_Curriculum_specification.pdf (nwci.ie)](https://www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/NWC_Submission_on_the_draft_Primary_Curriculum_specification.pdf)

    [Draft-Primary-Curriculum-Specifications_NCCA.pdf (into.ie)](https://www.into.ie/app/uploads/2024/06/Draft-Primary-Curriculum-Specifications_NCCA.pdf?_gl=1*13wbw54*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTYxNzY0Nzg1MC4xNzI1MDQ0NTQ2*_ga_V3S1J2P1JB*MTcyNTA0NDU0NS4xLjEuMTcyNTA0NDU3Mi4wLjAuMA..)

    [LGBTQ+ Identities – Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland](https://www.belongto.org/support-for-me/advice/lgbtq-identities/)

  3. There is a extremely blatant and obvious bias from whoever authored the piece. No doubt about it and it’s not really called for.

  4. Ok_Perception3180 on

    I see SPHE is still a joke class all these years later.

    About two weeks into SPHE in the mid 00s the teacher gave up and turned it into an extra English class, and we were delighted. Our English teacher was great and even he realised it’s a load of nonsense.

    Not the concept of SPHE itself but the way it’s taught. Who writes this shit?

  5. great_whitehope on

    I think it’s safe to say it’s ridiculously stereotypical to both sides.

    Why does everything have to be so black and white?

  6. Sharp-Papaya-7607 on

    I remember in 5th class of primary school, raising my hand and pointing out that our book had ‘pizza’ spelled ‘pitsa’. At 10 year of age, I was flabbergasted at the stupidity of adults who were tasked with designing something meant to educate children. From that point on, I assumed every schoolbook was written and proofed by morons.

  7. stbrigidiscross on

    Family A not having a single relative living abroad is weird when they’re supposed to be some kind of Irish stereotype. I would have thought most Irish families would at least have a cousin in Australia, Canada, USA or the UK.

  8. Okay so traditional means hating everything, being sad and eating the same thing every day, being diverse is really interesting, fun, positive. Got it.

    How about it’s okay to enjoy the comforts of home and not everyone wants to try new things all the time.

    Some people like new experiences and some people prefer familiarity. There’s room for everyone, there’s no reason to stereotype people like that.

    I say that because to me, living with family B would be a nightmare because I like what I know. That doesn’t translate into me being a grumpy conservative.

  9. Fast_Chemical_4001 on

    Were living through those times people will look back on as ludicrous, if anyone left that is

  10. Charming-Potato4804 on

    Remember folks!

    Keep your thoughts to yourselves!

    ![gif](giphy|BI3bNv1NJMC7YzatXd)

  11. Potential-Drama-7455 on

    This is actually racist.

    Family A ooks like an American who only watched Irish films from the 1950s was asked to describe what a typical Irish family is like. All they are missing is a leprechaun.

  12. Which SPHE book is this?

    What are the questions?

    As a SPHE teacher I would guess the point of these “case studies” is to prompt discussion- Not to say one is right and one is wrong.

    When you’re teaching 12yr olds you do have to spell it out for them at times!

    Also I can tell you there are more than a few Family As where I’m from 😂

  13. Potential-Drama-7455 on

    Flor gets his wonky eyes fixed at great expense and then heads off to a war zone.

    And of course they play rugby. Have to look down their noses at the poors.

    And the sister skis so much she can get a job as an instructor.

    This is actually hilarious.

  14. I wouldn’t worry. All I can remember from SPHE is the woman teacher having to explain to the girls the proper way to clean their vaginas as apparently they hadn’t been taught the proper way.

  15. Grew up in rural Ireland. Yes its stereotypical but Family A rings the bell alright. Had a bit of a chuckle at the memory of my Dad and I walking down Queensway in London and he looking in the windows of the Chinese restuarants and remarking: “You couldnt pay me to eat that stuff!”.

  16. SleepySquirrel42 on

    As someone who specialises in editing for bias in children’s books, this is horrendous and not okay at all. OP, could you send me the name of the publisher? Will see if anyone in my network knows them and can have a word…

  17. Whoever writes this is some gobshite. I get that you hate Irish culture but don’t bash people who enjoy it. What are the chances that whoever write this isn’t even Irish, or they must be a self loathing Irish person.

    Thanks a lot op now I’m pissed off. Yeah more culture is good, more Irish culture is great, why should we apologise for enjoying Irish things.

    That Irish comedian said it right ” I’m Irish I don’t have white guilt, when we wanted our potatoes picked, we picked them ourselves”

  18. SPHE was dumb as fuck when I was in school and I guess remains the same to this day.

    The subject farmed out to the stupidest teacher the school has along with religion and junior cert geography so they can coach one of the teams but be on the payroll.

  19. Kinda comes off as racist? Replace the Irish family with one from another culture and it would really read bad.

  20. Genuine question. Was there ever an extended period of time where Irish people *weren’t* being systematically discriminated against? Or is this just something we’re always going to have to deal with. And why is it that the moment we finally escaped from foreign empires trying to destroy our way of life, after a long period of bloodshed, when we finally achieved an independent Ireland where we can live peacefully and without being persecuted and shamed for being Irish, we immediately pick up the mantle of our former oppressors and proceed to discriminate against ourselves for being Irish? Why do we self-hate so much?

    I’m sorry but whether it be in the name of a ‘glorious British empire’, or in the name of progressivism, or in the name of diversity, this is discrimination plain and simple. There was a large amount of thought and consideration that went into these pages, and these pages are being seen by children in schools. Replace family A with literally any other ethnic group, and people would lose their minds.

  21. Final-Barracuda-5792 on

    Neither of these are realistic to real life. It’s a terrible representation of traditionalist vs progressive people.

  22. Willing-Departure115 on

    We really don’t need to import this kind of bollocks. The reality of life for well adjusted people is in the middle of this type of crap.

  23. Is there a family C where the cool diverse family drag their daughter to Sudan for FGM, or are we only allowed to make negative stereotypes about Irish people?

  24. DragonfruitFun6953 on

    While the idea of this is a good one and it’s fantastic they’re trying to ward of racism like you said, the execution of this is just laughably bad. I can’t imagine anyone learning anything from this cause it’s not just blatant “X bad and Y good” black and white, both families are also just so unnatural in their presentation