The news coverage of the conflict in the Ukraine alerts us to the way in which the same events can be the subject of widely different narratives, depending on the source of the information used in the coverage.
But this happens in other situations, too. One is the Family Sex Show, recently cancelled. Care's report is here: Family sex show "cancelled" following backlash. It links to reports on the BBC news website (The Family Sex show cancelled amid threats and abuse at staff) and at the Guardian (Sex education theatre show for children cancelled after 'violent threats'). As Care point out, the emphasis in the wider media reporting, and in particular in the choice of headlines, follows the statement from the producers of the show with respect to threats and abuse. There is little acknowledgement that the show has been cancelled following significant concern about its explicit content for a target audience of children aged 5+.
In the light of more recent events there is a subtlety in the purpose of the Family Sex Show, as stated in publicity for the show itself:
Using real life bodies, personal stories, songs and movement, The Family Sex Show puts the good stuff at the forefront of conversation and imagines a future where there is no shame; but a celebration of difference, equality and liberation.
The idea of a "future where there is no shame" hides a subtle intent. This week Neil Parish MP has resigned after watching pornography in the Houses of Parliament and, commenting on the same, Lord Bethell of Romford has referred to a complete lack of any moral sense that he saw when suggesting to a fellow tube traveller that it was not appropriate to be watching pornography in easy view of others. The idea that young people should be encouraged to have a future where there is no shame hides that subtle intent of undermining any moral sense.
Likewise, there are two very different narratives surrounding strike action being taken by teachers at the John Fisher School in Purley. For the union, and much of the media coverage, this is a story of discrimination against an LGBT+ children's author - the strike action is directed against a "discriminatory working environment" and aims to reinstate dismissed Foundation Governors and the cancelled visit by the author. But, as the responsible Catholic Diocese points out in its most recent statement, the question has always been one relating to the content of the books being promoted and does not reflect any discrimination against the author or others. The Southwark Diocesan statement cites what might be termed "highlights" as far as inappropriate content goes; having spent the last few days reading the book cited, there is a sustained sexualised content with additional scenes that give rise for concern. The content is questionable for promotion in any school, where there are likely to be pupils of the Christian faith even when the school does not have a religious designation, let alone a Catholic school.
As a bit of an aside, the union taking industrial action at John Fisher School seem to have missed the disparaging view of the school work force that is shown at some points in the book. They seem to have missed (on page 2 of the book!) a female teacher shouting "Get the hell down, you skinny little runt!" at a pupil and this paragraph in chapter 14:
Mrs Peters was the surly woman who guarded reception (and the photocopier access) like it was Fort Knox and, like most people who worked in schools, she utterly despised kids.
It is worth noting that the snap OFSTED inspection has spoken highly of the school's care for its pupils.
UPDATE: This morning (2nd May), Mona Siddiqi delivered the "Thought for the Day" slot on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. It will have occurred at about 1:45 into the programme, and will in due course be accessible on the programme website: Radio 4 Today Programme. In the context of the Islamic feast of Eid and the end of the month of Ramadan, she spoke about the significance of the idea of shame, in its unhelpful sense (that in which one person actively "shames" another) and in its valuable sense (in which a person's own sense of shame acts as a prompt of conscience). She recognised how this reflection was significant for standards in public life.
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