That Thespian Jew-Hater
Mar. 4th, 2008 10:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eumeliaWhat is the world coming to, I ask you?
Is nothing "sacred" any longer?
Have we lost all sense of proportion when it comes to historical perspective?
Or just plain common sense?
On the one hand, you have to admire the ingenuity of the girls' reason (though I suspect it was the parents who gave them the idea) to get Shakespeare out of their hair. On the other hand, what kind of education is these girls (and other kids in UK schools) are getting?!
This little article made me think how lucky it is that Cats is no longer showing on the West End anymore.
Via.
Is nothing "sacred" any longer?
Have we lost all sense of proportion when it comes to historical perspective?
Or just plain common sense?
The 14-year-old girls, whose actions were supported by their parents, The Independent said were protesting antisemitism in Shakespeare's portrayal of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. The exam questions they refused to answer were actually about The Tempest, a different work of Shakespeare's.
"Many Jewish people would not listen to Wagner on the same grounds," The Independent quoted school principal Rabbi Abraham Pinter as saying. "I do not see an exact comparison and I don't share their view, but their decision is something I respect," he said, adding "I think Shakespeare was reflecting the ethos of the time in his portrayal of Shylock. If he was alive today, he would probably be going on anti-war marches."
On the one hand, you have to admire the ingenuity of the girls' reason (though I suspect it was the parents who gave them the idea) to get Shakespeare out of their hair. On the other hand, what kind of education is these girls (and other kids in UK schools) are getting?!
This little article made me think how lucky it is that Cats is no longer showing on the West End anymore.
Via.
