"Japan's 'monster' parents take centre stage"
The Times (London) (June 7, 2008)
"The stage was set, the lights went down and in a suburban Japanese primary school everyone prepared to enjoy a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The only snag was that the entire cast was playing the part of Snow White.
"For the audience of menacing mothers and feisty fathers, though, the sight of 25 Snow Whites, no dwarfs and no wicked witch was a triumph: a clear victory for Japan's emerging new class of 'Monster Parents'.
"For they had taken on the system and won. After a relentless campaign of bullying, hectoring and nuisance phone calls, the monster parents had cowed the teachers into submission, forcing the school to admit to the injustice of selecting just one girl to play the title role...."
A stage full of Snow Whites.
That image isn't going to leave my mind for a while.
This article goes (briefly) into the history of Japanese schools and parents. It's an interesting tale of a transition from a culture of tradition and respect to what the parents call 'consumer rights.'
I sincerely hope that Japan's schools - and families - get past the idea that a stage full of Snow Whites is a good idea.
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2 comments:
That is a dreadful image. Your tag should read "common sense (lack thereof)", instead. Personally, I'd rather play Sneezy any day, as it would be more fun.
I understand the value of a child's self esteem, I really do, but this sort of thing is utterly defeats the purpose. The competition will simply move to costumes and dialog, instead. I'd rather my children be proud of doing something well than being the center of attention.
legbamel,
I see what you mean about the "common sense" tag. And, agreed: any of the dwarves is a more colorful character than Snow White, as generally played.
About the 'self esteem,' I suspect it's the parent's ego that's involved, more than the children: but that's speculation.
Dialog? Oi, I'm starting to think what the play would be like, with a dozen Snow Whites on stage, all chanting the same line - probably one of the Wicked Stepmother's.
What's really sad, is that kids aren't particularly dense - and most have probably caught on to how phony this sort of 'achievement' is. Which opens an even bigger can of worms.
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