http://britishexpats.com/forum/trail...ialism-726449/

Nice

Excuse me while I go get a magnifying glass.

Yes, in deed, very nice, perhaps 1880's era, and narrow gauge, unless I'm much mistaken.

They are still written today.

Thanks.

Seems like kids' books are definitely a good cover for political material. In fact hasn't Dr Seuss been criticised for being too liberal?

I liked the Butter Battle Book, used to read that to my kids a lot. Two factions hate eachother depending on whether they butter the bottom or top of their bread. Nothing has changed then.

Indeed. When I first came across them as a boy, there were only 3 or 4 books.....I read the covers off them! Now there are dozens. I don't think the diesels even featured in the original stories? And the very first one didn't really feature Thomas much at all...I think it was about the "big" engines...Henry, James, Edward?

I'm just surprised that the, err, "journalist" didn't bring up Annie and Clarabelle....I mean, the 2 main female characters don't even have power, need to rely on a male character so they can get anything done, spend their days going where they're told, doing what they're told, and carrying what they're told...by a male engine! Unless that's how the natural order is supposed to be....

Ps...teed that one up for you...now let's see who has read/remembers the books....

Girls didn't read them in those days.

I dont know if the books we had were original stories or new (his sons books). Probably a mix of both.

Edit: I just checked our bookshelves, and the only ones to survive the book-culls are books free with the Daily Mirror that were sent over by my parents.

Quite right too...far too many barbies.......

We had Enid Blyton not racist.

Now this looks like satire.

Thomas the (terrifying) Tank Engine | Mail Online

Hopefully you waited till your nails had dried....

Given the current propensity for bollocks degrees, I wonder when the first one will come out, studying the social and psychological impact of Thomas The Tank Engine....

If you look back, you could probably put a racist/sexist/anything-ist spin on just about any "classics" if you wanted to...Dickens, Bronte, Shakespeare.....why don't we just burn the lot and start with a clean, politically correct slate. Maybe lock up (or, better still, execute) anyone who claims to know anything about them. There's a novel, never been tried idea......oh, wait a minute.....

This is what I don't understand, of course you will find classist and sexist elements in those and just about every classic, why wouldn't you? In fact they are riddled with it. The exceptions are stories that do not include such elements. Why does it upset people when the bloody obvious is pointed out.

The silly cow who wrote that piece has way too much time on her hands.