In order not to offend the sensitivity of those who profess other faiths, a primary school in Reggio Emilia revised the Italian version of “Jingle Bells” replacing Christ with vague allusions to peace. The Islamic “councilor” had invited the institutes to “decolonize their gaze”.
Including by excluding, the club of the intelligent by decree is always one step ahead even on Christmas. After transforming the shepherds in migrantsthe Three Kings in pro-Pal activiststhe Madonna in a peripatetic, Saint Joseph in a drag queen and the comet in a rocket over Gaza, all that remained was to erase Baby Jesus. While waiting to do so from the nativity scene, in Reggio Emilia they expelled him from the song most loved by children, Jingle Bells. A full-blown singing deportation, developed by primary school lyricists St. John Bosco (Ligabue comprehensive institute) who decided on the religious purge from the Italian version for the usual hairy reason: not to offend the susceptibility of the Muslims. Who, moreover, for years have seen in this gratuitous cultural submission one of the most evident signs of the degeneration of Western values.
The intrinsic secularism of American song – born in New England to celebrate Thanksgiving with horses, sleighs and bells – was not enough to satisfy progressive anticlerical fanaticism. In the Italian text there is that name, Jesuswho annoyed the woke ayatollahs to the skin in view of the Christmas performance. No problem, i.e Mogul since elementary school they changed two verses. Instead of «Waiting for those gifts that the good Jesus gives» here is «They are waiting for peace and asking for more». And again «Today the good Jesus was born» becomes «Today is even more of a celebration». The Christian God has disappeared from the radar and the new rhymes resemble a homily from the cardinal Matteo Zuppi.
Everyone in the teachers’ college is happy, especially the principal Francesca Spadoni who limited herself to saying to her perplexed parents: «Jingle Bells, a secular and folkloric song, exists in multiple versions. The teaching team, in the exercise of their teaching freedom, simply chose a version in line with their pedagogical and didactic objectives.” If the principle were valid, it would be interesting to read his dream version of the Divine Comedy or of May 5th of Manzoni. After all, if God is dead (Friedrich Nietzsche) it’s not clear why that newborn baby in the manger has to resist. Since we are in Reggio Emilia, they would be quicker to give us the credit Francesca Albanese with a clenched fist, and as a dirge use her teasing the mayor Mark Massari.
The political reactions
The PD local gloats. All he had to do was erase Baby Jesus from the Christmas carols and shake up the symbols of Christianity. The city councilor dem Federico Macchi he spoke for everyone with pompousness from Luciano Camphor: «The school, which is also secular, must educate and in the text proposed to children (in particular where the expectation of peace has been replaced by the expectation of gifts) I see a meritorious invitation to reflect on the universal values of coexistence, solidarity and peace, themes that should always characterize the educational mission of our institutes». Yes, because Jingles Bells (Italian title Din don dan) is a dangerous warmongering song.
Cultural cancellation in the name of superficial and ramshackle inclusion has nothing to do with the free will of a state, but is part of the progressive nonsense that timid cathodems wrapped in guilt follow. In this case the majority party felt obliged to comply with the requests of the councilor for educational policies with responsibility for compulsory education, Marwa Mahmoud (Muslim of Egyptian origin), who a month ago had catechized the teachers, inviting them to “decolonize their gaze” and to promote “continuous training to overcome colonial approaches towards students”. No sooner said than done. Whiten Baby Jesus from Jingle Bells in Italian it is the noble result, obtained by applying the old communist principle “eliminate one to educate a hundred”.
The initiative is causing inevitable controversy. The group leader of the League of Reggio Emilia, Alessandro Rinalditurned up the volume on the radio: «Censor Jesus from Christmas songs in schools in the name of inclusion is an unacceptable drift. A wrong, ideological and profoundly uneducational choice. Christmas has a clear identity: it is a Christian holiday.” The provincial secretary of Fdi, Alexander Aragondefines the episode as an “act of cultural self-harm, proof of an ideological drift on the left that aims to erase the historical roots and of European civilization”.
The dossier is on the minister’s desk Giuseppe Valditarawhich could decide to send inspectors to clarify responsibilities. But the ministerial reaction would be disproportionate, even superfluous. In these cases, parents should distance themselves from ridicule. Also because the holy familyalthough tormented by the superficiality of those who claim to include and exclude 2,000 years of Christianity, continues to speak to us. And judge who is raping her.
