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Birthday party snub sparks debate
BBC News ^ | 2008-06-29 | BBC

Posted on 06/29/2008 6:12:42 AM PDT by Todd_Gray

An eight-year-old boy has sparked an unlikely outcry in Sweden after failing to invite two of his classmates to his birthday party.

The boy's school says he has violated the children's rights and has complained to the Swedish Parliament.

The school, in Lund, southern Sweden, argues that if invitations are handed out on school premises then it must ensure there is no discrimination.

The boy's father has lodged a complaint with the parliamentary ombudsman.

He says the two children were left out because one did not invite his son to his own party and he had fallen out with the other one.

The boy handed out his birthday invitations during class-time and when the teacher spotted that two children had not received one the invitations were confiscated.

"My son has taken it pretty hard," the boy's father told the newspaper Sydsvenskan.

"No one has the right to confiscate someone's property in this way, it's like taking someone's post," he added.

A verdict on the matter is likely to be reached in September, in time for the next school year.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bigbrother; childhood; nannystate; snub; sweden
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1 posted on 06/29/2008 6:12:43 AM PDT by Todd_Gray
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To: Todd_Gray

How about a game of Dodge Ball.


2 posted on 06/29/2008 6:16:18 AM PDT by Borges
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To: Todd_Gray

It was rude of the kid to hand out invitations during class to all but 2 classmates, and inexcusably rude of his parents to allow this. However, unless there was a pre-existing written rule prohibiting this, the school’s response should have been limited to 1) the teacher stating to the class that it was extremely rude, to get the educational point across to the boy doing the inviting and his invitees, and to soothe the hurt feelings of the 2 children left out, and 2) the teacher or principal putting in a call to the boy’s parents to say they’d appreciate that this sort of thing not be repeated on school premises in the future.


3 posted on 06/29/2008 6:20:16 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Borges
How about a game of Dodge Ball.

Watch out, you'll get yourself arrested.

4 posted on 06/29/2008 6:20:29 AM PDT by lexusppd
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To: GovernmentShrinker

Could a boy pass out valentines to just the girls in his class?


5 posted on 06/29/2008 6:24:06 AM PDT by Mark was here (The earth is bipolar.)
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To: Todd_Gray

Zay are juzt zo progressive in Sveeden ve should model ourselvs aftuh zehm! /s


6 posted on 06/29/2008 6:25:31 AM PDT by yantis
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To: Borges

If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball.


7 posted on 06/29/2008 6:27:20 AM PDT by Petronski (Scripture & Tradition must be accepted & honored w/equal sentiments of devotion & reverence. CCC 82)
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To: Todd_Gray

Hey, Dad, not good to encourage your boy to play Tit for Tat. Your party and family, though.


8 posted on 06/29/2008 6:31:00 AM PDT by healy61
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To: Petronski

LOL! One of the funniest lines.


9 posted on 06/29/2008 6:33:56 AM PDT by rabidralph (Dems now have Oil Derangement Syndrome)
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To: GovernmentShrinker

So, let’s make rudenesss, tactlessness, bad manners, and generally offending someone else - illegal.

Then build a whole lot more prisons.

Lends a whole new meaning to the term “manners police”


10 posted on 06/29/2008 6:38:17 AM PDT by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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To: Todd_Gray

No winners, no losers.
A sure prescription for REAL failure in many of these childrens adults lives when they find out what they were taught in school was worthless in the real world.


11 posted on 06/29/2008 6:44:13 AM PDT by SECURE AMERICA
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To: Borges

I guess “smear the queer” is out of the question.


12 posted on 06/29/2008 6:47:18 AM PDT by GeneralisimoFranciscoFranco (I love liberals. They taste like chicken.)
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To: Mark was here

From the sounds of their system that would be discrimination...........


13 posted on 06/29/2008 6:48:42 AM PDT by SECURE AMERICA
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To: GovernmentShrinker
It was rude of the kid to hand out invitations during class to all but 2 classmates, and inexcusably rude of his parents to allow this.

Since when is being rude a gubmint issue?

Oh wait, coming to a enclave near you (see Colorado for instance) one can no longer say any disparaging remarks about homos, less they be charged with hate crimes, after all, it is embarrassing and "rude" to do so.

Sorry, but in this PC world we line in today, there is almost nothing that is acceptable conduct anymore--especially that which offends the sensibilities of others.

Just like in many schools, they are doing away with "grades" less someones feelings are hurt and deign to pass all to a higher grade, regardless of academic achievementl

Now to me THAT's RUDE!

Sheesh, get over it!!!

14 posted on 06/29/2008 7:10:34 AM PDT by Conservative Vermont Vet ((One of ONLY 37 Conservatives in the People's Republic of Vermont. Socialists and Progressives All))
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To: GovernmentShrinker

Well that great. The kids will be invited to the party, and the other kids will TORMENT them. That’s what happens.


15 posted on 06/29/2008 7:19:25 AM PDT by Hildy
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To: Conservative Vermont Vet
Sorry, but in this PC world we line in today, there is almost nothing that is acceptable conduct anymore--especially that which offends the sensibilities of others.

Much of what is called PC today was just good manners back in the old days.

Oh wait, coming to a enclave near you (see Colorado for instance) one can no longer say any disparaging remarks about homos, less they be charged with hate crimes, after all, it is embarrassing and "rude" to do so.

It is rude, but does not rise to the level of a hate crime.

16 posted on 06/29/2008 7:33:09 AM PDT by lucysmom
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To: Todd_Gray
Time for a picture of the Swedish Bikini Team


17 posted on 06/29/2008 7:36:57 AM PDT by Poser (Willing to fight for oil)
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To: lucysmom

I think this issue boils down to this. Do people have the right to be rude? It is not, “should people be rude?”. We have the right to be rude, but we should be polite to others.


18 posted on 06/29/2008 7:41:05 AM PDT by Mark was here (The earth is bipolar.)
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To: Conservative Vermont Vet

It shouldn’t be a government issue, but it’s a reasonable issue for schools to address, and the fact that this is a government school doesn’t change that. Making a legal issue out of this is insane, but I think virtually all private schools would have a stern chat with parents of a child who passed out invitations during class time to all but a handful of classmates.


19 posted on 06/29/2008 7:53:55 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Hildy

If I was a parent of one of the children who was invited, and I found out about this in-your-face exclusion of a couple of classmates, my child wouldn’t be attending the party. I might have my child host a party for the non-invitees and any other children in the class whose parents would prefer not to have their children attending a party at the home of boorish and insensitive parents who encourage their child to be boorish and insensitive. My guess is that the party has been called off due to most parents of invited children declining any follow-up invitation.


20 posted on 06/29/2008 7:59:37 AM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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