What to Say and When, To Whom and Why

The French philosopher said, “In order to straighten a bent stick, you have to first bend it the other way.” Well, maybe. Perhaps that works in physics and the manipulation of matter, but doesn’t always seem to be the best idea when it comes to culture. 

 

At the recent Orff Conference, some presenters who had published material retracted their lesson about Lucy Locket  to be replaced by some generic composed rhyme that taught absolutely nothing interesting. Why? Because meticulous research by scholars far away from the world of children revealed that Lucy and Kitty were not the innocent playmates who simply lost a pocket and looked for their money. As described in Steemit’s “Dark, Distrubing and somewhat Horrible, the History and Origins of Nursery Rhymes # 4:”

“In 18th century London, prostitution was rife and one of the most famous courtesans at the time was Catherine Maria "Kitty" Fisher. Originally a milliner, but after seeing how much more money she could make and how much more fun she could have making it, inside and outside the boudoir, Kitty decided to take matters into her own hands and made a career change.

Aside from her more notable talents, Kitty was also known for her "clever and witty conversation", and her lighthearted antics, including reportedly eating "a thousand-pound banknote on her bread and butter".

The second harlot in the rhyme, is Lucy Locket a barmaid at (Ye Olde Cock Tavern) in Fleet Street, London. Lucy Locket had a regular customer also known as a "pocket" who obviously liked her services a little too much, as he quickly ran out of money and was dumped by Lucy.

He then turned his attention to Kitty and hence she "found the pocket" and since he was broke, there was not a penny in it. The ribbon refers to the custom among prostitutes to keep their bank notes tied to their thigh with a ribbon. So, the rhyme, is Kitty taunting Lucy for dumping her lover and her taking him on.”

Now that’s an interesting story! And I agree that it’s not an appropriate one to tell to young children enjoying the rhyme and the game of hiding “a pocket” and looking for it, as I have done for years. But why cancel it? There are plenty of verses/ lyrics/ poems/ stories and yes, nursery rhymes, that have a double-entendre secret history and that’s part of what make them fascinating. 

Instead of removing them from the curriculum, I would suggest learning that rhyme when young without the background and re-visiting it in Middle School/ High School as a jump start to perhaps needed conversation about “the world’s oldest profession.” Look at how toxic male culture sustains and profits from it, how women with few job choices have sometimes been driven to it and how some suggest (women) changing the word “prostitute” to “sex worker” might give it a different kind of dignity and choice.

Meanwhile, while well-meaning teachers are worried that such a rhyme will damage innocent young children (who will never know the backstory unless we tell them), might we consider that a former President of the United States is in the news every day because of his liason with Stormy Daniels? Do you think the kids might be overhearing some of that? How do you explain it to them?

The bottom line is that the world’s history, captured in the old stories, films, TV shows, poems, are rife with beauty and universal truths, horror and inappropriateness and rather than throw them out, they all are the starting points of the needed conversations. Lucy and Kitty, for example, would make an interesting discussion. Especially with this PS to the story:

In 1776 Kitty married an MP (Member of Parliament) and became a well-respected member of London high society and dabbled in philanthropic endeavors. Sadly, the marriage only lasted 4 months as Kitty contracted smallpox and died. Her last dying wishes were to be buried in her ballgown.