Gransnet forums

Chat

What's wrong with 'pissing off the fairies'?

(181 Posts)
Anya Wed 19-Jul-17 11:45:13

My GS1 (10) is building a fairy grotto in the garden. It's going to be quite elaborate with solar-powered fairy lights and general fairy bling. Luckily it's at the far end in a secluded corner and he also wants to encourage local wildlife, hedgehogs, squirrels, etc to use it.

He's seen a sign on Amazon saying 'Don't piss off the fairies!' which I thought was quite amusing but his dad has put a veto on buying that. I'd be quite happy for him to have it but I understand I mustn't go against my lovely SiL.

But I can't help feeling there's nothing wrong with this sign.

Is it me? hmm

Anya Thu 20-Jul-17 12:18:52

Now that is a completely different matter Gllly - that's really rude not just a 'naughty word' shock

petalmoore Thu 20-Jul-17 12:20:37

I'm interested that so many people are upset by the two-word phrase which I'm therefore paraphrasing as 'annoy' and have ignored the potentially discriminatory tone of the whole sentence - it sounds like something a homophobic yob might say if he saw someone going into a gay pub. If I'd found myself in your SiL's position, I'd have said something like : "We're not going to buy that sign, because a lot of people get quite upset about words like this" and then explain why it's upsetting. I used to say this sort of thing quite often my own son when he was going through an expletive phase when he. was about five. None of the swear words that people use are bad in themselves - it's the discomfort and pain they cause to others that make them so controversial. It's probably fortunate that this issue has come up when your GS is still only ten - if he were already a teenager, making a 'thing' of it would probably show him a terrific way of winding everybody up!

norose4 Thu 20-Jul-17 12:20:49

Sad isn't it Gillybob, I used to drive my son & friends to their football matches & couldn't believe the language shouted out by some Dads to their own young sons, critical & foul mouthed & most of them looked like the couldn't run to save their lives let alone kick a ball , made sad & angry ?

gillybob Thu 20-Jul-17 12:34:30

Oh I have mostly stopped going because of this norose4 they are 7 and 8 year olds for goodness sake !

Dads (and mums) shouting and bawling at the referee, criticizing every minor decisions as though it were the premier league. Horrible.

norose4 Thu 20-Jul-17 12:49:39

Exactly Gillybob, made me wonder how they were treated at home if they didn't meet the expectations of their mostly overweight foul mouthed Dads . Thankfully away from the football fraternity their are some lovely supportive Dads who don't need to find glory on the back of their children .

norose4 Thu 20-Jul-17 12:54:17

Sorry Anya back to the fairy grotto , Maybe Goblins Grotto & pissed off could be acceptable ?? maybe, but fairies don't get pissed off do they? & It why is it necessary to make things course instead of pleasant

gillybob Thu 20-Jul-17 13:00:52

I thought Fairies were always good and pure of thought and mind. Why would they ever get pissed off?
What would cause them to get pissed off?

Alima Thu 20-Jul-17 13:16:24

It is good to see someone coming in at a different angle on this. (Still don't understand why fairies seem to feature so large in some lives).

gillybob Thu 20-Jul-17 13:18:15

Apparently (mind you this is only a rumour, so I could be wrong) but;

No-one loves a fairy when she's 40 ! shock

Lewlew Thu 20-Jul-17 13:26:49

Anya Thu 20-Jul-17 12:06:57

What does clutching pearls mean??? confused

Anyways, I was only mentioning the idea as the dad had a strong opinion on it, and that at least the kid could have a sign that dad approved of. confused

Ana Thu 20-Jul-17 13:29:52

gillybob, don't you remember Tinkerbell in Peter Pan? She got really p****d off about Wendy! grin

Anya Thu 20-Jul-17 13:34:32

Let me remind you what you posted as you've apparently forgotten Lewlew

"Anyone can swear or use profanity as a substitute for humour or actually thinking before opening mouth" ....you didn't 'only' mention the sign did you?

Anya Thu 20-Jul-17 13:37:34

5 reasons not to piss off the fair(y) folk

gillybob Thu 20-Jul-17 13:40:01

Yes Tinks did have one or two psychopathic tendencies issues in PP didn't she Ana?

In fact I would say, thinking about it she was a bit of a bitch towards poor Wendy.

HootyMcOwlface Thu 20-Jul-17 14:59:36

Your grandson sounds absolutely delightful Anya but I don't think I would let him have that sign if he were mine either. Can't he get some nice paints and make one himself, sounds like he might enjoy doing that and it would probably be better too!

Jaycee5 Thu 20-Jul-17 15:11:36

Slightly off topic but Hobbycraft have an internet competition at the moment to win an Unicorn fairy garden which you could try and win something uncontroversial to offer.

Baggs Thu 20-Jul-17 15:42:15

I understand that a phrase like piss off can cause upset, and why it might. What I don't understand is why anyone would be upset by its use on the suggested sign.

In my locality the girl street-light fairies used regularly to feel pissed off with the boy ones because the boy street-light fairies, according to my five year old source of this information, were a bit slapdash when extinguishing the street-lights and kept leaving some on, so the girls often had to check and finish the job as well as doing their own share.
My 5yo source of info probably did not use the expression pissed off about the girl fairies, but I assure you that that's what she meant. I know exactly how they felt. Flippin' half-a-job types piss me off as well ?

annifrance Thu 20-Jul-17 16:01:46

well, I thought it was very funny, Anya. I would delight in helping your fun sounding DGS. Would do it like a shot with mine, not sure DD would approve though. But then I am intent in being a slightly controversial DGM.

I love children with a bit of an edge to them. If you PM your address I will send you one of my edgy clothes peg fairies for his grotto next time I am in UK.

Fairies or Faeries really can be a bit scary. I have a book of knitted fairies and some of them are really a bit weird. When I had knitted one for his sister, DGS demanded a man fairy - that one really did have an edge!

Ana Thu 20-Jul-17 16:06:46

What's wrong with 'cross with', fed up with' or 'annoyed with' for five year olds? Or ten year olds, come to that?

Why introduce basic swear words into their vocabulary at that age? (I know you don't consider them as such Baggs)

threexnanny Thu 20-Jul-17 17:08:51

I too thought the sign was a joke against gays and therefore it is unacceptable on two levels - well done to the dad.

Also didn't know about the 'give a toss' expression. I thought it originated from tossing a coin!

rafichagran Thu 20-Jul-17 18:09:56

What has that sign for to do with Gays, I really think that is overthinking it.

Teddy123 Thu 20-Jul-17 18:36:35

Sorry Anya. Truly didn't mean to pi** you off. Guess I'm just surprised that you found it acceptable, amusing etc. & assumed that it was be a wind up to get a reaction.

I'm with your lovely SIL on this one.

CardiffJaguar Thu 20-Jul-17 19:45:21

Some of the above comments remind me that many people have no understanding of life in any school today. Pissing off the fairies is at the mildest end of terms you could hear in the playground. There are many common terms in use today I would wish were not common and not heard in schools but they are and we are not going to prevent them. Is the internet to blame? Yes, but so is TV and other media. That genie is out of the bottle and will never go back in, unfortunately.

Jalima1108 Thu 20-Jul-17 19:47:29

Well, I think the fairies are truly pissed off now, what with people not believing in them [gasp] and all these different views about their grotto.

They told me they are dismantling any grottoes of any person who says THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN FAIRIES and will re-locate elsewhere with the help of Kirsty and Phil who have a great insight into the best locations.

wildswan16 Thu 20-Jul-17 19:51:20

If I give my child a sign or picture with "piss off" on it then that is telling the child it is acceptable to me. If my child then tells me to "piss off" I don't have a leg to stand on. It is not acceptable language from anyone in my view, let alone a child.

cardiffjaguar - it may be mild compared to other possibilities but that does not make it acceptable (in my house anyway).