Scottish schoolchildren will be taught that the Loch Ness monster is anti-Scottish because its legend was created by the British class system, which portrayed Scotland as “primitive”.
- The Loch Ness monster is considered a symbol of England’s dominance over Scotland.
- Students will learn how class structure played a role in creating the legend.
- Activists see the lessons as “nationalistic” and aimed at brainwashing students.
For many, this is a funny fairy tale to attract tourists; for others, it is a real mystery or just a stupid hoax.
But to awaken education leaders, the Loch Ness Monster is a powerful symbol of England’s dominance over Scotland – a theory that will now be taught in schools.
Students north of the border should be told how the mythical beast reinforces negative stereotypes and perpetuates prejudice against the Scots.
Schoolchildren are taught how classroom structure played a role in creating the legend, and how the stories associated with the creature tie into debates about Scottish independence and even the Cold War.
But campaigners last night criticized the classes as “nationalist, anti-British propaganda” aimed at brainwashing students.
They say that this is an image of the head and neck of Nessie. This famous photo was taken in 1934 by Robert C. Wilson, a vacationing London surgeon, in Loch Ness, Scotland.
Remarkable statements about Nessie are presented in a 17-page social studies lesson plan designed to help secondary school teachers explain what the monster’s depiction in films says about Scotland’s image and how it affects “broader contemporary topics like the independence referendum.”
The material aims to help teens aged 11 to 14 “recognize beliefs and prejudices” and claims that the monster was “created as a tourist attraction to attract the automotive middle class” during the Great Depression.
Although the earliest reports date back to the 6th century, the Nessie phenomenon exploded in the 1930s with a flurry of alleged sightings and photographs.
And the first film about Nessie was the 1934 low-budget horror film The Secret of the Lake.
The lesson plan states that the movie monster “shows the somewhat ambivalent position that Scotland occupies in the Union… the very idea of a prehistoric monster in the lake reinforces the stereotypical notion that Scotland, unlike England, is a rural wilderness, perhaps bypassed by progress .
“The depiction of the monster suggests that while there was a ‘primitive’ wilderness in Scotland before the formation of Britain, the modern state has the ability to control it using advanced knowledge and technology.”
The paper goes on to describe how the legend of Nessie “testifies to the development of the present state of Britain” and that the depiction of the creature “says a lot about Scotland’s position in the Union… supposedly a single national community to which people could ‘imagine a sense of belonging'”.
It adds that “Nessie’s cinematic portrayals have allowed Britain to present itself as a modern and united nation”.
Also under scrutiny are the 1996 family drama Loch Ness, starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson, and the 1983 short film Loch Ness Monster, in which a cheaply animated plasticine Nessie rampages through Edinburgh.
Footage taken by Richard Mavor in September 2021 shows a mysterious black figure on the shore of a lake in Scotland, believed to be Nessie.
The study guide states: “This monstrous destruction of the nation’s capital raises the question of whether Scotland could be drawn into the dangerous arena of the Cold War because of its relationship with England … and indeed, Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the US.
In this film, Nessie is a Scottish monster wondering if, given the circumstances in which he finds himself, he should reconsider his position in Britain in order to find another place in the world.
Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, criticized the material, stating: “There is no doubt that it represents an anti-British bias. He seeks to brainwash the students into believing that Scotland is the victim of an evil plot to undermine and infantilize its identity.
“The nationalist cause must be in despair if it has to resort to such propaganda tactics with the youth. My advice to teachers is to use Nessie’s plan itself as an example of how educators use “bias”.
Last night, Education Scotland reported: “Through film exploration, the resource encourages students to debate, analyze biases and understand the role that film has played in shaping the global image of Scotland.
“It also aims to help students learn about the importance of respecting the heritage and identity of others.”