Cecilie1200
Diamond Member
My children are all members of a multi-racial family, obviously, since their father is half-Chinese, and various other relatives are black, Cherokee, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mexican. Although they are, obviously, aware of these racial and ethnic facts, it has been literally in the same sense that they're aware of some of their relatives have brown eyes, some blue, and some green.
In fact, my teenaged son was twelve before he ever encountered the concept of racism at all (we were aided in this by the fact that he was homeschooled, and all his extra-familial contacts were with our own friends, who obviously aren't going to be racists). I remember we were watching "Flags of Our Fathers", and he was utterly bewildered about why everyone was being so mean to the Native American guy. The movie doesn't explain WHY people automatically disliked and abused him, because the writers assumed everyone watching knew and understood about the concept of racism. Nicky didn't, though. I had to explain to him how Native Americans were viewed in the 1940s, and why, and while I did, he stared at me as though I had lost my mind. It was as bewildering to him AFTER he knew what racism was as it had been before.
Bearing this background in mind, Nicky got in a fight with another student at his school late last week., because the other student started making racist remarks and insults at Nicky about his Asian blood. Nicky reported it to the teacher, as he's supposed to do, and for some odd reason, her response was to say, "You boys need to settle down and behave yourselves"! Of course, the other boy didn't, and when Nicky started to get angry and told him to knock it off, he hit Nicky and they wound up in a fight.
The upshot being that the school has a "zero tolerance" policy for violence (although not for racism, apparently), and I have to transfer Nicky to a new school. That the policy applied to both boys doesn't make me any less annoyed. And yes, for anyone who's going to ask, I have filed a formal complaint about the teacher's pathetic handling of the situation.
So our new policy in our family, which I really hate, is that if and when this situation comes up again (because it will; there are still too many ignorant savages in the world), Nicky is to report it SPECIFICALLY in these terms: "So-and-so is making RACIST remarks to me." If the offender is not then IMMEDIATELY removed to the office to be dealt with, Nicky is to call or text me THAT INSTANT, at which point I will call the school, have Nicky brought to the office to meet me, and proceed to rip someone a brand-new Civil Rights asshole.
I resent like hell having gone to so much trouble to create an environment which allows me to raise post-racial children, only to be forced to teach them the language and attitudes of racism ANYWAY. I will be mightily glad when the rest of the country gets past this Neanderthal fixation on such silly shit.
In fact, my teenaged son was twelve before he ever encountered the concept of racism at all (we were aided in this by the fact that he was homeschooled, and all his extra-familial contacts were with our own friends, who obviously aren't going to be racists). I remember we were watching "Flags of Our Fathers", and he was utterly bewildered about why everyone was being so mean to the Native American guy. The movie doesn't explain WHY people automatically disliked and abused him, because the writers assumed everyone watching knew and understood about the concept of racism. Nicky didn't, though. I had to explain to him how Native Americans were viewed in the 1940s, and why, and while I did, he stared at me as though I had lost my mind. It was as bewildering to him AFTER he knew what racism was as it had been before.
Bearing this background in mind, Nicky got in a fight with another student at his school late last week., because the other student started making racist remarks and insults at Nicky about his Asian blood. Nicky reported it to the teacher, as he's supposed to do, and for some odd reason, her response was to say, "You boys need to settle down and behave yourselves"! Of course, the other boy didn't, and when Nicky started to get angry and told him to knock it off, he hit Nicky and they wound up in a fight.
The upshot being that the school has a "zero tolerance" policy for violence (although not for racism, apparently), and I have to transfer Nicky to a new school. That the policy applied to both boys doesn't make me any less annoyed. And yes, for anyone who's going to ask, I have filed a formal complaint about the teacher's pathetic handling of the situation.
So our new policy in our family, which I really hate, is that if and when this situation comes up again (because it will; there are still too many ignorant savages in the world), Nicky is to report it SPECIFICALLY in these terms: "So-and-so is making RACIST remarks to me." If the offender is not then IMMEDIATELY removed to the office to be dealt with, Nicky is to call or text me THAT INSTANT, at which point I will call the school, have Nicky brought to the office to meet me, and proceed to rip someone a brand-new Civil Rights asshole.
I resent like hell having gone to so much trouble to create an environment which allows me to raise post-racial children, only to be forced to teach them the language and attitudes of racism ANYWAY. I will be mightily glad when the rest of the country gets past this Neanderthal fixation on such silly shit.