'are You Brown Because You're From Africa, Racist Or Not??

[anotheoldgit]

Spoken by a seven year old I hasten to add.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2910692/Branded-RACIST-five-little-girl-said-friend-brown-boy-asked-black-child-Africa-teachers-reporting-primary-school-pupils-bigots-official-records.html

[anotheoldgit]

Moving down to the reader's comments, I see;

/// The comments below have been moderated in advance. ///

And it seems they are still busy dong so, since it is still loading.

[jim360]

Racism is a negative attitude to someone based on their race. This isn't even displaying a negative attitude, so far as I can see -- although if an adult asked it I'd definitely call/think them ignorant and/ or insensitive, as I hope would most people.

We're in a period where people are now starting to think very carefully about what they say about and how they treat other people based on their differences. I think this is, in the long run, a far more desirable thing than not caring about it and just being rude, prejudiced, insensitive and yes, even racist/ sexist/ *ist. The sad off-shoot of that is that some people do get overzealous and that is particularly unacceptable at this age. The appropriate thing to do is to underline to the child that it's not the done thing to ask such questions, rather than to jump on their backs. All the same, children can be cruel and that too should be dealt with rather than just ignored.

The balance has in recent years swung as I say from a time when you had to accept persecution to a time when persecution is sometimes seen even when it doesn't exist; hopefully it will settle somewhere in the middle in the long run.

[dannyk13]

If common sense prevails ,then no it is not racist.

[Old_Geezer]

It's probably a job's-worth situation. Not wanting to be accused of not acting they go nuclear even when unjustified.

"and she had informed the school, hoping that they could have a quiet word with Elliott." So what was this word she though Elliott needed anyway ? That he was obviously a very sensible lad to know that darker skinned folk will have had their genealogical roots in the hotter countries of the world ?

[Old_Geezer]

...thought...
as typed

[joggerjayne]

Possibilities:

1. From now on, we need to pretend that there is no correlation between having dark skin, and possibly having African ancestry or heritage.

2. Black people are no longer proud of their heritage.

Wait a minute ... whatever happened to Black Pride? Was that just in the 70s and 80s.

Are black people now so embarrassed by their heritage, that we have to pretend that it never existed?

Seems a bit weird.

Surely, in reply to a question, was he black because he came from Africa, the boy should have proudly said ... No, but my great grandparents came from Nigeria, or whatever.

[2sp_]

Racism (or any kind of -ism) is all about intent. This child asked why another had brown skin, the same way my kids asked an older gentleman why he was so old...

There was no malicious intent, so I can't see why it could be classed as racism.

[237SJ]

Ridiculous. Someone in The Gambia said to me "Why are you so white"? I didn`t consider that racist. It was just a question from someone who lives among black skinned people.

[ummmm]

My kids, especially my daughter, always questioned why. Why has that lady got brown skin? Why is that man in a pushchair? Why does that lady have blue hair....etc etc.

It's nothing more than curiosity.

[bazwillrun]

Well most of the liberal lefties and their twisted version of reality would love to have every body brainwashed to their way of thinking and socially engineer everybody and everysituation to suit them, so they will think its racist....

As to common sense they cant tell black from white even if its staring them in the....ooops, oh my what have i said....gnarf gnarf gnarf

[anotheoldgit]

jim360

What are your thoughts if an adult happened to ask a black person if they came from Africa?

[jim360]

It would depend somewhat on the context, although it seems more sensible anyway to ask "Where are you from?"

[joggerjayne]

One starts to become a tad suspicious along "thou dost protest too much" lines.

People who make exaggerated and unrealistic accusations of racism ...

Are they a little insecure about their own feelings. Do they themselves have slightly racist feelings? Do they feel the need to go hugely overboard to artificially demonstrate that they are very, very, very opposed to racism?

One has to wonder, because their heads seem so full of racism that they see it everywhere, even where it doesn't exist.

[jim360]

Baz, while I'm sure some people do think that way, or at least seem to, there are many more, indeed most, who want the sensible middle ground. That is, that we want to cut out racism without seeing it where it doesn't exist. Surely we all want that? You wouldn't want to be judged based solely on your skin colour (or gender, sexuality, age) either.

[jim360]

jj -- rather like all those Catholic priests, spitting fire and brimstone against homosexuality and paedophilia and end up getting caught with choirboys?

[joggerjayne]

// it seems more sensible anyway to ask "Where are you from?" //

I'm not sure. The same teachers would say that he didn't ask any of the white kids where THEY were from, only the black kid.

[anotheoldgit]

English people are always interesting in where people are from, but it seems some of our ethnics are a little touchy over this, ask some of them "where are you from" and you will get an angry stare and the reply will be "England".

[joggerjayne]

jim ... yes, exactly.

[joggerjayne]

Aww, AOG ... thank you x x x (for the BA)

[Orderlimit]

"thousands of children as young or even younger than Elliott are being branded racists, homophobes and bigots .."

The usual stuff then.