As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.
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As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.http://www.krdo.com/community/31073392/detail.html
Basically:
-Kids in 2nd grade (year 3) are given a famous historical figure to do a big presentation on and dress up as.
-Blonde white kid is given MLK.
-Kid dresses up as MLK and obviously dyes his face black and adds a fake mustache.
-Principle and teachers flip out and demand he removes it.
-Kids mum refuses and takes him home.
-Kid is completely confused as to why it is a big issue
This is basically a textbook example of what is keeping racism going in this world. In order for racism to completely cease kids need to just ignore the differences in appearance between people and just treat everybody as a human being. Historical differences need to be forgiven and ignored. Otherwise 'racism' is just a huge exercise in not wanting to offend people of other ethnic groups, and unfortunately that's what it seems to be today. It's making victims out of other human beings for completely bizarre reasons.
Racism should be left as it is: prejudice shown based on skin colour or ethnic background, or the idea that one 'race' is superior to another.
Stories like this do my head in. I don't look around at friends who are of a different ethnic group to me and think they're any different to anyone else. I see the difference between a black person and myself in the same way I see a difference between a blonde friend and a brown haired friend. I don't even think about it. Stories like this just remind me of why 'racism' will never go away, because people still have the mentality that distiguishes other ethnic groups as more vulnerable to offence and therefore are inadvertently seeing them as victims who need protecting. Which in itself is ironically racist.
Sorry about the rant. It just does my head in. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.What seems most striking to me is the stupidity of the school. How the hell is a white kid supposed to dress up as MLK without colouring their face? They should have easily predicted that.
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Well it would have been more racist if they only got a black person to play him though more logical sounding. But it sounds logical to have someone use facepaint than no face paint otherwise it wouldn't have been a good portrayal and people would have been annoyed at the performance of the play. But naturally everyone kicks up a fuss if someone tries to look 'black' but we can always turn a blind eye if a black person portrays a white one - hence White Chicks (was a funny film though).(Original post by anarchism101)
What seems most striking to me is the stupidity of the school. How the hell is a white kid supposed to dress up as MLK without colouring their face? They should have easily predicted that. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Hilolrious. That is silly. Having said that, I can't blame the teachers, though. I'm sure if they had let the kid continue their positions would be even worse.
And, as the person above me said, the greater tensions in race relations in the US mean that this is definitely going to be a more sensitive subject than it would be over here. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist....not Colorado then.(Original post by FrigidSymphony)
Places with a memory of Jim Crow will react a bit differently to black face, though, you must remember that. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.How is racism going to disappear if we ignore it? Generally, when you ignore a problem, it stays the same.(Original post by prog2djent)
Racism will dissapear when people, from both sides, stop talking about it, teaching children about it, and being offended all the time.
If you ignore it then racist parents will continue to pass on their racism to their kids. If you address it, then hopefully people will learn. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Wait...are you irritated because the teachers flipped out, or because of how the kid decided to dress up to look like MLK?...(Original post by revisionnightmare)
http://www.krdo.com/community/31073392/detail.html
Basically:
-Kids in 2nd grade (year 3) are given a famous historical figure to do a big presentation on and dress up as.
-Blonde white kid is given MLK.
-Kid dresses up as MLK and obviously dyes his face black and adds a fake mustache.
-Principle and teachers flip out and demand he removes it.
-Kids mum refuses and takes him home.
-Kid is completely confused as to why it is a big issue
This is basically a textbook example of what is keeping racism going in this world. In order for racism to completely cease kids need to just ignore the differences in appearance between people and just treat everybody as a human being. Historical differences need to be forgiven and ignored. Otherwise 'racism' is just a huge exercise in not wanting to offend people of other ethnic groups, and unfortunately that's what it seems to be today. It's making victims out of other human beings for completely bizarre reasons.
Racism should be left as it is: prejudice shown based on skin colour or ethnic background, or the idea that one 'race' is superior to another.
Stories like this do my head in. I don't look around at friends who are of a different ethnic group to me and think they're any different to anyone else. I see the difference between a black person and myself in the same way I see a difference between a blonde friend and a brown haired friend. I don't even think about it. Stories like this just remind me of why 'racism' will never go away, because people still have the mentality that distiguishes other ethnic groups as more vulnerable to offence and therefore are inadvertently seeing them as victims who need protecting. Which in itself is ironically racist.
Sorry about the rant. It just does my head in.
I'm a tad confused...
One thing that this case does highlight to me is the fact that people seem to get overly tetchy about issues like race to the point whereby in trying to eradicate racism, they make it (specific incidents) a bigger issue than it actually is. In effect I think that it's only become an issue because they've made it one.
The child was told to dress up as Martin Luther King, who was Black, and because he's only a child, would have looked at a picture of the man, realised he's a different colour to him (and not necessarily with any connotations of inferiority/superiority about skin colour either) and then simply painted his face black to look more like him... he's not some evil racist KKK member seeking to take the piss out of Black people/black skin, he's just trying to look more like the person they assigned him... hence the fact that this is a non-issue. The fact of the matter is that Martin Luther King was black. End of. All this kid is doing is trying to look more like him, not having a pop at black people - he even said he didn't have a problem with Black people.... Where is the problem?
Real discrimination, such as abuse, attacks, refusing employment etc should be challenged and needs to be overcome, but this is a 7-9 year old for goodness sake, these people (those who had a problem with it) need to get some perspective. Anyone who's offended by a child that age (who probably doesn't understand the concept of race as an adult does anyway) painting his face black in order to look more like MLK needs to grow a pair and not be so damn thin-skinned... they're the ones in my opinion who perpetuate the idea of racial difference and tension moreso in my opinion, than the nutters who spout the usual crap about white race genocide and so on...Last edited by TheHistoryStudent; 18-05-2012 at 00:28. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.no, i think the best way is to make a list of all attributes to a man that we can think of and ask volunteers to put them in order of importance. this lets people see how important the idea of race is and if we observe the volunteers over a long period of time, we will know how their attitude toward race changes over the life time. after all, race is just an attribute. your breast size is another attribute. your occupation is too.
edit, i admit that race is a visual attribute and an easy one to use for everyone that can see. you cant find out what a person does without asking her. in most cases you cant find out a nationality of a person without asking although we seem to think that caucasians live in the northern america and western europe, orientals china and far east, blacks in africa and browns in southeast asia. people in northern america seem to think that caucasians mean northern european looks and they use another expression latinos loosely for people they associate with southern europe and latin america.Last edited by rippedbanana; 18-05-2012 at 00:48. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Goes to show how white children are being indoctrinated.
Famous historical figure?
You would think a normal white child would dress up as Julius Caesar, Robin Hood (legend was based on a historical figure), Alexander the Great, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill etcetc.
No, with most schools now though they don't even teach white history. Most white children are only being taught about other races, to the extent the only figures they know are now black...Last edited by Pyramidologist; 18-05-2012 at 00:48. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.LOL!
Sounds like the episode of South Park where there is a black man being hanged and the kids are making a nice picture with different coloured stickmen holding hands.
Only Chef gets annoyed however. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Dr King will be turning in his grave. How are little black boys and girls going to be able to join hands with little white boys and girls if people go ape**** about this? And let's just assume one one minute that it is immoral/abhorrent/evil/racist/scummy to mimic someone a different race from you (although I'm sure in many people eyes it would only apply to whites mimicking non-whites, for the sake of the amount of white persecuted by other moronic whites) this kid was assigned to mimic a black person. That's like, in the fiction context about mimicking other races, a company creating a policy of turning down all black applicants and then firing their staff for turning down all black applicants.
As far as I'm concerned, this guy was not harassing anyone and therefore racial abuse is impossible, logically at least. It's funny because I'm seeing this as racism towards white by screwing us over, and yet it's probably being mostly fuelled by whites anyway. What is this, cannibal racism? -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Come on now, there is no way you actually believe this crap you spout, surely.(Original post by Pyramidologist)
Goes to show how white children are being indoctrinated.
Famous historical figure?
You would think a normal white child would dress up as Julius Caesar, Robin Hood (legend was based on a historical figure), Alexander the Great, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill etcetc.
No, with most schools now though they don't even teach white history. Most white children are only being taught about other races, to the extent the only figures they know are now black... -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Well I can't see any other explanation for why no-one at this school sees any logic in why they have a problem with the subject of the story.(Original post by blu tack)
Come on now, there is no way you actually believe this crap you spout, surely. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to say but my only point was that the guy I quoted said that schools don't teach 'white history' anymore, and if you believe that, you're an idiot.(Original post by Snagprophet)
Well I can't see any other explanation for why no-one at this school sees any logic in why they have a problem with the subject of the story. -
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Re: As long as this kind of mentality exists, 'racism' will exist.Goes to show how much you wish to indoctrinate American children, forcing them to dress as Romans, Greeks or British historical figures.(Original post by Pyramidologist)
Goes to show how white children are being indoctrinated.
Famous historical figure?
You would think a normal white child would dress up as Julius Caesar, Robin Hood (legend was based on a historical figure), Alexander the Great, Oliver Cromwell, Winston Churchill etcetc.
No, with most schools now though they don't even teach white history. Most white children are only being taught about other races, to the extent the only figures they know are now black...Last edited by shyopstv; 18-05-2012 at 01:35.
