Racism gone mad..
 

Is it just me, this story about a 5th grade crossword puzzle, downloaded from an education site, and given to 5th Graders contained an answer that was the "N" word. Read the story and you decide...

I think it TEACHES the KIDS HISTORY, you can't HIDE from HISTORY, ONLY learn from IT - that's my view. i don't understand why people get mad over something like this... Especially when you read the actual question!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299083,00.html

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

There must be some irony in here that the story was on Faux News -- and then the OP states that we need to learn our lessons from history. To borrow Orwell: “To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed".

On the topic, IMO placing such a word in a crossword to teach young kids was stupid and insensitive rather than racist.

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

I presume it was the word 'negro'. using the n word down here is likely to get you punched hard, and just just from my wife...

otherwise you may be looking down the barrel of a hi-point...

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Yes, but people (or rather, people who are not African-American) generally do not even use the "n" word even in the context of discussions about the "n" word, let alone casually. So it's hardly surprising that throwing it in a wordsearch seems a bit flippant to many people. I don't think that's hiding from history.

In the absence of any other information, I don't think the teacher was motivated by racism and actually I suspect she just hadn't read through the whole thing before giving it to the class. It's a bit embarrassing, and even more so when she tried to unsuccessfully explain her way out of it, but if she genuinely acknowledges it was a balls-up, I don't think she should be run out of town for it.

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

And the term African-American from people who can't find it on a map and/or have never been within 2000 miles of Africa.

Whatever colour you are, if you're born in America...You're AMERICAN, not African :)

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Here we go again! :lol:

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Well I'm a togengican ....and don't you forget it ....

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

So you think kids should be taught how to insult people? There's a way of educating kids that does teach them the history without validating the words they could use (can you imagine a young kids thought process on this one "oh, you're black, I want to insult you, this word was used in class and it was taught as a way to insult black people, it fits what I want to do so I'll use it"). This was part of a homework assignment - not a part of a wider discussion which is very different.

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

they don't savvy that or don't want to :confused:

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

You don't make the rules in America though ..... Americans do and if they like to prefix their nationality with their origins or ethnicity then more power to them. Feel free to let it annoy you though. :)

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

It's a slur and an insulting word. Did she also include bitch, whore, mother****er and bastard on this crossword?

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Sounds like political correctness gone over the top.

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Show us how you teach the word without telling them it is an insult for people with black or brown skins, will you please?

Have you ESP'd that they were not told that insulting people is wrong, in advance in a general discussion, or that it would be in a follow-up?

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Neither - we're not doing it for anybody but ourselves so we don't care if anybody else "approves". We just do whatever we like - it's our country. :cool:

Re: Racism gone mad..
 

Grrrrrrrrr.... :lol:

Hey it's a free country!