Boy, 7, branded a racist

[Catzsy]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-Africa.html#

Boy, 7, branded a racist for asking schoolmate: 'Are you brown because you come from Africa?'

Summoned: Hayley White was called to her son Elliot's school to deal with the 'racist incident'

The lunatics have well and truly taken over the asylum.

Thoughts?

It is interesting to compare the story in the local newspaper with that of the mail. It appears that even the local MP thought that 'common sense had been thrown out of the window' with which I agree.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...rown_1_4264704
The mail appears to just have picked out bits that they knew would appease their readership.
It does show how some councils/schools do not apply any thought to implementation of any policies they have to implement as is obvious here. It is possible for racism to happen in schools but this is a bit silly.

[Jssy]

When I was young though I asked a child in my class if he was born in africa and he just simply told me that his mum was born here. That boy lives in the same place as me and there isn't many black people really. There is a few more than there used to be, but that's why it's confusing. I used to get confused because we'd see black people on children in need etc yet there was only very few black people where I lived. The boy isn't at fault.

[Richie]

What a gaylord of a thing to post. Funny thing is we used to say that in primary school . I feel they're thinking to much of it and are frightened of something ever happening so blanking anything in relation to skin colour out. Fair play to his ma for not just signing the form.


There was this one black girl in our class that i didn't like 'cause our teacher allowed her to eat chips at lunch but we weren't allowed, so i thought it was unfair. Thinking back now the black girl did have one leg. BUT STILL! if one leg means you can eat chips, i give u my leg.

[Chris]

Poor kid. I can see how it could be seen as racist, but he's a 7 year old kid and it seems to me like it was a genuine question, and not something that was intended to be malicious.

[Cerys]

If this IS true, then it's stupid. A 7yr old child was JUST asking a question.

Some people are just too over-reactive.

[Matthew]

I suppose the question can be a bit offensive (only a bit though) but to brand the kid as a racist is ridiculous.

He's 7 years old.. I doubt he even knows what racist means! He's not racist, he's just curious and its stupid to think otherwise.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Everyone on earth is from Africa "originally" but for hundreds of years black people have been found across central and north America as well as Europe (as I'm sure you're aware).

Yes we know that, however we're talking about the recent last 1,000 years as opposed to doing a study in how the races evolved and where they come from. In general and common knowledge; black is the colour of Africa, yellow is the colour of Eastern Asia, brown is the colour of the Middle East, red is the colour of Natives around the Pacific, white is the colour of Europe and the west and so on.

If somebody is black in this country, they have (somewhere) down the line originated from Africa. As I say again, my friend is black and I asked him about his heritage when I first met him - why? not because i'm a racist, because i'm interested in his background. The very same way i've been asked whether i'm part Indian or from Southern Europe.

It doesn't say anywhere in the article that he was going to be punished if it was signed? The boy was offended, made a complaint, the complaint was dealt with and he got a talking to. Nor was he ever accused of being a racist, merely a racist comment. If the boy had been excluded over this I could understand the uproar as he did make the comments innocently (That's not to say he didn't deserve a talking to however).

Why is he being made to sign something then as an admission of guilt? its an innocent question, not racism.

]It got boring for me when you bullied everyone else out the section by ridiculously arrogant and over the top posts of ridiculous lengths constantly and driving everyone to repeat their points constantly which is no fun to anyone (but yourself perhaps?). Now the only person in this section is yourself and people with similar views to yours, and it's no fun arguing with you for the reasons outlined and plus it's just predictable as I know your views on everything inside out.

Thats not what others have said, indeed i've heard it said by a former General Manager that if I didn't post provoking discussions then the forum would end up being removed after a short while. Whether or not thats true remains to be seen although i'm very flattered, however i'm not going to post simply to agree with you all. Because I don't, and that would be dull.

Face it, you just don't like it now that whenever you complain about Labour - I chip in and say how 'the party' is just as bad. Indeed, since the Conservatives have been in office along with the run up to the election i've noticed a few Conservative Party supporters on this forum suddenly turn cold towards me when we got on just fine posting about how awful the Labour government was.

I've never seen you back down or apologise in many years of using these forums, it's just something you claim to do to cover yourself, it doesn't occur.

I've just admitted there i've backed down before when i've been wrong, EU cabbage directive - I thought it was real, its a viral joke - I was 100% damn diddly wrong.

It is interesting to compare the story in the local newspaper with that of the mail. It appears that even the local MP thought that 'common sense had been thrown out of the window' with which I agree.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/...rown_1_4264704
The mail appears to just have picked out bits that they knew would appease their readership.
It does show how some councils/schools do not apply any thought to implementation of any policies they have to implement as is obvious here. It is possible for racism to happen in schools but this is a bit silly.

The Daily Mail story also quoted the local MP from what I recall however I left that out because otherwise when the posts are too long i'm accused, as above, of posting posts of a ridiculous length.

[dirrty]

Yes we know that, however we're talking about the recent last 1,000 years as opposed to doing a study in how the races evolved and where they come from. Black is the colour of Africa, Yellow is the colour of Eastern Asia, Brown is the colour of the Middle East, White is the colour of Europe and the west and so on.

If somebody is black in this country, they have (somewhere) down the line originated from Africa. As I say again, my friend is black and I asked him about his heritage when I first met him - why? not because i'm a racist, because i'm interested in it. The very same way i've been asked whether i'm part Indian or from Southern Europe.

so you're basically saying because black people came from africa within the past 1000 years or whatever, there's nothing wrong with asking someone whose black "are you from africa?" or that assuming someone who is black is from africa ~because they came from there 1000 years ago? i mean, seriously? 1000 years...? black people should essentially associate themselves with africa because their ancestors within the past 1000 years came from there? this is too much ******y right now, and i swear the dumbest thing i've read from you. i'm going sleep|-).

[-:Undertaker:-]

so you're basically saying because black people came from africa within the past 1000 years or whatever, there's nothing wrong with asking someone whose black "are you from africa?" or that assuming someone who is black is from africa ~because they came from there 1000 years ago? i mean, seriously? 1000 years...? black people should essentially associate themselves with africa because their ancestors within the past 1000 years came from there? this is too much ******y right now, and i swear the dumbest thing i've read from you. i'm going sleep|-).

Well there's evidence of black people coming here from Roman times from what i've read in the past, however that was on such a small scale that any features from that would now have been so diluted since that we wouldn't even notice without a DNA test. No, the influx of people of black people has occured over the past 100 or 200 years, therefore its not only a legit question to ask somebody buts its also based in fact and genuine interest, not racism. I hate this political correctness nonsense we have to put up with, black people are in the minority concerning skin colour - therefore people will naturally ask questions concerning their heritage, just as I did.

So no, there's nothing wrong with asking people questions without malice intended - I still don't know myself where my black hair and darker skin has come from, it could of been within the past 200 years or a 1,000 years ago or even 2,000 years ago or maybe even its simply a mutation - either way its still interesting and I take no offence what so ever from it. Skin colour doesn't matter, but it naturally gives an indication of our heritage.

..and thats why people ask questions.

[Catzsy]

Well there's evidence of black people coming here from Roman times from what i've read in the past, however that was on such a small scale that any features from that would now have been so diluted since that we wouldn't even notice without a DNA test. No, the influx of people of black people has occured over the past 100 or 200 years, therefore its not only a legit question to ask somebody buts its also based in fact and genuine interest, not racism. I hate this political correctness nonsense we have to put up with, black people are in the minority concerning skin colour - therefore people will naturally ask questions concerning their heritage, just as I did.

So no, there's nothing wrong with asking people questions without malice intended - I still don't know myself where my black hair and darker skin has come from, it could of been within the past 200 years or a 1,000 years ago or even 2,000 years ago or maybe even its simply a mutation - either way its still interesting and I take no offence what so ever from it. Skin colour doesn't matter, but it naturally gives an indication of our heritage.

..and thats why people ask questions.

I really cannot believe you have said the part in bold. Unbelievable! Skin colour has had nothing to do with where they were born for many decades in some cases and centuries for others. Would anybody say to someone platinum blond are you from Scandanavia? It is the worst negative stereotype I can think of. I still don't blame the boy but he must have got this sort of attitude from somewhere even if he said it innocently.

The Daily Mail story also quoted the local MP from what I recall however I left that out because otherwise when the posts are too long i'm accused, as above, of posting posts of a ridiculous length.

If you are going to post a quote I suggest you don't edit it as it certainly changes the impression it gives.
Members are talking about the posts not the quotes!