Wash Post: Michael Eric Dyson reports 6 yo grandson called a racial slur at Mann

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putting aside the "n" word, what about threatening to go get Dad's gun and shoot someone?

I don't care if the kid is 6, that's outrageous.

I agree. The gun reference is concerning. Also the problem is that usage of the n-word is so common now thanks to vile rap songs that contain the word - and the people who embrace that “music.”

So you're excusing the use of the word by the 6yo white kid, with the rationale that he probably heard it in a rap song? How realistic is that scenario? We're not talking about teens here.

There was no racial slur.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of Dyson. Is he some blowhard pundit?

Easy enough to google, although not sure why you have the above assumptions if you've never heard of him. He's currently a sociology professor at Georgetown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Eric_Dyson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I realize I need to have the N-word conversation with my kids tonight.

How old are your kids that you have not deemed it necessary to have this conversation prior to this?

Lower elementary grades. I don’t think they’ve been in an environment where people would use it that way.

Do you know a good resource for how to bring it up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

This is not a huge overreaction. Imagine if this was your 6 year old? I would be livid. Imagine a slur that is so hurtful that it remains with you for life. This is not a small deal. I've been called racial slurs and believe me, I remember every instance. Parents need to do a better job of talking about race with their children and that this is not OK. I talk to my son often and tell him that racial slurs, hurtful language against physically disabled and others are things that I will not tolerate. Don't sweep this under the rug. It needs to be discussed early and often. We are at an EOTR Title I school, and they do an excellent job of promoting cultural awareness and kindness. I have no experience with schools in the upper NW, but do they do the same? And I'm not talking about just during Black History Month but throughout the year.

Of course the schools WOTP do that too!

No, they don’t. We are in a WOTP school and I was told by the principal that she didn’t want to encourage discussions of race and tolerance at our school because the parents are her constituents and a number of them might object.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

This is not a huge overreaction. Imagine if this was your 6 year old? I would be livid. Imagine a slur that is so hurtful that it remains with you for life. This is not a small deal. I've been called racial slurs and believe me, I remember every instance. Parents need to do a better job of talking about race with their children and that this is not OK. I talk to my son often and tell him that racial slurs, hurtful language against physically disabled and others are things that I will not tolerate. Don't sweep this under the rug. It needs to be discussed early and often. We are at an EOTR Title I school, and they do an excellent job of promoting cultural awareness and kindness. I have no experience with schools in the upper NW, but do they do the same? And I'm not talking about just during Black History Month but throughout the year.

Of course the schools WOTP do that too!

No, they don’t. We are in a WOTP school and I was told by the principal that she didn’t want to encourage discussions of race and tolerance at our school because the parents are her constituents and a number of them might object.

This is not the case at Mann. In fact, this very topic was discussed during the March PTA meeting. The school talked about what happened elsewhere, the training and steps they've already taken in preparation for something similar happening at Mann, and what Mann would do when/if such an incident occurs. It was known by all that Mann would communicate to the entire school population immediately upon an incident, which the principal did within the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never heard of Dyson. Is he some blowhard pundit?

No he’s a professor. He’s great! Surprised you have not heard of him? Do you read?

DP: I read easily 80-100 good books a year, including tons of nonfiction, and have no clue who that guy is.

[Anonymous]

Also the problem is that usage of the n-word is so common now thanks to vile rap songs that contain the word - and the people who embrace that “music.”


So you're excusing the use of the word by the 6yo white kid, with the rationale that he probably heard it in a rap song? How realistic is that scenario? We're not talking about teens here.

I don't know that it has anything to do with rap music. When my son was in first grade, he asked me what the word meant because he heard one child in his class say it to another child at recess during some sort of dispute about a game. He doesn't listen to rap music.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

This is not a huge overreaction. Imagine if this was your 6 year old? I would be livid. Imagine a slur that is so hurtful that it remains with you for life. This is not a small deal. I've been called racial slurs and believe me, I remember every instance. Parents need to do a better job of talking about race with their children and that this is not OK. I talk to my son often and tell him that racial slurs, hurtful language against physically disabled and others are things that I will not tolerate. Don't sweep this under the rug. It needs to be discussed early and often. We are at an EOTR Title I school, and they do an excellent job of promoting cultural awareness and kindness. I have no experience with schools in the upper NW, but do they do the same? And I'm not talking about just during Black History Month but throughout the year.

Of course the schools WOTP do that too!

No, they don’t. We are in a WOTP school and I was told by the principal that she didn’t want to encourage discussions of race and tolerance at our school because the parents are her constituents and a number of them might object.

This is not the case at Mann. In fact, this very topic was discussed during the March PTA meeting. The school talked about what happened elsewhere, the training and steps they've already taken in preparation for something similar happening at Mann, and what Mann would do when/if such an incident occurs. It was known by all that Mann would communicate to the entire school population immediately upon an incident, which the principal did within the day.

This just makes me so f'ing sad. You think that because race was raised as an issue at a March PTA meeting, you've checked off the box for having a conversation about race? No wonder these issues keep cropping up at WOTR schools. Our EOTR school incorporates discussions of race in most of the curriculum throughout the year and also in special events and project showcases. It's a natural part of the daily existence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

In this day and age, when a kid says they're going to shoot another kid, we had all better take that very seriously.

[Anonymous]

Does no one have a sense of humor anymore? A six year old saying he’s going to get a gun because some other kids cut ahead in the pizza line? Come on - that kid has a pretty strong sense of justice! And really likes his pizza!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BTW the thread title buries the lede here: the operative fact is that the kid using the slur also threatened to get a gun. That warrants the attention of authorities, full stop.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

In this day and age, when a kid says they're going to shoot another kid, we had all better take that very seriously.

+1. And there have been incidents of kids as young as 6 bringing guns to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putting aside the "n" word, what about threatening to go get Dad's gun and shoot someone?

I don't care if the kid is 6, that's outrageous.

I know a few kids that age who have behavioral issues, and one way they act out is by verbally going to extremes, even though there is no way they would actually have any idea how to carry it out, or even if the parent actually had a gun. Everything needs context, and having school officials who understand the kids involved best is the best way to deal with these situations.

Yeah, my context is that in my neighborhood, people have guns and some of them aren't paying a whole lot of attention to their six-year-old kids. Really outrageous that you would pooh-pooh the idea that a six-year-old could carry out a threat like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Putting aside the "n" word, what about threatening to go get Dad's gun and shoot someone?

I don't care if the kid is 6, that's outrageous.

I know a few kids that age who have behavioral issues, and one way they act out is by verbally going to extremes, even though there is no way they would actually have any idea how to carry it out, or even if the parent actually had a gun. Everything needs context, and having school officials who understand the kids involved best is the best way to deal with these situations.

Yeah, my context is that in my neighborhood, people have guns and some of them aren't paying a whole lot of attention to their six-year-old kids. Really outrageous that you would pooh-pooh the idea that a six-year-old could carry out a threat like that.

Whether or not the kid would follow through, that's terribly menacing and overly specific language for a 6 year. Something is not right with that kid (and likely that kid's house).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a huge overreaction over an argument among six year olds. This should have been handled by the school and the childrens' parents.

This is not a huge overreaction. Imagine if this was your 6 year old? I would be livid. Imagine a slur that is so hurtful that it remains with you for life. This is not a small deal. I've been called racial slurs and believe me, I remember every instance. Parents need to do a better job of talking about race with their children and that this is not OK. I talk to my son often and tell him that racial slurs, hurtful language against physically disabled and others are things that I will not tolerate. Don't sweep this under the rug. It needs to be discussed early and often. We are at an EOTR Title I school, and they do an excellent job of promoting cultural awareness and kindness. I have no experience with schools in the upper NW, but do they do the same? And I'm not talking about just during Black History Month but throughout the year.

Of course the schools WOTP do that too!

No, they don’t. We are in a WOTP school and I was told by the principal that she didn’t want to encourage discussions of race and tolerance at our school because the parents are her constituents and a number of them might object.

This is not the case at Mann. In fact, this very topic was discussed during the March PTA meeting. The school talked about what happened elsewhere, the training and steps they've already taken in preparation for something similar happening at Mann, and what Mann would do when/if such an incident occurs. It was known by all that Mann would communicate to the entire school population immediately upon an incident, which the principal did within the day.

This just makes me so f'ing sad. You think that because race was raised as an issue at a March PTA meeting, you've checked off the box for having a conversation about race? No wonder these issues keep cropping up at WOTR schools. Our EOTR school incorporates discussions of race in most of the curriculum throughout the year and also in special events and project showcases. It's a natural part of the daily existence.

Tell me more, all knowning sage, about what happens and doesn't happen at other schools. You're projecting and assuming all over the place here. Maybe, just maybe, try listening without presuming to know the content (let alone unspoken subtext) about what is being discussed.

Take your crocodile "f'ing sadness" elsewhere.