N word at Whitman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm AA. I have told my daughter that if anyone ever calls her that at school, to go ahead and kick their ass. I could care less about the sensitivity training. I just want to make sure that particular person does not call my daughter that again. And my daughter won't get suspended or expelled.

Great another future Starbucks barista with an attitude in the making

I'd hire her DD- a proud black women who stands her ground- over your racially entitled daughter anyday.

Of course, these master of phonics and how they apply to names don't work for free

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of thing that gives me pause about sending my kids to a school like Whitman. Yes, the academics are good by public school standards, but then you have a huge lack of diversity to contend with. If the school's make-up was more like BCC the N word wouldn't be getting thrown around like that because there would be a fear of peer-to-peer repercussions. Which is much more impactful than adults slapping them on the wrist.

Have you been at places around BCC at lunchtime? There is plenty of the N word from all races. And I’m sure a other more diverse schools in the area too.

Black kids using it among each other is a completely different scenario than two white kids ganging up on a black kid and saying it. I'm sure I don't need to break that down for you?

Really? So, the word should be banned at school only if uttered by certain students? Got it.

I love how (I'm guessing mostly white) people are suddenly so stupid they can't understand what a racial slur is or how it works.

"But if a black kid says it to another black kid it should be treated in exactly the same way as a white kid saying it to a black kid because it's exactly the same!!"

Seriously...? This is why Kaepernick feels the need to take a knee. Wake up.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This 1000 Times.

If you so vehemently disagree, please explain to us why it is perfectly OK for black children to use this racial slur. Go ahead. We're all waiting.

For the same reason Trump supporters gleefully call themselves "deplorables". You take away the power of the word when you use it as your own, but with a different spin.

There is no different spin. It is a derogatory term no matter who says it. Black people that say it sound like trash. They know it too.

You're being silly. Of course, there is a different meaning when blacks use the word vs whites. Surely you recognize that language and expression is thick with layered meaning. Is it classy? No. But in group use of the term clearly has a different meaning, and the meaning is more tongue in cheek and less derogatory. We don't get to both oppress black people and then also dictate to them how they are allowed to process their oppression.

So what you are saying is there is one set of rules and standards for one group and a different set for the other. All based on skin color. Modern age Separate but Equal.

Not a good course action if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

"You're being silly. Of course, there is a different meaning when blacks use the word vs whites. Surely you recognize that language and expression is thick with layered meaning. Is it classy? No. But in group use of the term clearly has a different meaning, and the meaning is more tongue in cheek and less derogatory. We don't get to both oppress black people and then also dictate to them how they are allowed to process their oppression."

White people: Read, repeat and process. If you don't get it the first time, read, repeat and process again. Also, FYI, black people don't really care how you feel about this issue. If you feel entitled to use the word, then USE it in all of the black people you see to test your theory. Don't be scurrrred!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"You're being silly. Of course, there is a different meaning when blacks use the word vs whites. Surely you recognize that language and expression is thick with layered meaning. Is it classy? No. But in group use of the term clearly has a different meaning, and the meaning is more tongue in cheek and less derogatory. We don't get to both oppress black people and then also dictate to them how they are allowed to process their oppression."

White people: Read, repeat and process. If you don't get it the first time, read, repeat and process again. Also, FYI, black people don't really care how you feel about this issue. If you feel entitled to use the word, then USE it in all of the black people you see to test your theory. Don't be scurrrred!!

It's not all black and white. Also, Latinos are allowed to use the word, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a different perspective. I think the principal was showing that he was taking the matter seriously and that such behavior would not be tolerated. Using offensive and demeaning language like this was a problem when my kid was at Pyle last year and I thought the principal there (Nardi) handled it terribly. Kids were running around heiling Hitler and calling people dirty Jews and using the N word and the F word willy nilly and no one did anything about it. It was depressing.

I agree PP. Pyle must have the worst school culture in Maryland. I wish the community super would step in and do something about the place. The whole "it's nice to be nice" messages the principal sends all the time drive me crazy. There's so much corniness and cluelessness, and in the end let's be real--the a--holes run the show at Pyle. No teeth behind anything, just trite sayings.

Huh. I have 2 kids at Pyle (one boy, one girl - different ages, friend groups, and activities), and have never heard of repeated (or even one-time) racist behavior at Pyle, or of any dominant group "ruling" the school. If anything, my kids would probably say that they have no idea what most of the other 1500 kids there are doing each day.

[Anonymous]

Then they are lucky. Please continue whatever it is you're doing so they stay happily oblivious. But don't assume that others have had the same experience.

[Anonymous]

Point taken, but likewise don't assume that Pyle is "ruled" by a-holes because your own kids have encountered some there. (And I am sorry that they have.)

[Anonymous]

I've worked in mainly "majority minority" schools my entire career. The N word has always been thrown around, and when it's been addressed by whites, the response revolves around how the word was co-opted by African Americans to remove the sting. However, I've also seen white kids addressed as the N word. These were kids in tightly knit, diverse groups who got along just fine.


This is only my perspective, however. I don't know how the situation has been handled at other schools.

Anonymous wrote:Here is the e-mail from the principal.

Dear Parents,

I am writing to express concern about two recent serious incidents that occurred at school. Our staff is committed to ensuring that the climate at Whitman High School is a positive one where all students feel valued and respected. Unfortunately, in the past week, there have been two incidents in which students have used the racially offensive “N” word towards another student. These acts are unacceptable in our school community. The offending students were disciplined according to the Montgomery County Public Schools Code of Conduct, and we also involved our school’s resource police officer. The students also participated in restorative conversations.

After the first incident, I made the following school-wide announcement to the staff and students repeating what had been shared in classes the second day of school:

Be respectful of adults and of each other. Embrace, accept, respect, and celebrate the diversity we enjoy at Whitman. Everyone has a right to feel safe and comfortable in school. Be courteous. Be kind to others. Derogatory name-calling of any type is unacceptable with strong school consequences for any racist expressions, gender-charged words, and sexual identity references.

Administrators then started visiting all English classes to repeat these expectations, a task that will be completed next week. Unfortunately, a second incident occurred today, so I am seeking your assistance. Please talk to your students giving them counsel and reinforcing our expectations to stop making such hurtful statements. Please emphasize that everyone who walks into this school deserves to feel welcome and safe. I will be working with staff and student leaders to determine what additional steps we can take to enhance the inclusiveness of our school community.

I again want to emphasize the seriousness of this situation. As your principal, I am disappointed to have to share this, and I want you to know that I feel a deep responsibility to maintain an accepting school environment that is intolerant of hate speech.


Sincerely,

Alan Goodwin

[Anonymous]

Thank you. I was also talking about how the school reacts to a--holes. Whether or not your kids have been targeted, it's in their best interest that they're in a place where they'd feel supported if they were. you might be surprised by their comments if you talked to them more generally about other kids' experiences. I know that they're focused on their own lives but they might have a sense that it's not so good for others. And that's life--we should all want to make sure everyone feels accepted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've worked in mainly "majority minority" schools my entire career. The N word has always been thrown around, and when it's been addressed by whites, the response revolves around how the word was co-opted by African Americans to remove the sting. However, I've also seen white kids addressed as the N word. These were kids in tightly knit, diverse groups who got along just fine.


This is only my perspective, however. I don't know how the situation has been handled at other schools.

Anonymous wrote:Here is the e-mail from the principal.

Dear Parents,

I am writing to express concern about two recent serious incidents that occurred at school. Our staff is committed to ensuring that the climate at Whitman High School is a positive one where all students feel valued and respected. Unfortunately, in the past week, there have been two incidents in which students have used the racially offensive “N” word towards another student. These acts are unacceptable in our school community. The offending students were disciplined according to the Montgomery County Public Schools Code of Conduct, and we also involved our school’s resource police officer. The students also participated in restorative conversations.

After the first incident, I made the following school-wide announcement to the staff and students repeating what had been shared in classes the second day of school:

Be respectful of adults and of each other. Embrace, accept, respect, and celebrate the diversity we enjoy at Whitman. Everyone has a right to feel safe and comfortable in school. Be courteous. Be kind to others. Derogatory name-calling of any type is unacceptable with strong school consequences for any racist expressions, gender-charged words, and sexual identity references.

Administrators then started visiting all English classes to repeat these expectations, a task that will be completed next week. Unfortunately, a second incident occurred today, so I am seeking your assistance. Please talk to your students giving them counsel and reinforcing our expectations to stop making such hurtful statements. Please emphasize that everyone who walks into this school deserves to feel welcome and safe. I will be working with staff and student leaders to determine what additional steps we can take to enhance the inclusiveness of our school community.

I again want to emphasize the seriousness of this situation. As your principal, I am disappointed to have to share this, and I want you to know that I feel a deep responsibility to maintain an accepting school environment that is intolerant of hate speech.


Sincerely,

Alan Goodwin

I'm a poster above who said that context really matters.

This has been my experience also. HS kids use the N word. White/Black/Latino/Asian. It's not always as offensive as you might think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm AA. I have told my daughter that if anyone ever calls her that at school, to go ahead and kick their ass. I could care less about the sensitivity training. I just want to make sure that particular person does not call my daughter that again. And my daughter won't get suspended or expelled.

Shocking. An AA family condoning violence. MLK would be proud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the kind of thing that gives me pause about sending my kids to a school like Whitman. Yes, the academics are good by public school standards, but then you have a huge lack of diversity to contend with. If the school's make-up was more like BCC the N word wouldn't be getting thrown around like that because there would be a fear of peer-to-peer repercussions. Which is much more impactful than adults slapping them on the wrist.

Have you been at places around BCC at lunchtime? There is plenty of the N word from all races. And I’m sure a other more diverse schools in the area too.

Black kids using it among each other is a completely different scenario than two white kids ganging up on a black kid and saying it. I'm sure I don't need to break that down for you?

Really? So, the word should be banned at school only if uttered by certain students? Got it.

I love how (I'm guessing mostly white) people are suddenly so stupid they can't understand what a racial slur is or how it works.

"But if a black kid says it to another black kid it should be treated in exactly the same way as a white kid saying it to a black kid because it's exactly the same!!"

Seriously...? This is why Kaepernick feels the need to take a knee. Wake up.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This 1000 Times.

If you so vehemently disagree, please explain to us why it is perfectly OK for black children to use this racial slur. Go ahead. We're all waiting.

For the same reason Trump supporters gleefully call themselves "deplorables". You take away the power of the word when you use it as your own, but with a different spin.

There is no different spin. It is a derogatory term no matter who says it. Black people that say it sound like trash. They know it too.

You're being silly. Of course, there is a different meaning when blacks use the word vs whites. Surely you recognize that language and expression is thick with layered meaning. Is it classy? No. But in group use of the term clearly has a different meaning, and the meaning is more tongue in cheek and less derogatory. We don't get to both oppress black people and then also dictate to them how they are allowed to process their oppression.

So what you are saying is there is one set of rules and standards for one group and a different set for the other. All based on skin color. Modern age Separate but Equal.

Not a good course action if you ask me.

Exactly.

I can't believe people are thinking in this day and age there is any reason to say this word to anyone. It still doesn't take the sting out of used as a derogatory word. So that is not a rationale.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Exactly.

I can't believe people are thinking in this day and age there is any reason to say this word to anyone. It still doesn't take the sting out of used as a derogatory word. So that is not a rationale.

I'm surprised that so many people are unfamiliar with the idea that context matters. If we're both members of [group], and I call you [pejorative for that group], then you're going to perceive that differently from if I'm not a member of [group] and I call you [pejorative for that group].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Exactly.

I can't believe people are thinking in this day and age there is any reason to say this word to anyone. It still doesn't take the sting out of used as a derogatory word. So that is not a rationale.

I'm surprised that so many people are unfamiliar with the idea that context matters. If we're both members of [group], and I call you [pejorative for that group], then you're going to perceive that differently from if I'm not a member of [group] and I call you [pejorative for that group].

Here's the problem: teens today hear this word in music, rap, etc. all the time and, for them, the word doesn't carry the same connotations that it does for adults.

Parents (our generation) never heard the word in everyday life the way our kids hear it now. So, I don't think it is surprising that there is a generational shift around this word. The world moves too fast to expect kids to adhere to our "old-fashioned" rules about who can and can't say this word. They actually do have diverse friend-groups and plenty of AA kids call their white, asian and latino friends this word as a sign of affection (kind of like, you're one of my crew). I don't like it any more than anyone else, that that's the reality.

I got this letter and thought the principal handled it well and I liked that he sent a no-tolerance message. That said, I am a realist and know that this generation does not view this word in the say way we old-fogies do.

BTW, not that it should matter, but bi-racial, upper middle class Bethesda mom here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Exactly.

I can't believe people are thinking in this day and age there is any reason to say this word to anyone. It still doesn't take the sting out of used as a derogatory word. So that is not a rationale.

I'm surprised that so many people are unfamiliar with the idea that context matters. If we're both members of [group], and I call you [pejorative for that group], then you're going to perceive that differently from if I'm not a member of [group] and I call you [pejorative for that group].

Here's the problem: teens today hear this word in music, rap, etc. all the time and, for them, the word doesn't carry the same connotations that it does for adults.

Parents (our generation) never heard the word in everyday life the way our kids hear it now. So, I don't think it is surprising that there is a generational shift around this word. The world moves too fast to expect kids to adhere to our "old-fashioned" rules about who can and can't say this word. They actually do have diverse friend-groups and plenty of AA kids call their white, asian and latino friends this word as a sign of affection (kind of like, you're one of my crew). I don't like it any more than anyone else, that that's the reality.

I got this letter and thought the principal handled it well and I liked that he sent a no-tolerance message. That said, I am a realist and know that this generation does not view this word in the say way we old-fogies do.

BTW, not that it should matter, but bi-racial, upper middle class Bethesda mom here.

I get what you are saying. Just like girls call their other girl friend's b*tches but if a guy calls her that in a derogatory way, it is a massive no no. The thing is that I don't believe you can have it both ways. The girls that say that, set the bar really low. I get teens trying to be cool. I get that there is a small window in your teen/college years to break the mold with bad words being cool. But you can't sit there and call all your friends that word in a friendly way, sing songs with the word in it, and then get letters going home about the word being said by someone else the next week. Are white people not allowed to sing songs with their friends if it has the N word in it? Too much uncertainty.

I feel like if you want to make the word common in a non and a derogatory way, then you just have to take the derogatory version of it as a typical of saying a$$hole. The best way to take the sting out of the word is not really to use it as a friendly way so much as not let it affect you in a negative way. But I don't believe we will ever get that way nor do I ever think we should ever get there. If we did it would be really sad to our ancestors. I believe the word needs to be taught and told to everyone. How much of a terrible and demeaning slur it is. No way is a good way to say it. But if it continues to go down this path of young people okay it and our elders who were treated like crap pass away, I feel like we are heading down a path of it not meaning much of anything.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/n-word-became-atomic-bomb-racial-slurs/