Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 16:08     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Of course you weren't traumatized by being called chink but that doesn't mean it is okay for someone to say. It's not okay to say to someone- you shoukd become a refugee b/c of your religion. That is what would happen to many Muslims if we were all departed. I'm sure that th little girl will face worse but it's not cool - just like making fun of someone for being fat or too tall /short is not cool & if you as an adult hear about you react with censure.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 16:07     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
1) I think Donald Trump is an awful human being.
2) Why are your daughter and her friend egging on/targeting the one kid who is a Donald Trump supporter (as much as a kid who cannot vote can be)?
3) Muslim is not a race. Disliking Muslim people on account of their religion is uncool in my opinion, but not racist, by definition. The Trump supporter was correct.
4) The kid was obnoxious for suggesting that the Muslim girl could just leave without a second thought, but then again, what did your daughter and her friend think would happen in that exchange? That the Trump supporter would see the error of his ways (in their opinion, and mine)? See point number 2, above.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 16:00     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:I am very disturbed about something my daughter came home and told me this week. In class there is a boy who is a Donald Trump supporter. My daughter and another girl that sit near this boy do not like Donald Trump, and the topic has been coming up recently. The other girl was telling this boy that if Donald Trump is elected, she will be kicked out of the country because she is a Muslim. The boy said 'You are a Muslim? Bye." and dismissed her. My daughter tried to tell him it was wrong and racist and he just said, you don't know the definition of racism.

I am heartbroken over this exchange. I told my daughter to make sure she supports her friend, and that targeting someone because of their religion is bullying and unacceptable, and if it happens again she should tell the teacher.

I know this boy and up until this fall and when he started with the Donald Trump stuff, I thought he was a nice kid. I don't want to get overly involved in this but I have been torn about whether there is something I should do, as I feel terrible for the little girl. Would love any input. Thanks.


Actually it was not racist bc Muslim is not a race.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:53     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well the girl was factually wrong and your daughter was being a mean girl along with her friend by targeting him based on his political "views." Maybe he didn't know she was a Muslim.

It sounds odd that you are deeming him not a nice kid any longer because at the ripe old age of 10 he is "supporting" a candidate you don't like.


The boy simply could have said "Donald Trump won't kick your family out of the country if/because you are citizens" or something smiliar . Instead, he made it clear that he feels it would be okay -- good even-- if his classmate & her family were kicked out of the country simply because they are Muslim. That is not just a "poltical view", it is bigotry. I don't blame the boy as he is almost certainly learning this bigotry at home (or possibly from friends &/or things he sees/years in the media) but , while kids expressing both their own views about the the candidates & openly but respectfully disagreeing with the views expressed by their classmates should definitely be encouraged, bigotry should never be tolerated in schools.

And this boy obviously knew the girl was Muslim when he made his feelings about kicking Muslims out of the country known because the girl had just said so! But even at a school with no Muslim students, hate speech targeting Muslims (just like hate speech targeting any other religion, race, sexual orientation, etc) should be seen as strictly out of bounds. Would you also be okay with a kid making anti-semitic statements at school as long as he or she thought there were no Jewish classmates listening?



Asian-American here. I was teased as a kid. I think my white friend who was overweight was more traumatized than I was for being called chink a few times. I'm not even Chinese.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:50     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:
In 5th grade, this boy should know full well that what he said was racist and intolerant! He is allowed to support whichever candidate he chooses, but not discriminate himself - which is tough, considering the role model he has.

Our MCPS elementary school principal, whom I know quite well by now (several DCs in school), would not stand for such talk, so I would feel comfortable in bringing the matter to her attention.

I would file a report and contact the principal, despite your not being the parent of the girl, because that sort of comment negatively affects the bystanders as well. it may also be that these girl's parents will not dare to complain, or the girl may feel shamed and not tell her parents. You have to step up.


+1
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:48     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:Well the girl was factually wrong and your daughter was being a mean girl along with her friend by targeting him based on his political "views." Maybe he didn't know she was a Muslim.

It sounds odd that you are deeming him not a nice kid any longer because at the ripe old age of 10 he is "supporting" a candidate you don't like.


The boy simply could have said "Donald Trump won't kick your family out of the country if/because you are citizens" or something smiliar . Instead, he made it clear that he feels it would be okay -- good even-- if his classmate & her family were kicked out of the country simply because they are Muslim. That is not just a "poltical view", it is bigotry. I don't blame the boy as he is almost certainly learning this bigotry at home (or possibly from friends &/or things he sees/years in the media) but , while kids expressing both their own views about the the candidates & openly but respectfully disagreeing with the views expressed by their classmates should definitely be encouraged, bigotry should never be tolerated in schools.

And this boy obviously knew the girl was Muslim when he made his feelings about kicking Muslims out of the country known because the girl had just said so! But even at a school with no Muslim students, hate speech targeting Muslims (just like hate speech targeting any other religion, race, sexual orientation, etc) should be seen as strictly out of bounds. Would you also be okay with a kid making anti-semitic statements at school as long as he or she thought there were no Jewish classmates listening?

Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:48     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:Just parroting the parents, that boy. Yikes.


I agree. Here's the interesting question---if the parents get a call from the school telling them that their son was being unkind to another child because of her religion (Muslim), will those parents then feel embarrassed and that they have poorly prepared their child for the diverse world in which he lives? Or will they blow it off and complain about PC BS from the liberal school district?
I suppose there is at least one more option -- that the child is picking up this attitude from one parent (or grandparent), and the other parent will be absolutely embarrassed once they find out.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:47     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:There are lots of families in this area who are Trump supporters and their children sit by silently while he is attacked by HRC supporters in their classrooms on a daily basis. They don't speak up because they will be hated on, happy lib parents? Look what you have taught your children, think like me or I will hate you and attack you. Yep, that's the lesson you have been spewing with your HRC love and Trump hate. Way to go, way to teach our kids to respect differences in opinion and to have a conversation. Good Job!


Really, your kid has been singled out for his/her religion by another kid? And you think it's ok or even somehow brave to not fight this. You are an idiot and a terrible parent.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:43     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
5th graders tease one another. This is nothing new. Boys used to tease me about my last name. My friend was traumatized by boys teasing her that she was fat. Girls can enter puberty too early or too late. Boys are short or nerdy. This is a brutal age.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:43     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Whether or not the girl's statement is correct or not (and it is pretty widely know that Donald Trump has stated he would consider banning Muslims), the fact of the matter is that the girl believes this for good reason and it is why she is afraid of Donald Trump being elected President. She shared this with the boy to help him understand why. He wasn't interested in a debate. He was shocked to learn she was a Muslim, and then wanted nothing to do with her. Horrendous behavior, which is why I am cautious about the boy now. Plus he keeps telling my daughter that Hillary belongs in prison. Also not true.


As opposed to you thinking this boy was a nice kid until you found out he was a Trump supporter?!?!


See this is why I think all Trump supporters are basically delusional, not-smart, idiots unable to read the simple text in front of them. It's not that OP thinks he is not a nice boy "for being a Trump supporter." How much can a 10 year old be political anyway??? It's troubling because he is clearly using hate speech and practicing discrimination (heard it at home no doubt) and you see nothing wrong with that!!! I'm sure the kids have no idea what they are talking about, but this kid, or any kid should not be saying things like "Muslim bye." IF you think that is ok try inserting "Christian, buh bye" and see how you like it them.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:37     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/politics/va-students-taunt-classmates-when-trump-is-president-youll-be-deported/74338168
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:36     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
There are lots of families in this area who are Trump supporters and their children sit by silently while he is attacked by HRC supporters in their classrooms on a daily basis. They don't speak up because they will be hated on, happy lib parents? Look what you have taught your children, think like me or I will hate you and attack you. Yep, that's the lesson you have been spewing with your HRC love and Trump hate. Way to go, way to teach our kids to respect differences in opinion and to have a conversation. Good Job!
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:35     Subject: 5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Just parroting the parents, that boy. Yikes.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:30     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Whether or not the girl's statement is correct or not (and it is pretty widely know that Donald Trump has stated he would consider banning Muslims), the fact of the matter is that the girl believes this for good reason and it is why she is afraid of Donald Trump being elected President. She shared this with the boy to help him understand why. He wasn't interested in a debate. He was shocked to learn she was a Muslim, and then wanted nothing to do with her. Horrendous behavior, which is why I am cautious about the boy now. Plus he keeps telling my daughter that Hillary belongs in prison. Also not true.


As opposed to you thinking this boy was a nice kid until you found out he was a Trump supporter?!?!


Please. Not a Donald Trump supporter. I said started with the "Donald Trump stuff", meaning dismissing people based on religion. For the record my family has many Donald Trump supporters. This is not about that, this is about the Muslim girl being told "goodbye, you don't matter to me now" based on that information alone.



My boys are a little younger but they may not want to play with girls that play with My Little Pony. I think you are making a bigger deal out of this than necessary.

In preschool, my son's friend told a girl that she did not want to play with her because of her brown face. The mom made a really big deal out of it and made other families feel very uncomfortable. The boy also tells his sister that he doesn't want to play with her because of her pink shirt. Not everything has to be racist. The boy is mixed and has family members of all colors.
Anonymous
Post 09/28/2016 15:21     Subject: Re:5th grader - bullying incident based on religion
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Whether or not the girl's statement is correct or not (and it is pretty widely know that Donald Trump has stated he would consider banning Muslims), the fact of the matter is that the girl believes this for good reason and it is why she is afraid of Donald Trump being elected President. She shared this with the boy to help him understand why. He wasn't interested in a debate. He was shocked to learn she was a Muslim, and then wanted nothing to do with her. Horrendous behavior, which is why I am cautious about the boy now. Plus he keeps telling my daughter that Hillary belongs in prison. Also not true.


As opposed to you thinking this boy was a nice kid until you found out he was a Trump supporter?!?!


Please. Not a Donald Trump supporter. I said started with the "Donald Trump stuff", meaning dismissing people based on religion. For the record my family has many Donald Trump supporters. This is not about that, this is about the Muslim girl being told "goodbye, you don't matter to me now" based on that information alone.



You know what they say about assumptions.

He would have been shocked to find out she was a Muslim and then said bye to get away from the mean girls. But that assumption wouldn't fit your selective outrage.