Sucks to be a kid these days. Internet is brutal, bro.

This is slightly off-topic but not by much: I have recently found this article to be useful in articulating some of the issues in the current climate, which some believe amounts to an appropriate reaction to unacceptable, offensive, and hurtful language and others believe is the "PC police" run rampant. https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2016/11/13/the-recreational-use-racism/TzxwI9Fg03ySKGYrCBv9SL/story.html

In particular: However, to understand that racism is real is not to pretend that humans will ever be perfect. If there is a way to eliminate implicit bias entirely, there are no studies showing that the way to do it is to tar and feather anyone displaying the slightest sign of any kind of insensitivity on the Internet for weeks. This new practice is more about self-congratulation than change, turning what began as an unprecedentedly mature understanding of the nature of racism into a grown-up version of tattletaling and cops and robbers. What happened to simply noting civilly that someone has made a mistake?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will over backwards to defend a white teenager by saying 'kids will be kids/all teens make mistakes/don't you remember being a kid?', but whenever a black teen is killed by the police the dead child gets crucified over every last FB post/Tweet. The double standard is sickening.

Sadly, this is so true. I still believe kids/teenagers should be given some leeway for their stupid actions because they are still learning and growing (all kids!) it never ceases to amaze me when people crucify certain groups without any recognition of their hypocrisy. I wish I had some answers on how to fix this...

+1 I'm trying to muster up a care for this girl, but can't. Kudos to that pastor....

The problem is, OP, a lot of white people do not give a crap about racism. (White woman here). In fact, they go out of their way to avoid the topic entirely leading their children to become uninformed. The implicit hope, obviously, is that we can all forget how absolutely awful white people have been toward black people and just pretend that the systemic issues involving black people in this country is entirely of their own doing.

That said, I would view myself as morally failing my children if they did not understand the history of the N-word, its intense awfulness, and how awful black people were treated in this country for hundreds of years. It's the reason why I took my children to the African American history museum when it opened.

But I don't think it's okay to pretend this isn't a big deal or kids being kids. And I agree with the others who say, yes, there is freedom of speech, but there are consequences to the words we use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People will over backwards to defend a white teenager by saying 'kids will be kids/all teens make mistakes/don't you remember being a kid?', but whenever a black teen is killed by the police the dead child gets crucified over every last FB post/Tweet. The double standard is sickening.

+1

OP here, and I agree in principle. However our diverse community sees violent crime from teens periodically. (for example, 3 idiot black teens pulled a gun on a cab driver). People might comment about it on social media, but I have never seen posters express the intense level of hostility that I saw in this situation. It would not be allowed on the community message board, but calls for this girl to be beaten and dragged are tolerated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My (white) neice uses the n word (ok the slang "nigga" version) a LOT in social media posts and usually about other white kids, its so weird. She lives in a diverse area and her friend group is literally about 50% POC, what gives?!

Unacceptable and the AA community has made it clear it doesn't matter if it ends in an 'a' or an 'r'. Her parents should be horribly ashamed of her.

Her parents should share this situation with her so she can understand what the potential consequences are. And they should make her close her SM accounts until she stops.

I'm the PP of this. No shit Sherlock, its totally unacceptable- and she would come from a place where that is widely known so I was wondering about if I am missing something. She is 20, she isn't my blood niece (I'm not a sibling of her parents) so I'm in no position to stick my nose in, but its very strange to me.

20???!!! Inexcusable.

I'm not disagreeing! I do think its weird that a poster above mentions its all over social media.

And NO, the reason is never, ever blurred why people who aren't black can't use it. Its got one of the most sinister connotations in the English language, if those in the affected group choose to use it (and there is plenty of controversy there too), there is still NO reason for anyone else to, arguments about it being "fair" or "confusing" are total bull shit.

Anonymous wrote:People will over backwards to defend a white teenager by saying 'kids will be kids/all teens make mistakes/don't you remember being a kid?', but whenever a black teen is killed by the police the dead child gets crucified over every last FB post/Tweet. The double standard is sickening.

Sadly, this is so true. I still believe kids/teenagers should be given some leeway for their stupid actions because they are still learning and growing (all kids!) it never ceases to amaze me when people crucify certain groups without any recognition of their hypocrisy. I wish I had some answers on how to fix this...

Anonymous wrote:People will over backwards to defend a white teenager by saying 'kids will be kids/all teens make mistakes/don't you remember being a kid?', but whenever a black teen is killed by the police the dead child gets crucified over every last FB post/Tweet. The double standard is sickening.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My (white) neice uses the n word (ok the slang "nigga" version) a LOT in social media posts and usually about other white kids, its so weird. She lives in a diverse area and her friend group is literally about 50% POC, what gives?!

Unacceptable and the AA community has made it clear it doesn't matter if it ends in an 'a' or an 'r'. Her parents should be horribly ashamed of her.

Her parents should share this situation with her so she can understand what the potential consequences are. And they should make her close her SM accounts until she stops.

I'm the PP of this. No shit Sherlock, its totally unacceptable- and she would come from a place where that is widely known so I was wondering about if I am missing something. She is 20, she isn't my blood niece (I'm not a sibling of her parents) so I'm in no position to stick my nose in, but its very strange to me.

20???!!! Inexcusable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She may not have known the history of blackface, but surely she knew that the n word is unacceptable.

But maybe not.

That word is thrown around so casually in pop culture as a socially acceptable expression, particularly in music.

She could very well have been clueless as to how abhorent the use of that word is, because in many "art forms" especially music it is not.

People acting like teens using the n-word is so outrageous must not have teens. My teens know better than to ever use that word but believe me, it is RAMPANT. It's all over their social media posts and has become a current "slang" term that friends call each other.

My white son has attend schools that are primarily African American all his life (like, 90%+ AA) and he says has heard the n-word use by other (AA) children a LOT all his life and more so now that he is a teen. Yes, he knows he is not supposed to say it or use it even in a manner similar to how his AA classmates are using it, but at some point the reason why he can't use it but others can becomes a bit blurred.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She may not have known the history of blackface, but surely she knew that the n word is unacceptable.

But maybe not.

That word is thrown around so casually in pop culture as a socially acceptable expression, particularly in music.

She could very well have been clueless as to how abhorent the use of that word is, because in many "art forms" especially music it is not.

People acting like teens using the n-word is so outrageous must not have teens. My teens know better than to ever use that word but believe me, it is RAMPANT. It's all over their social media posts and has become a current "slang" term that friends call each other.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My (white) neice uses the n word (ok the slang "nigga" version) a LOT in social media posts and usually about other white kids, its so weird. She lives in a diverse area and her friend group is literally about 50% POC, what gives?!

Unacceptable and the AA community has made it clear it doesn't matter if it ends in an 'a' or an 'r'. Her parents should be horribly ashamed of her.

Her parents should share this situation with her so she can understand what the potential consequences are. And they should make her close her SM accounts until she stops.

I'm the PP of this. No shit Sherlock, its totally unacceptable- and she would come from a place where that is widely known so I was wondering about if I am missing something. She is 20, she isn't my blood niece (I'm not a sibling of her parents) so I'm in no position to stick my nose in, but its very strange to me.

Anonymous wrote:She may not have known the history of blackface, but surely she knew that the n word is unacceptable.

But maybe not.

That word is thrown around so casually in pop culture as a socially acceptable expression, particularly in music.

She could very well have been clueless as to how abhorent the use of that word is, because in many "art forms" especially music it is not.

People will over backwards to defend a white teenager by saying 'kids will be kids/all teens make mistakes/don't you remember being a kid?', but whenever a black teen is killed by the police the dead child gets crucified over every last FB post/Tweet. The double standard is sickening.

Anonymous wrote:What, if any actions, happened to the girl who posted on social media? I don't condone either of them. The pastor is a bigger person than most folks in this nation.

Sounds like a Christian who actually read that book! That's pretty rare. Good on him.