White Chicago teacher sues to use n-word in class

Originally posted by Believer101
Would you enjoy having your 11-12 year old come home one day and say "We learned about 'n-word's today!"?
Not from a teacher, not from music, TV, myself, or anyone else.

Well you may want to lock your children up tight.

If they should cross my path they will hear that and much worse regardless of their age.

Then when they report to you they can see how silly people get hysterical over sounds.

Perhaps they will laugh with delight at the proposterousness of it all.

It is proposterous you know, to think you can save your darlings from the free exercise of speech from others.

Just sayin.

With Love,

Your Brother

Like any word, it can have many different meanings depending on the context that it is used.
In this case the word is the n word, one that has been found to be distasteful to many people in an attempt to remove it from the daily usage. However there are a few things that can be stated about such.

This word, this one word, draws more ire from people when it is used by anyone of any other skin color save that which it is in reference to. If an African American uses it, then it seems to be ok, but let someone else use it, and watch out, the screams of racism is thrown out, no thought about the context on how or why it is used. It is in media, such as recordings, movies and even in the written word by some of the more contemporary classics that are and used to be required reading by all students. Even if looking at some of the historical references and news reels, it was used at one time by all people, though now it is not something stated in pleasant conversation. Even some comedians use such, in their stand up acts, and yet we find such funny, but would not repeat such in public, for fear of reprisals by the whole.

The case is around the use of this one word by a teacher. The facts of the case are as follows:

The teacher is teaching a class, sees a note being passed between 2 students. The note contained rap lyrics where the N-word was written down. In the course of the lesson, he referenced a classic, namely The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as an example on how such was used as a derogatory manner. The principle and his boss walked in and heard him. 2 weeks later they suspended him for violation of the rules.

In case the teacher was not using it against anyone student, and rather was trying to show the students that such was not really acceptable at any time, even in the media. The question is what all do we do to teach the students about what happened in history? Do we edit classics just to protect the children, as some would do to pictures and even the written words? Or do we have a meaningful discussing with the children on their level to explain why such is wrong and should not be used? Why is it correct for one group to use a term, or a word, and not the whole, without such being used by all? It seems like to be a double standards by society in an attempt to make the whole of society to be politically correct, however it always fails when one group chooses to ignore what the rest is trying to do, and tries to exclude themselves.

reply to post by redoubt


Why would you want to educate, that would mean we would have a bunch of critically thinking adults running around making the world a better place, we don't want that. We want money, and want no one else to have it, at least thats what I see in us. Yea it be great to educate ourselves and solve the problem, but that would actually cost some $ and who wants to give that up. Sucks to live in this world.

I can understand the usage of the word in an educational lesson, as he says he was doing, and his defense of "All these kids have heard it before," so I do think if the story is true that he has done nothing wrong. As with the OP, I was not in the classroom when this happened, so I will reserve judgement.
However, if it was said in order to educate the kids on racism, in the most non-derogatory manner possible, purely for education, then I do not see much of a foul here. How else would anyone fully understand the history of the civil rights movement, and a long while before then, without being exposed and told of it? As long as he did not call a student it, or anyone else, then I think the principal is making a big deal over nothing.
Not all of the students might have heard it before though. It is a bad defense in his part to say they all have heard it, as there are actually parents that make sure their children do not watch/listen to anything like that. These students could have heard for the first time then in his class, but if he said it in the right way and explained it correctly, then there still shouldn't be much of a problem.

Personally, I feel like she should be allowed to say the word. It is a part of history and while not a great time, ive heard it in movies when i was in high school.

Civil rights movements weren't spurred by political correctness. They were spurred because of derogatory words, meanings, and actions. In order for students to ever understand the condition of what would move someone to such strong actions, risking their lives, they have to understand the exact conditions. MLK Jr. wasn't moved by people walking around saying "n word" he was spurred by the actual use of the word.

For kids to understand what it was like for some very brave people, they have to know what those people faced, not the sugar coated version.

They also need to be able to recongize it for themselves, in case a minority is being oppressed.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Words are sounds that have shared meaning. As soon as you disregard the meaning all it is, is a sound. Pretty easy to disregard sounds. As soon as you put meaning to it, all you are doing is fueling the fire. If people just let it go its course it would probably just die out pretty fast, as it wouldn't provide anyone the ammunition to hurt people.

reply to post by andersensrm


Or you run the risk of it becoming commonplace and being used in everyday language though it is offensive to groups.
It is always easy to disregard something if you are not the ones being marginalized.

Society is a long way from not being able to marginalize people.

Derogatory terms that are commonplace....chinese fire drill

Which is degrading in that it implies that they are poverty stricken and must fit numerous people in a car.

Retard

Thats lame. Meaning that its uncool, but lame is a term specifically applied to a disability.

Schizo

That's so gay

Spaz

Moron

But words, especially derogatory words, are a part of the human condition, culture, and history. To ignore them is to ignore and pretend that what they represent, never existed.

reply to post by nixie_nox



Its not that you're ignoring it, more that you don't put the effort in to care. Im not saying people should just go all out and say whatever, and start fights or anything.

Every word is just a word. Words should not offend people. People can say or call me anything. I'm a mature enough person to know who am I and where I come from so I don't need to be offended by words.
In a classroom, I believe curriculum should be used with the word 'n-word' in it. That is portraying accurate history. In that context I believe a teacher should be able to say the word if teaching a historical lesson. Obviously I would disagree if a teacher called a student this. And let's be honest, I'm from Chicago. In the CPS, there are alot of African Americans. That is a part of there history and it should be learned correctly.

Quick! Someone call Mexico and tell them stop using.g negro for the color black!

My mixed children are offended by the word!!!

Sarcasm off.

reply to post by Believer101


The teacher is a troll just looking for attention/money/drama in his life.

All kids know the word n1gger in the sixth grade. Really pointless to say it, doesn't add anything more to the conversation. The same that saying "cracker" "honkey" or "spik" would.

Like what is he going to say "People used to call black people n1ggers openly"? lol I'm just not seeing the context of where the children learn anything.

Then the kids will start saying it once the teacher does because they think its funny or now social allowable. Kids follow authority.

But I don't think he should have gotten suspended if he said it in a non-racist historical context. I just think its not the best decision to.

its
just
a
word

So, black people can call other black people ''n-word'' and call white people any number of racial epithets and it's perfectly acceptable, but a white person uses the word ''n-word'' when I'm sure half the people around him are using it as a greeting and he's labeled a racist.

Find the number of things wrong with this.

If you said zero, you need to uninstall the internet.

reply to post by TokiTheDestroyer


Black teachers do not call their black students 'n-word'. I've had many, for years at a time and I never seen it happen. And if they did they would have been suspended for being unprofessional.

If you actually read the article you would see that it was said over a historical lesson not casually.

We are talking about teachers, not society.

I think the childeren should know the word because they will definitly hear it in some rap songs and then start using the word. If they were told beforehand that this word is discriminitive (?spelling?) against black people, then they know how to handle it. Of course it doesnt help hearing the n-word everyday on black rap songs. This is part of the problem. As long as they call themselves "'n-word's" they cant expect others to understand the difference between black man saying "'n-word'" and a white man saying "'n-word'" at the first catch.

But I´m against using that word, too.

Originally posted by n00bUK

Originally posted by MzMorbid
How can this teacher make the history clear if he can not use the words that were used back then? It's not like he's calling the people 'n-word's.

Utterly ridiculous and I sympathize with the teacher greatly.

Also ridiculous that my sentence was automatically edited to say "n-word" when that is not what I typed. It's just a word ffs.

edit on 20-2-2012 by MzMorbid because: (no reason given)

Its not just a word. Brick, flying and stars are just words.... 'n-word' carries abusive history. Its very ignorant to say its just a word. I'm sure if you was of dark skin, you woulnt class 'n-word' as just a word

I agree a teacher needs to be able to say it, but im sure the teacher wasnt learning them that its just a word - if that was the case then i agree the teacher should of been suspended, but i doubt that was the matter.

edit on 20-2-2012 by n00bUK because: (no reason given)

edit on Mon Feb 20 2012 by DontTreadOnMe because: Mod Note: Do Not Evade the Automatic Censors – Please Review This Link.

no i'm sure your right im sure he would right a song use it a million times in 3:30 and make a platinuim record with it. If it were not for the music industry making this word such a ridiculous double standard on this word i doubt anyone under 20 would even use this word. I don't think that a teacher should be saying this to a class of sixth graders but i do believe that society has blown this whole "using politicly correct terms" way outta proportion.

Whether you like it or not deeming whether someone can speak a word or not is a suppression of your freedom of speech. Until society can get over racism(and other things like it) and begin to assess the world and look at things with honesty and wholeness to themselves and others we will be clouded by the disillusion that something like saying a word matters.

Rascism has been around for far longer than the word 'n-word' ever has. Getting rid of the word doesn't get rid of the hate thats causing the problems. Those who will hate will simply find a new word to use. The soone society can realize this the faster we will grow.

With peacE

If we are to teach the word 'n-word' should we also teach the word kike? I hear the first a lot (music, tv, was also quite common in comedy in the 80s Jim Davidson etc) I havent heard the second one except when used against Tottenham Hotspur Fans and not recently.

Sorry but I was raised in a town where I was referred to as "cracker" on multiple occasions, so If i wanna drop "'n-word'" I should be able to. It's not a racial slur anymore it's a adjective to describe a ignorant individual or a specific attitude. Racism exists because people allow it to its as simple as that get over it already.

Why isn't "cracker" filtered? Isn't that a double standard? Unbelievable.