has racism gone completely mad?

Question

i cannot believe this and, want some serious help with this, my nephew who is six asked a boy new to his school why is his skin a different colour than his and was reported for being a racist, i cannot see what the problem is can someone enlighten me.
he was hauled into the heads office, they rang his parents and created all hell, i am thinking of going to the school myself to protest but will it make matters worse, if i explain to them what is really racism, they were at one stage talking about calling the police and suspending him, wht the heck is happening in the uk ?
this was in my eyes a little child trying to find answers in the world

there have been some developments since i posted this minutes ago, my nephew has been suspended further inquiries, and now he wrongly says he hates all people with different colour skin, i shall be talking to him later.

Answer 1

I think this is going to extremes but sadly this is how pathetic this country is becoming.... They have probably frightend this poor kid to death and he will never speak his mind or ask a question again. In my opinion we are sacrificing something of our own for someone else and at what cost.

Answer 2

That is bloody ridiculous!

My 5 year old asked me that once, and I explained the scientific reason behind it and shes not racist. All kids will wonder at some point and as long as someone explains it properly, they will never have a racist look on life. My daughter has asian friends at school, not many as there aren't many round here, but she has black friends out of school too and has never ever been racist towards them.

The fact that the school is doing this will make your nephew hate other races, as he has got into trouble for it and wouldn't understand why, bless him. Sounds like its the school with the problem, if they are that tetchy about it maybe they should've explained when the coloured lad came to the school why some people have different coloured skin, not pointing the lad out directly, but just as a lesson. All your nephew did was what all kids do - ask about something they don't know about. There is nothing wrong at all with that.

I'm half asian and half white, I never knew that until I was 15 I thought i was just white, but because my parents explained at an early age why some people were different, i just saw it as exciting.

And as for the police, my next door neighbour was very abusive the other day about my ethnic origin and beat me senseless on the pavement in front of my kids, and the coppers aren't even doing much about that. So they certainly wouldn't do anything about what your nephew said, it was a genuine question, not abuse.

I'd probably ring the school if I was you and speak to the headteacher - if your nephew has a negative experience now it may well jade any views he gets of other races in the future. Just because the school have freaked unnecessarily.

Good luck anyway!

Answer 3

Typical over reacting from an Innocent child's question is political correctness gone mad. With your added development they are more likely to create a racist than stop racism as your nephew has had no end of trouble (in his eyes) due to the colour of the other boys skin.

I hope this gets sorted for you and your family as its hard enough in today's would to stop prejudices without a school of all places creating more.

Answer 4

The world has gone PC crazy. If you have a negative opinion of a person, whose skin is a different colour or whose religion differs to yours, then you are classed as racist. We are now afraid to pass comment on anything in case we are accused of racism. I think that a six year old who asks a question about skin colour should be given an educated, informed answer. To me it sounds like the teachers involved are responsible for inciting hatred with their over the top reaction to an innocent question.

Answer 5

A innocent little boy asking an equally innocent question. Surely anyone with half a brain-cell can see that. His simple curiosity should never of become an issue here.

Unfortunately this is a prime example of how over-sensitive and paranoid people have become. Frightening to think that these are the same people entrusted to educate our children.

Personally I think you should confront the Headmaster of his school and threaten legal action for deformation of character. Secondly i think you should also write to the board of governors, detailing all you grievances and demand a full written apology from the chief protagonists. And thirdly i would seriously consider moving him to another school, as a preventative measure rather than defeatist action. If all else fails, go to the papers, name and shame them.

Good Luck!! Let me know how you get on.

Answer 6

That is disgusting, it isn't remotely racist either. The race card being held up for the slightest reason and political correctness have gone way too far in this country.Adults as well as children are afraid to open theirs mouths. I would personally complain as your nephew is certainly not racist and should not be accused and labelled as one, I would strongly object to this .The country has gone mad! I was having a similar discussion with my 11 years old son the other day and he was saying that there was a lot of Muslims at his school , he wasn't being racist , just making an observation. But I made a point of telling him not to repeat that at school as somebody could accuse him of making a racist remark! Even children are treading on eggshells nowadays.

Answer 7

If he was just asking why the skin was a different colour, the teachers should just explain it to him, preferably in class, so all the kids know why there's a difference in colour.

But unfortunately some people are oversensitive about this subject.

anyways, your question is misleading - racism has always been crazy, it's the people who've gone mad about the subject.

Find the word racism in the dictionary and show it to the teachers. And pass on my suggestion about a lesson on racial differences, where they can immediately answer any questions the kids might have.

Answer 8

Any teacher or police officer with even half a brain will easily be able to understand the difference between genuine inquiry and racism. The child is learning and children do a lot of this by asking, as anyone with kids will know.

If they suspend the child or report the matter to the police then your best bet is to first get legal advice, NOT yahoo advice. This is a childs life not a question of favourite authors or how to make gazpacho.

Answer 9

that's ridiculous - talk about PC gone mad. children are naturally inquisitive and these are exactly the kind of questions they should be encouraged to ask. maybe the response should have been for the teacher to give a little talk about race, colour and ethnicity then the children would have been better educated and more aware of race issues. your nephew may well end up racist cos he has been picked on for talking to someone with a different colour skin! this may mean he doesn't bother again . . . how sad.

Answer 10

I know what you mean. We had a similar incident at my son's school. A boy in reception - only four - was asked crying. He was asked why. He said that the 'chocolate' boy had hit him. He was innocently describing an asian classmate but , despite the fact that HE was the victim here - HE was punished for racist comments! I spoke to the asian boys mother afterwards and she was enraged that the other boy was punished. She acknowledged that her son was a a bully and it was something that they were working on and that the other child had meant no harm by describing her son in that way. Why could the school not see that though? All they did was draw attention to the whole 'race issue' with the kids - basically, making things worse!

Answer 11

The only reason why people are so TOUCHY on such a subject is because too many sad people in this world make such a big issue out of other people's backround/ skin colour.

And because of this children pick it up.. I am not saying your nephew was being racist but the person who has accused him of such a thing maybe thought it was because racism has spiralled out of control.