Racist rant or perhaps not

Orionaut

Orionaut

Orionaut

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http://pix11.com/2016/11/17/baltimore-teacher-fired-after-caught-on-video-going-on-racist-rant/

Of course, dropping the "N" Bomb automatically makes you a card carrying member of the KKK doesn't it. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

But that is not what I see here.

Obviously, we do not see (And of course, we never do with these "Outraged of Youtube" video clips) the first ten minutes or so (Or longer) of provocation that led up to this.

But here is what I see.

I see a dedicated science teacher, somebody who has actually made a serious commitment to work in a deprived area to try to improve the opportunities for the children who live there.

No "Racist" would do that!

I see a first magnitude **** who must have been giving her hell for some time (A Hoodie, drawn up round his face, In class! really!) and would have been disrupting the class for everybody else probably for some considerable time.

I see a teacher who has a science background and who will therefore fully appreciate the utterly dismal statistics that reflect the prospects and lives for young black Americans.

She is trying to get into their thick skulls (yes really)

That if they do not knuckle down, pay attention and work hard. Then they will leave school with no qualifications.

Of her class (20-30 or so, a guess) should they fail to get their grades, at least one will die from gunshot before he is 30, of the rest, the majority will go on to spend the rest of their miserable lives circling the drain of the US criminal justice system.

The rest will live out their lives in poverty.

She is trying to help them and has simply run out of options!

"Punk ass *******" is a stereotypical description of what will happen to their lives if they do not make an effort. (As is the suggestion of getting shot!) neither are an expression of a desire.

She is simply trying, desperately and at her wits end, to try to get through to them just_how_important_this_is!
 
difficult one, she is obviously trying to express how their lives will go if they don't knuckle down but I think she probably has gone too far
 
From a professional point of view given her status and role, that is unacceptable. I agree it *seems* to be well-meaning frustration boiled over but regardless of intent she simply can't say those things.

The real output of this is that this school has probably lost a very capable teacher who said the wrong thing for 5 minutes.
 
I didn't read the Op apart from the first line with the link. I watched the video and my exact thoughts where the same as OP.

Teacher engrossed in her work wanting to help children. Pupil gives teacher crap (assume) teacher flips and starts giving out home truths about what would happen in years to come.

Teacher, imo, did what I would have done. It's frustrating and like banging your head against a brink wall. Kids need to listen and take note. We don't know the full story here as stated by the op.
 
Rotty said:
difficult one, she is obviously trying to express how their lives will go if they don't knuckle down but I think she probably has gone too far
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I disagree. The message has to be hammered home far harder than she tried to do.

She was (as far as I can see) trying to use their own language to try to drive the message home.

How hard would "You" (Do not want to go straw man here) want to try to want to prevent your students (were you trying to be a teacher) from descending into a death spiral that you "Knew" was something that was actually almost inevitable unless you could break them out of it?
 
I agree, a warning would probably have sufficed.

I don't get the offence the word causes though, especially when those of an 'Afro-Caribbean' origin greet each other that way. the good old 'Yo N****' and whilst it depends how it's said I'm sure the majority of complaints are made on the behalf of others. I'm white English, and I've had on numerous occasions black work colleagues of mine say that to me, I've replied with the same dreaded N-word, usually resulting in laughter and other witty banter. It seems to be treated as the worst possible word to be used, I see it the same as any other swear word, I don't like it when someone I don't know uses various swear words assuming I'm alright with it, and I treat them with the same sort of respect. I used to work with an Indian lady and we would constantly make racist jokes throughout the day to each other, and we had both said and agreed that if we found anything offensive to just say so we knew where we stood.

ultimately though racism like any other offensive behaviour is taken far too seriously and often those doing the complaining are being offended on someone's behalf - the Twitter comment from someone stating that 'the video makes them want to cry', seems a bit extreme. Anyway back on topic, a warning would have sufficed, the video doesn't show what happened in the build up to that, but from what was shown the class looked to be disruptive and unwilling to respect the teacher, it was said in the heat of the moment because quite simply the kids would not shut up.
 
" Punk ass N****** " is something that particular culture says all the time, more so in their music. White person says it.. Oh god!

Personally if we can't say it, nobody should so black or white = Ban it
 
Yeah the whole double standards that one group can say a word and another can't is ridiculous. And especially in the case of the n word. Which came from a time of segregation, by claiming a word for one side it promotes everything that word stood for originally!

Also apparently a 'word' can be racist. No it can't, a person can be racist. The way and context you say things defines whether you are racist not what you say. I've said it before 'racist' is the most commonly incorrectly used word of the 21st century.
 
Thompson_NCL said:
"Racism" has lost all meaning. Who cares? Well, besides the school authority who fired her...
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It's religion that gets on my nerve when using the r-word, usually in the context of Jews or Muslims. They are world religions though so they come from all over the globe. So that's when the r-word becomes over used, so like you said it has lost meaning. If you're anti-religion, like I am, then I think sectarian is the better word than the r-word?
 
Tosno said:
Coolio has a friend in Gloucester, he's often here :)
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My friend CJ was a massive fan of Coolio. He was stabbed to death with a machete outside our school when he was 14. Coolio somehow found out about it, I dont know how, and through his agent, he sent the biggest bouquet of flowers you've ever seen to the funeral with a hand written letter to CJ's mum saying how horrified and disgusted he was, this sort of violence upsets him greatly, he hopes CJ rests in peace and that his loved ones can find peace.

Thought that was a great gesture. However, the one thought I had was that although I was never a fan of his music, I'm pretty sure Coolio glamorised violence in his lyrics.
 
She is white and used the N word so nothing else matters, no matter how much provocation she endured, no matter what message she was trying to get across. She is now seen as racist by most people, who are unable to look beneath the surface of issues like these, and will likely never work as a teacher again as a result..
 
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