87000 Racist Children?

[Johnysid]

There have been a series of reports of racism in schools. The most recent is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18155255
Are children evil or is the term "racist" being used inappropriately or is racism not really all that evil?

[Johnysid]

20000 PRIMARY SCHOOL children are reported for racism or homophobia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14918943 . Reported.

[jake-the-peg]

These are incidents of racist abuse that can span between mild name calling by a 1st year primary school child who doesn't really understand to really serious cases of nasty rascist bullying.

It's also over 4 years so that's 22,000 a year over 24,000 schools in the UK

So on average it's nothing like the dramatic headlines journals use to fool the hard of thought.

The data needs better analysis and it's a shame they've stopped collecting it - the message that sends is "we don't care enough to collect the data"

[Old_Geezer]

I can not know the real reason but my suspicion is that authorities are more inclined to note as racist anything that can be these days, even if it isn't really apropriate when analysed. It's likely to be the 'done thing' now.

[bookbinder]

Young children have always singled out others who are 'different', in whatever way, to make fun of them. It used to be the child with a strange haircut; or who wore spectacles; or who had a 'funny' accent. Nowadays, with many more coloured children being in schools, it's mainly those children who get picked on. A child who pokes fun at a coloured child doesn't know that he's being 'racist' [whatever that means] until an adult tells him that that's what he is.

[VHG]

>>>>87000 Racist Children?

Well it may be one child responsible for all 87,000.

Bit extreme I know, but a small number of children may be responsible for a large number of them.

[Baldric]

.

[youngmafbog]

From the BBC, enough said.

[Johnysid]

If you listen to the other BBC broadcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14918943 there is a debate between someone who believes that this "racism" should be dealt with by local teachers and a postmarxist fanatic.

[bookbinder]

Isn't all this 'racism in schools' a bit over-exaggerated/blown out of proportion?

[Johnysid]

bookbinder: yes, the government are blowing it out of all proportion. Small children must be taught not to discriminate against passive qualities and not to bully. This is the responsibility of the teacher. I was called "freckle face" as a kid, I learnt not to be affected by words alone and occasionally teachers would reprimand those who said such things.

[flip_flop]

Proper racism is evil - and by proper I mean negative images portrayed of other races or discrimination etc... just because of one's ethnicity.

Unfortunately racism is often misunderstood by some people or the term is bandied about with a view to stifle debate (I have seen both on AB a lot over the years, with the latter being employed in an effort to stop the person being accused of racism (mostly wrongly) of continuing in a debate).

That aside, is it even possible for young children to be racist? This is a genuine question because my children (8 and 4) could never be racist because at their age they would not understand the concept of racism.

[Brenden]

i listened to this subject on the radio and to infer that children are using "subtle" racism is ludicrous - do children even know what subtle racism is.

[Johnysid]

flip-flop, if it is not possible for a young child to be racist then are those who accuse them of racism being racist? If the child racist cannot by their nature actually be racist then, given that the adult accuser openly recognises that there are two racial groups, the accuser is insulting a racial group through their accusation. They are actively seeking to label one of the racial groups with a negative stereotype of "racist".

This racism through negative stereotyping of people as racist has been spotted as one of the hallmarks of Postmarxism. See "Postmodernism, poststructuralism and postmarxism" at: http://pol-check.blog...oststructuralism.html

[doctordb]

It works out at less than one incident per school.

[Duncer]

Children will always call other children names, and they have done since time immemorial, and without even realising the implications of what they are doing/saying. Instead of labelling them "racists" the teachers should sit them down and tell them why their actions are wrong. I can't help but think these list are to justify jobs due to a perceived need, and that is not to denigrate the vile impact of true racism in any way.

What next, a list of children who pick on fat/ginger kids?