Racist, homophobic?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....-bigotry-calling.html

Is it racist for one child to call another ‘broccoli head’ or homophobic for for telling a teacher ‘this work is gay’.

Obviously children should be taught right from wrong on all issues not only on 'Political Correctness' issues.

But to record these type of issues on the child's record which incidentally is passed down throughout their school life, and even further, is taking matters much too far, and is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 30s.

/// And if schools are asked for a pupil reference by a future employer or a university, the record could be used as the basis for it, meaning the pettiest of incidents has the potential to blight a child for life. ///

[Postdog]

Yes. Back in my day I called kids (and got called) worse and it has had no bearing whatsoever on my adult life.

[missnemesis]

Was listening to a discussion re this on Radio 5 this morning. IMO it's bl00dy ridiculous that a throw away comment from a primary school kid can follow them around throughout their entire career at school and onwards.

The teaching of respect for others, of all colours, creeds, orientations etc is essential but teachers have enough to do without filling out endless, pointless reports stating wee Johnny said this, that or the other!

[steg]

broccoli head would be vegist, as for This work is gay, well gay when i was young meant happy, then it meant homosexual, now it seems to mean something else. looks like times are changing again

[ummmm]

'Gay' is just a word that kids use. It wasn't long ago that 'sick' meant 'good'

[mccfluff]

i got called a *** by other kids in school, can't say i enjoyed it much

[mccfluff]

***

[mccfluff]

arghhhhhhhh p aki

[ummmm]

Why would they call you that though Fluffy? Unless everyone who is 'strangely brown' is considered a Parki...

(Fluff knows what I mean by that comment btw!!)

[pa___ul3]

Are employers really going to take into consideration the utterances of a potential employee from when they were 6!? Mountain out of a molehill all this!
That said, how is 'broccoli head' racist!? Unless the kid is green of course!

[LeMarchand]

I had some racist abuse at school, but I wouldn't expect children whose names I can't even remember to be judged on what they said many years ago.

The current usage of "gay" as a catch-all term for rubbish, whilst (no doubt) originally stemming from a comparison to homosexual activity, has passed that association in the minds of most of those that would use it. I recently read an account by someone who considered himself very brave for pulling up someone else for using the word in such a context; seemingly he was unaware of what the word originally meant. I can't see how homosexual people can complain that the word has been hijacked when they themselves (mis)appropriated it!

[anotheoldgit]

/// That said, how is 'broccoli head' racist!? Unless the kid is green of course! ///

I was wondering that unless of course the child was referring to black child who had a tight curly hair of hair, coloured green.

Who knows what the fashion is these days?

I wonder if calling a child 'carrot top' (Ginger kid) would also be classed offensive enough to go down on the records?

[mightyWBA]

So now I can't say "broccoli"......"Cabbage" is already no doubt disallowed,"Carrot" might upset flame haired folks,"Turnip" former England football managers,"Swede" might upset the Danes and "Cauliflower" contains a term of endearment.

I don't like Parsnips....Oh hang on, will I get shot for Parsnipism? :-S

[vodkancoke]

Mcfluff, I used to get called that a lot and I'm Italian! lol It was worse when I had a tan. It bothered me more then than it does now. Although a customer did recently say to me "As-Salam Alaykum" (not sure if that is spelled correctly!) as he was leaving my shop. I was a bit dumbfounded! lol

[pa___ul3]

I think you'd have to try and find the racist context in such a term and that can be dangerous in itself.

[tamborine]

I was called abbo or dingo. My MIL even checked my gums but then, she's a pikey - lol

[anotheoldgit]

mightyWBA

I have never seen 'SPUD' guns in ages, could it be they have now also been banned?

[anotheoldgit]

I have also heard a person with tight curly grey hair called 'Brillo head' and he was white.

[emmie]

what about the people who have ginger hair, what is that all about, they get a lot of flak for some reason. If a small child says something like someone's gay, it's unlikely they would know what it was.

[Haggisdj]

When my friend's son was eight he used to ride around on his bike shouting, "batty boy". When he was asked what it meant he replied, "a boy with a bat".

Kids hear these saying from older kids and repeat them with out knowing their meaning.