What to do?
 

I heard it this weekend at soccer, and then twice this morning (while riding bikes with my boys to elementary school- and the user was a classmate) kids yelled it at each other. The "N" word. I told the users that word is not acceptable to use under any circumstances. The one teenager got smart- so I asked him if it was okay if others called him the "N" word and he zipped it. The users were black all three times. What is one to do when kids use it in public?
I'm mostly white, my kids are mixed. What is one to do when kids use it in public?

Sadly,what can you expect when the word is considered a socially acceptable term in ghetto culture among the ignorant,and is featured prominently in the so-called mass market"entertainment"like cRap music and hip-hop?

You have kids, so you know, at this point in time they're probably testing the limits and still wading through this whole social maze. They need adults to tell them and show them. It's a good idea that you let them know that it was unacceptable. Sometimes it needs to be reinforced a few times.

Exactly!

The same culture that embraces it shows disdain for anyone who makes light of its faults...no one likes their dirty laundry aired out, and when someone of their kind won't endorse their bad behavior, (like Bill Cosby) that individual is labeled a heretic to the black community!

I'll say it...I'm sick of ignorant black people! I'm sick of seeing them on Jerry Springer, Judge whomever, and as a sole eyewitness on some news report of a neighborhood crime! Not that there aren't ignorant people of other races, but because that's the profile most people associate with blacks!

You might believe that's too generalistic, but consider during the campaign, some of the stupid comments made on this forum regarding Obama, and who he would supposedly cater to.

I listened to talk radio last week and heard a women complaining about the recent election, and in particular, the fact that a man of "average intelligence" was elected to the office! WTF?!!!!

Sounds to me like you handled it appropriately. I wish more parents handled themselves like you did.

While at the local elementary school earlier this month, I noticed posters on the walls addressing "anti-bully zone" and "zero tolerance for classmate terrorism".

Name calling and abusive language were some of the bullet points listed.

I'd rather it be parents teaching acceptable behaviors, but apparently our local school district needs to step in.:eek:

There's not enough of that sort of thing anymore. Parents used to correct each others kids in the neighborhood when our society was less fragmented. Now, people are generally afraid to say anything.

...or DO anything lest legal action be levied upon them! :mad:

That puts me in mind of a bit of cockeyed jurisprudence that occurred in a City public school in the late '90's,have to ask a friend who was ADA for the Eastern district.

Seems the judge ruled that the N word was a recognised cultural expression among "inner city"(or some other ridiculous cop-out term}black youth.

I'm not certain but I think the whole mess was started by a teacher who did not like students yelling that word at eachother.

I tend to be a bit unpopular with some folks because I speak up. Adults need to tell children when things are not acceptable- even when the kids are not my own. When kids throw rocks at each other I tell all it's got to be stopped. I'm not for giving schools more power- but it does take a village to raise a child. BTW- while I did not vote for O he is intelligent, of this I don't believe there is a doubt.

I saw Bill Cosby on Oprah recently inveighing against this kind of thing. He commented something along the lines of wondering what the hell was wrong with the kids "...untill I heard the Mother talk!"

- Peter.

Related:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOI2GGY1SeE

Anyone recall the flap this guy caused by using the word "niggardly" in Wash. DC years ago? :rolleyes::rolleyes:
No, No, it has nothing to do with race or people, if you don't know off the top of your head its meaning. ;)


D.C. Mayor Acted 'Hastily,' Will Rehire Aide

David Howard (By Gerald Martineau/The Washington Post)

By Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 4, 1999; Page A1

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams said yesterday that he will rehire a former top aide who resigned last month because some city employees were offended that the aide used the word "niggardly" in describing how he would have to manage a fund's tight budget.

Williams, whose quick acceptance of David Howard's resignation last month led to a national debate over racial sensitivity and political correctness, indicated in a statement yesterday that he had made a mistake and "acted too hastily" in allowing Howard to resign as head of the city's constituent services office.

The mayor said that an internal review had "confirmed for me that Mr. Howard did use the word 'niggardly,' but did not use a racial epithet" during a Jan. 15 discussion with two employees of the Office of the Public Advocate. "Niggardly" means miserly and has no racial connotation.

Williams said that one of the employees, identified by Howard as Marshall Brown, interpreted Howard's remark as a racial slur. Brown has declined to comment on the incident.

In a private meeting yesterday, Williams asked Howard to return to the Office of the Public Advocate. Howard declined but said he would accept another job in Williams's administration.

Howard, 44, said yesterday that he never felt "victimized" but that the experience has given him "a certain awareness" he did not have before the incident occurred.

"I just feel very pleased that this whole thing has a silver lining," he said. "The silver lining is that this has led to a discussion that can help everyone understand each other better. . . . I used to think it would be great if we could all be colorblind. That's naive, especially for a white person, because a white person can't afford to be colorblind. They don't have to think about race every day. An African American does."

Howard's resignation Jan. 25 made him the subject of dozens of television and radio broadcasts and newspaper columns across the country.

Locally, it focused attention on Williams's discomfort over criticism from some black residents that he has brought in too many white department managers who have little feel for their community. Williams also drew criticism from gay activists for allowing Howard, who is gay, to resign.

Many of those who blasted Williams focused on his management of the situation and how he accepted Howard's resignation before reviewing the circumstances that created the furor. Political pundits and linguists alike debated whether an employee's resignation should be accepted merely because a colleague did not understand a word used in a conversation.

"While it is important for a mayor -- or any leader -- to act decisively, make bold decisions and create a sense of urgency, it is not always necessary to act hastily," Williams said. "I believe I acted too hastily in accepting David's resignation."

Williams added that his chief of staff was working with the office of personnel to find a new position for Howard.

Howard said he was reluctant to return to the same office, not because of any potential conflict with employees there, but because he believed the public would focus too much attention on him.

"It has nothing to do with other people in that office. It really doesn't," Howard said. "People are so interested in this thing that it will get in the way of the business we have to do in that office. I told the mayor it would be best if I do something out of the public eye."

Williams's decision to rehire Howard pleased the former aide's supporters.

"It's to the mayor's credit that he offered to reinstate him," said Philip Pannell, a gay activist. "I think it's very big of him and prudent. I hope this is a situation where everyone at large, as a community, learned from this."

But Ronald Walters, a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, said that Howard is best suited now for a government job "where he's not in the public face."

"This is a problem of political inexperience on all sides compounded by culture ignorance on all sides," Walters said. "The mayor can't afford to have an aide in a town that is 63 percent black making this kind of mistake. I think he did the right thing [accepting the resignation]. Williams sent a message that racial insensitivity won't be tolerated in his administration."

Joslyn N. Williams, president of the Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO, commended the mayor for being "forthright and brave enough to admit he's made a mistake and to seek to correct it." He said two basic questions need to be asked: What was learned from this situation, and how will Williams make sure it doesn't happen again?

"One hopes that this administration doesn't have a tendency to be termination-happy whenever there's a problem," he said. "Creative management means that you counsel people, warn them and deal with the problem. You do not solve the problem by putting them out on the street."

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, who in criticizing Williams last week said that people should not have to "censor" their language to meet other "people's lack of understanding," praised Howard's reinstatement.

"I'm happy to learn that this episode has come to some happy conclusion and that the citizens and the government of the District of Columbia can get back to talking about real issues," he said.

Anatomy of a Controversy

David Howard, a top aide to D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams, resigned last month after being criticized for saying the word "niggardly" during a meeting with two city employees. Howard's resignation, and Williams's decision to accept it, raised questions about whether the mayor acted too hastily and fueled discussions across the nation about appropriate word usage. A look at the key dates in the Howard situation:

Jan. 15: In a discussion of how little money his office would have to serve residents, Howard, the head of the mayor's constituent services office, tells two associates that he'll have to be "niggardly" with his agency's budget. Niggardly, meaning miserly, has no racial connotation, but soon rumors begin spreading among some city workers that Howard had used the "N-word."

Jan. 25: Howard offers his resignation to Williams, who accepts it, citing the District's sensitive climate for race relations.

Jan. 27: Williams, under criticism from some black leaders as well as the gay community, says he will review the circumstances that led to Howard's resignation. Howard, a former restaurant manager who is active in the gay community,

says that he alone decided to resign and that Williams should not be criticized.

Jan. 28: Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, says Williams overreacted in accepting Howard's resignation.

Sunday: During a commencement speech at American University, Williams acknowledges he might have acted too hastily in agreeing to Howard's resignation, adding that the episode has taught him that "if you are driving down the road when it's raining, you ought to slow down."

Monday: Reba Pittman Evans, Williams's chief of staff, completes her probe into the Howard incident.

Yesterday: Williams issues a statement saying he has asked Howard to withdraw his resignation and return to D.C. government. Williams says Howard has agreed to do so, but in another job.

I hate the old argument about how the white man oppressed them, and how its hard for them to make it in a white mans world...


And then they go around calling each other n-words...

that is what happens when the uneducated start pointing fingers.

at least he didnt say "Jew it up"

Stupidity knows no boundaries, racial or otherwise.

I've many times heard of whites referred to as "poor white trash" or "crackers" simply because they live in a single or double wide trailer, instead of a six figure McMansion.

But then what do you expect in a culture where your self-worth is often judged by the size of your bank account.