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KKK Style Hat

#81
Phalex said:
I used to wear a hat just like that and sit on a stool in the corner of the classroom when I was about that age.
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That's what I saw was the dunce hat.

Dr. Cheese said:
That brings up another point. Even if it were not a fullsize mask, a half cone then looks like a dunce cap which would not go over well with many families also. That reinforces my point that the teacher should bear in mind that shapes can have meanings just like words.
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I see your point Anthony, but I do think the parents of this young man have set him up for lots of grief. A decision he may have inadvertantly/innocently made has been taken way too far.

Kwesi said:
Thanks for the kind words :). I agree 100% with this post. I kinda feel bad for the teacher. He's gonna catch a whole flak for this if he already hasn't and there's really nothing he can say to get out of it :hmm:
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+1 Especially when the adverse can be said. What when the young man had gone home and told his parents "I wanted to make a pointy hat but Teacher wouldn't let me". That could be "discrimination" as it were.

Then those same parents could say "You wouldn't let my son freely express himself, and we believe it's because of his race"

Where really does "right" lie?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't IMO.

God Bless, Ray
 
#83
Dr. Cheese said:
I worded things the way I did because we can't read anyone else's mind for good or bad.
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Fair enough. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, I owe you at least one by now.

I will not extend that courtesy to the parents of this child or anyone else who lacks the tact, insight, and patience to temper their thoughts and words toward this teacher and would throw him under the bus.

Like Kwesi and others have said, this teacher's career may be in jeopardy over this. An accusation of racism, no matter how unfounded, lends itself to "guilty until proven innocent."
 
#84
electracoyote said:
I think we all might want to reserve judgment until we hear from rockstarbassist elaborating on his post. It's kind of vague what his point is.
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i want to say that when I +100 Buzzbass' post, I did not notice the personal shot at rockstarbassist. As others said, I don't want to judge him too quickly.

I do agree with the general sentiment of Buzzbass about the reaction to the POTUS.
 
#85
electracoyote said:
I think we all might want to reserve judgment until we hear from rockstarbassist elaborating on his post. It's kind of vague what his point is.
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I will give him that courtesy. My bad if that came off wrong. Everyone is free to have their own opinions but calling someone racist is a pretty serious charge in this day and age. A public accusation of racism can literally ruin your career whether it is true or not. That being said I hope it was sarcastic.

If he is being sarcastic then he needs to seriously invest in some smilies.
 
#87
buzzbass said:
I think I misunderstood your comment. Was I being sarcastic ?
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No, you're fine.

We might want to go back and read rockstarbassists post again. That is what's being considered "sarcasm" by some because it seems to say "ftw" ("for the win" AFAIK) regarding sentiments like divisiveness and a resurgence of open racist rhetoric because we have a black president.

Which is obviously not "ftw." Thus making it sarcastic, or ironic perhaps.

Okay, I'm done.
 
#89
If we had a black republican president, do you guys think his opposition would be allowed to be painted with such a broad brush? Some pretty terrible statements and cartoons were made about Condoleeza Ricewhile she was in the white house that I don't think would tolerated if aimed at a black democrat.

The stereotype that most republicans are racist and blinded by religion is just as silly as the notion that most democrats are babykillers and communists. As a political independent I have no axe to grind here. I have agreements and disagreements with both sides. Each side is made up of about the ratio of normal vs. nutjob as the rest of society and should be considered just as suspect as the general poulation.
 
#91
Interesting stuff here .... both the OP topic and subsequent opinions.

I grew up in a racially mixed neighborhood, where my family was the reason for the "mix". Those here that know me personally will likely agree that I am the whitest of white people (borderline Johnny Winter white) in appearance, yet during my developmental years (in the late '50's/early '60's) when racist attitudes were still very commonplace in the US, they were never an issue in my circle. My first two "serious" relationships in my teens were interracial, no one thought twice about it.

Perhaps it's a function of growing up 15 miles from the heart of NYC, but I didn't see racism as a prime issue until I started traveling the US as a musician. And then, it became an issue when the inherent old school attitudes were imposed on the younger generation.

When we continue to impose our learned prejudices on the younger generations, those eager young minds will adopt the fears and prejudices we are teaching them. Are we not far better off letting future generations form their own opinions based on their life experiences? Or shall we just continue to force our negative experiences on them?

FWIW, it looked like a Knight helmet to me, but then, I was looking at it from the viewpoint of a proud little boy with a big smile on his face ... :)
 
#92
Big B. said:
Looks like you are just as bad. You are basically saying that anyone who does not agree with your political opinion is now suspect of being a racist. This is complete BS. Racist people are racist, end of story. I am opposed to many of the current president's policies. Does that make me a potential racist? The black women I have dated over the years didn"t seem to think so. The black friends I watch football with (in their neighborhood) done seem to. What about the black people who disagree with the president's policies? Are they allowed to have their opinions?

And for you to imply that Rockstarbassist is racist without even knowing him (I assume) makes me question your ability to judge people. I highly doubt you would speak to him like that in a face to face debate.
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no, that's what you read into it. His FTW comment was what made me think he had this issue. I'm 50/50 on Obama's ploicies, some I like some I don't. I listen to the man and form my own opinions on each issue. Sadly, a large portion of the population can only see color or party lines, as the case may be in a given situation. As far as meeting him face to face, I'd enjoy that. Always like to meet fellow bass players. If you're implying that I'd be intimidated by him, uh no. Not going to happen.
 
#93
pointbass said:
Interesting stuff here .... both the OP topic and subsequent opinions.

I grew up in a racially mixed neighborhood, where my family was the reason for the "mix". Those here that know me personally will likely agree that I am the whitest of white people (borderline Johnny Winter white) in appearance, yet during my developmental years (in the late '50's/early '60's) when racist attitudes were still very commonplace in the US, they were never an issue in my circle. My first two "serious" relationships in my teens were interracial, no one thought twice about it.

Perhaps it's a function of growing up 15 miles from the heart of NYC, but I didn't see racism as a prime issue until I started traveling the US as a musician. And then, it became an issue when the inherent old school attitudes were imposed on the younger generation.

When we continue to impose our learned prejudices on the younger generations, those eager young minds will adopt the fears and prejudices we are teaching them. Are we not far better off letting future generations form their own opinions based on their life experiences? Or shall we just continue to force our negative experiences on them?

FWIW, it looked like a Knight helmet to me, but then, I was looking at it from the viewpoint of a proud little boy with a big smile on his face ... :)
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This is a great post. With all the crap that we (myself included) have spit out in this thread, this cuts through the BS to the root of the issue. Thanks, I was looking for an argument but you made me smile instead. Thats probably what we need to be teaching our children.
 
#94
electracoyote said:
No, you're fine.

We might want to go back and read rockstarbassists post again. That is what's being considered "sarcasm" by some because it seems to say "ftw" ("for the win" AFAIK) regarding sentiments like divisiveness and a resurgence of open racist rhetoric because we have a black president.

Which is obviously not "ftw." Thus making it sarcastic, or ironic perhaps.

Okay, I'm done.
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Fair enough. If I misunderstood Rockstar's point, I apologize to him and everyone. I'll delete that post if you guys see fit.
 
#95
I'm sorry to say it, but **** like this has been making me rethink my possible future in the teaching field. I love teaching and I love kids, but this kind of stuff, just kills me. I'm about as liberal as they come and I find NOTHING offensive about a CHILD making an art project that has a mild connection to a group he knows nothing about.
 
#99
I really dont know what all the FTW's and such are, though I can guess a couple, but they seem to be a lot of the confusion. If someone would clarify I would be grateful. Those misunderstandings make it easy for these kinds of threads to go off the tracks on accident.
 

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