http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027133854 Wed Sep 2, 2015, 05:10 PM
adigal (5,329 posts)
Am I overreacting in finding administrator's remarks racist?
Hi,
I have taught in a rural school for a dozen years. Today was Opening Day, and the Superintendent make remarks, as usual, to the faculty. He tries to make his remarks funny, and personal, as opposed to professional or dealing with the school year. We all understand that.
Quick Demographics at my school:
Faculty 100% white - no Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, or Native Americans
Student Body - Some kids with Native Americans ancestors, two African American kids, two Muslim kids, a few Hispanic kids. The kids are very open minded, for the most part, about race, gender issues, almost every issue, in fact.
Back to the remarks. The Superintendent told us he recently visited a local city about an hour away from us. This city is about 60% white, and 40% African Americans, Hispanic and Latino. So he said he was driving in the city, and it was scary. (There were some shootings there this summer.) He said that the further they got into the city, the scarier it was. He then told us how his wife closed the windows and locked the car doors because they were so scared. Then he showed us a picture of a casket stuffed into the back of a car and said, "The people in City X are sure strange." My 100% faculty laughed and laughed!! I was steaming. I have felt like I was dropped on a different planet since I moved here a dozen years ago, and here it was again.
I asked a few people afterward if they thought this was inappropriate/racist. One or two agreed. Most laughed again, and said he wasn't being racist, it was a dangerous city, he was just being funny. I walked away mumbling about white privilege, and how it's easy to not be offended when you are white and live in a totally white community.
Am I being overly sensitive about these remarks?? I do INTENSELY dislike this person, so I am doing a gut check on myself here. And if I'm not, what do I do about this? I already complained to another administrator, but that administrator is below the superintendent. The Board of Ed wouldn't care. It sticks in my craw to just let this go by unanswered.
BTW, there is NO way I can talk to the Supt about this. He also dislikes me intensely. I called him a buffoon and he found out.
No,useless idiot,you are going to be fired for incompetence,your stupid story is a joke so don`t think you have a lawsuit.
Response to adigal (Original post)
Wed Sep 2, 2015, 05:23 PM
Star Member jeff47 (19,247 posts)
1. It's a dogwhistle.
One of the "beauties" of dogwhistles is they are coded enough that the speaker may not realize the racism they are displaying. He literally may be thinking "city dangerous" instead of "minorities dangerous".
Or he could be covering his racism in an "acceptable" veneer.
Racism is only what a white liberal defines it to be.
Response to jeff47 (Reply #1)
Wed Sep 2, 2015, 05:29 PM
ryan_cats (1,170 posts)
3. Dogwhistles are awesome
Dogwhistles are awesome, they allow anyone, anywhere to claim anything they want and there isn't any defense.
George Orwell would be proud people took the exact opposite out of 1984 than intended, why that's doubleplusgood!
The DUmp misses the sarcasm.
Response to procon (Reply #2)
Wed Sep 2, 2015, 05:43 PM
adigal (5,329 posts)
7. Another woman who agreed with me went to a different adminstrator and said this exact thing
The whole damn faculty needs some diversity and sensitivity training.
HAHAHA! How funny!! Poor people putting a casket in a car!!! Crime!! HAHAHA!!
I hate where I live and work.
You mean because they actually expect you to do your job?
Response to femmocrat (Reply #19)
Wed Sep 2, 2015, 06:34 PM
adigal (5,329 posts)
20. Haha!! I'm already a troublemaker because I had to file a mandated report on a teacher once
It was swept under the rug. Welcome to rural America.
A bit of truth slips out.
Response to adigal (Original post)
Wed Sep 2, 2015, 06:48 PM
randys1 (9,328 posts)
27. Pure dog whistle racism
Take your Rolex collection into the inner city at night asshole,I dare you.
