would you say something? (page 2)

Mulan

For many years I was the only Asian kid at school.

Andi...............you are Asian? I would never have thought that.

flower

Jst2, I thought of that too but theres a little girl sitting on the left with the 'boys of color'.

Andi, Like I said its 'possible' but I highly doubt it. This sort of thing would not be unusual for this area. You wouldnt believe how backwards and behind the times this state is if I told you.

For example, heres something that just happened a month or so ago..a teacher put a little 5 year old kid on a bus bound for the 'ghetto' because he was black and she assumed he belonged there. He wandered there by himself for a while before someone recognized him and he was taken home to his parents beautiful 4 bedroom colonial in one of the poshest suburbs. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2003/09/10/hard_lesson_in_reality/

sad but not unusual at all...

It really pisses me off sometimes..Until I moved here I only read about this kind of attitude in books. I come from a for the most part equal society of people.

flower

Billygoat

Mulan,

My mother is Japanese, my father Caucasian. In Missouri, I was constantly called "China Girl" or "Jappy". After I moved to Hawaii (where EVERYONE is mixed) it was "haole." (Literally means "foreigner" in Hawaiian, but nowadays it's used derogatorily towards white people. It's rather used like the "N" word in the south.) Shunned for being Asian, then shunned for being being white. I couldn't win. Now I'm shunned because I'm an ex-JW. LOL! There's no getting away from it. Aggghhh.

flower,

I'm sorry that you have to live in those conditions. I do understand how difficult it can be. I can only imagine how difficult it is to see your child going through it! I'd be such a momma-bear!!! That story is so sad. You'd think that we've come so far. But living in Texas, I realize that's not always the case. You have my love though dear. No matter what color you are.

Andi

flower

btw, I got your point Andi, but what I was saying is that Sofie and Jaden (my son) are best of friends so I would think that if it was up to the kids 'friends' would flock together not just birds of a feather.

SixofNine

I can see myself coming up with that arrangement for a photograph w/o having the slightest thought about race. It has a certain symmetry with the boys/girls, and teacher in the center.

It seems unlikely to me that anyone, even your average racist-but-not-kkk-level racist, would even take the time to think twice about segregating the kids, b/w, in a photograph. But then again, I can only speak from my perspective, and my perspective wouldn't have givin this picture a second thought.

flower

Sixofnine, I like you...but

thats sad..but so true of so many people. segregating without giving it a second thought. why?

there are so many people who totally would do that and so innocently think they have done nothing out of the ordinary.

i am curious why you would group the people together by skin color to make the picture ...'more symetrical' did you say?

there are a ton of people who arent really 'racist' but would segregate this class or judge me when i walk into a store, without even thinking twice about it. maybe if you think twice about it you would realize why it isnt right and why taking the extra step 'not' to segregate is so important.

by the way its not boys on one side girls on the other. there is a little girl sitting on the left with the boys and there is a boy sitting on the right with the girls. maybe the pic is too small to see that.

Billygoat

flower,

Sixy is a photographer. By "symmetrical" I'm sure he means by the children's body shapes/heights/etc. Photographers picture overall photographic shape when taking pics. I'm doubt he meant any harm.

But I agree to a certain extent...if you haven't experienced prejudice, it's hard to be sensitive to it. (That was not directed at you personally Sixy.)

Andi

SixofNine

I like you too Flower, but no way should you read racial segregating, or even sexual segregating into my comments. Visual arrangement, that's all I was talking about. The picture has a pretty nice visual arrangement for a little class picture. The kids have to go somewhere, there's only nine of them total... they look just fine where they are. If no one, not the kids, not the teacher, not the photographer, is a racist, then no harm no foul, and you are out of line. If some of those people are racist, and you know it, then you have a problem.

Guess it's one of those things you'll never really know the thought process behind, but if there was a way to determine the thought process, and if all my money was on the line to guess correctly, personally, I'd wager that it was innocent grouping.

I'm completely aware that black people are more in tune to racism; have to see it, feel it, live it, more than white people. But that also means you are more likely to percieve it when it's not really there more than white people as well.

flower

I like you too Flower, but no way should you read racial segregating, or even sexual segregating into my comments. Visual arrangement, that's all I was talking about. The picture has a pretty nice visual arrangement for a little class picture. The kids have to go somewhere, there's only nine of them total... they look just fine where they are.

Ok...sorry if I misread your comments but while I think it is a nice picture also if it was going to be symetrical little sofie wouldnt nor would jaden be between two bigger students. Yes, I think its a nice picture myself..though.

If no one, not the kids, not the teacher, not the photographer, is a racist, then no harm no foul, and you are out of line. If some of those people are racist, and you know it, then you have a problem.

Well that is why I started off saying how things are here in this part of the world regarding race relations. I also admit its 'possible' that this just happened.

Guess it's one of those things you'll never really know the thought process behind, but if there was a way to determine the thought process, and if all my money was on the line to guess correctly, personally, I'd wager that it was innocent grouping.

...And me having actually been living here for the past year would wager everything I have the other way...hate to say it but I'd probably win.

I'm completely aware that black people are more in tune to racism; have to see it, feel it, live it, more than white people. But that also means you are more likely to percieve it when it's not really there more than white people as well

Yes I am probably more 'in tune and aware' than you but....ooooh that last comment....why? I dont see how you added that up.

Dimples

Hi Flower,

I agree with outnfree. I would bring it up to the teacher and ask why the children were set up that way. Find out if it was the schools idea or the photographers idea of how the picture was taken. Ask is that the normal procedure and if yes....ask why. See what the answer is and let us know what they tell you. It should be interesting.

Your little boy is one cutie pie.

Dimples

would you say something?

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