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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I overreacting?

53 replies

CatchingBabies · 03/07/2017 20:18

My son (aged 12) came home from school today and told me a joke that his teacher had told him.

I know the teacher and it's likely true as he often tells my son jokes to cheer him up. But this particular joke in my opinion is racist and I'm really annoyed that he would teach it to children. It's a joke poking fun at Chinese names.

I've spoken to my son and he won't repeat it and was unaware it was racist. My son has learning difficulties and goes to a special needs school so wouldn't have recognised it as racist, especially coming from a teacher.

The teacher isn't English so I don't know if he would have recognised it as racist before telling it to other children but I would have thought so.

Am I overreacting or would you say something to school? My partners logic is he's 12 and will hear worse we just have to teach him it's not appropriate, which would be fine if it was a child telling the joke but a teacher gives the impression it's acceptable to repeat without checking with me as he normally would.

OP posts:
OlennasWimple · 03/07/2017 21:33

It's funny but also inappropriate

Screwinthetuna · 03/07/2017 21:38

It's not racist, it's a play on words. Would you really go into school and make trouble for this teacher? He was trying to make your son smile, not trying to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings.

Violetcharlotte · 03/07/2017 21:40

That's the oldest joke in the world. I remember that from when I was at primary school!!

Original poster
CatchingBabies · 03/07/2017 21:43

I wasn't going to go into school and make trouble for his teacher, of course not! His teacher is lovely, I said in my first post he may not have seen what I see and I would have had a quiet word with him explaining that. I was hardly going to report him to the head or anything!

Anyway I see opinions are divided so I won't say anything to the teacher and just leave it how I have with my son to not repeat it.

Thanks

OP posts:
LurkingHusband · 03/07/2017 22:10

Were they reading Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator ?

Guavaf1sh · 03/07/2017 22:15

It's not racist. If everyone jumps on the racism wagon true racism gets drowned out and everyone loses

Chunkymonkey123 · 03/07/2017 22:18

I've never thought about this before but this is one of my favourite jokes that I tell in a fake Mexican accent, is it racist?
Two Mexicans have been lost in the desert for weeks. At death's door, they see a tree in the distance. As they get nearer, they see that it's draped with rasher upon rasher of bacon: smoked bacon, crispy bacon, life-giving nearly-raw juicy bacon, all sorts of bacon.

"Hey, Pepe" says the first Mexican, "ees a bacon tree! We're saved!!"

So Pepe goes on ahead and runs up to the tree. As he gets to within five feet, he's gunned down in a hail of bullets.

His friend drops down on the sand and calls across to the dying Pepe.
"Pepe!! Pepe!! Que pasa hombre?"

With his last breath Pepe calls out:
"Ugh, run, amigo, run, ees not a bacon tree... ... ees a ham bush!"

Sawbridgeworthmum · 03/07/2017 22:33

Total over reaction on your part.

Foxysoxy01 · 03/07/2017 22:41

It's from a book.

It may not be completely politically correct but as it is from a classic kids book maybe the teacher didn't realise it could be taken offensively.

Tbh I wouldn't say anything and would just leave it alone.

TheSeaTheSkyTheSeaTheSkyyyyyy · 03/07/2017 23:03

Saying it in an accent would just show misunderstanding about the joke, surely? (Although it seems PPs have also misunderstood it too). It's a joke about common surnames - accent doesn't have anything to do with it.

So YANBU, I would complain to the head that my son's teacher is too stupid to even understand a simple joke.

user1495484765 · 03/07/2017 23:13

Total over reaction.

feelingoldandtired · 04/07/2017 07:11

Over reacting !

Fl0ellafunbags · 04/07/2017 07:18

Oldest joke in the world.

I like the ham bush one.

user1496484020 · 04/07/2017 07:24

over-reacting.

BabsGanoush · 04/07/2017 07:29

over re-acting.

Creampastry · 04/07/2017 08:06

Overreacting

Alison100199 · 04/07/2017 09:10

Totally overeating. It's a silly joke, quite funny for a kid and as someone else said, calling this racist diminishes the very real racism that many endure on a daily basis.

I rather like the Mexican one by the way :).

rinabean · 04/07/2017 09:29

It's true about Chinese surnames, it's not offensive? I think that the top 100 surnames are 85% of the population, whereas here, only 1% each of people is Smith or Jones. Totally different! It's more racist to think everywhere and every language is the same as ours surely?

Putting on too much of an accent is offensive. The joke isn't.

OlennasWimple · 04/07/2017 12:11

But the joke relies on the stereotype that Chinese people can't say their Rs properly and mis-pronounce them as We...

ittakes2 · 04/07/2017 13:40

I don't think it's the names as such which make it racist but more the accent you have to put on to do the joke. It's belittling the Chinese accent so I agree with you it's racist.

TheSeaTheSkyTheSeaTheSkyyyyyy · 04/07/2017 13:55

I thought the Chinese stereotype was to pronounce Rs as Ls, not Ws? So I just assumed it was a play on words. Maybe I'm too innocent.

Amaried · 04/07/2017 22:27

Complaining is pc gone mad.. maybe a bit naïveté but thinking of talking to school is nuts!

Amaried · 04/07/2017 23:33

Complaining is pc gone mad.. maybe a bit naïveté but thinking of talking to school is nuts!

HateIsNotGood · 04/07/2017 23:39

I'm right Smithed off with this and a good old Joan on the Jones would be the Wright Ting to do - and I'm rarely Wong.

Toysaurus · 04/07/2017 23:45

Not appropriate from a teacher at school.