to find the title of this BBC drama offensive

[junipertree2]

I am referring to the show 'Subnormal' which tells the story of how black children were inappropriately placed in special education in the 1960s and 1970s. The BBC website is carrying the stories of people who were placed in these schools and they are described very negatively.

While I'm sure this is an important story that needs to be told, I struggle with the implication that special need schools (which of course still exist) were filled with life's no hopers, who would 'struggle to get a labouring job.'

My son has MLD and autism and is highly intelligent in some ways. He attends a special school as there is not really the provision within the mainstream. Is anyone else feeling the same way when they see this word plastered everywhere on the BBC and in the media?

I don’t find it offensive as a title of a programme, no, and my son attends a special school.

Not a drama though.

Language around disabilities change all the time ,terms we use today will no doubt be out of date in years to come ,educationally subnormal was the term used at the time I have a severely autistic son who also has severe learning disabilities and goes to a special school
The whole point of the documentary was that many of those children placed in those schools ,did not have learning disabilities or any form of disabilities,they were immigrant children who had ,had iq test,s and because of language differences and cultural differences ,and generalised pre conceptions from so called professionals ,their tested iq was s lot lower than it should have been ,that was what was horrifying.

It's not a drama, it's a documentary and that was the point of it!

YABU

The fact that it’s offensive is the whole point. Because it’s a documentary about how these children were dismissed as “subnormal” with no chance of a future completely unfairly. It’s highlighting and challenging that historic view not condoning it.

It was the language at the time. I know this is off topic, but an example of how people were treated...doing my family history, there was a child born in the early 1920’s if I recall, who had ILLEGITIMATE written in very large letters on his birth certificate.
The birth certificate that he would have had to
use to jobs, join the armed forces, get married etc...a sign of the times.

It's jarring on purpose.
It's offensive this happened.

It's just saying it how it was. Educationally subnormal was how these children were described. It was extremely offensive, and that's why we don't use the term now.

Maybe I am just over-sensitive, Mumsnetters! Maybe it's just years of having my son called 'Spacker' and 'Retard' by neighbourhood kids, and having the school bus called 'the Mong bus'. Perhaps they can add the word 'subnormal' to their vocabularies now.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do.

Yeah of course 🙄 Absolute paradise here 🙄

@MadeOfStarStuff

YABU

The fact that it’s offensive is the whole point. Because it’s a documentary about how these children were dismissed as “subnormal” with no chance of a future completely unfairly. It’s highlighting and challenging that historic view not condoning it.

Absolutely. And, as several pps have said, it was a documentary highlighting a racial and disablist injustice of the past, not a drama -- and the bit I saw was very compelling (and enraging) social history. It's exactly the kind of BAME history programme there needs to be more of.

I think your ignoring the fact that many of us replying also have children that attend special school,s op ,maybe you should actually watch the documentary 🙄

@junipertree2

Maybe I am just over-sensitive, Mumsnetters! Maybe it's just years of having my son called 'Spacker' and 'Retard' by neighbourhood kids, and having the school bus called 'the Mong bus'. Perhaps they can add the word 'subnormal' to their vocabularies now.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do.

It's absolutely appalling that your son is called those things, OP, but you're getting angry at the wrong thing here.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do

I think the point has completely flown over your head.

You should have seen how children were treated back then in institutions. That was far more shocking than the language used. I got a job at 16 in a hospital working with what was then called ESN children. I did not stay long. I was horrified.

It's a documentary depicting what happened. The term is appropriate because it was used and it's meant to be thought provoking.

Well that's the thing.

They did describe children with especially needs as educationally subnormal. Children who could have been supported lost out on life chances because they were placed in schools or even residential units where there were no expectations of them.

Have a look at the Warnock report. The attitudes towards education and special needs changed in the 80's when we first began to educate these children.

We still have a long way to go but we no longer see difficulty in learning as inability to learn.

This is a documentary showing the history of SN education.

Well it is. Supposed to be jarring and offensive isn't it ? That is what children were called and treated.maybe watch it and you will see why it was titled this.

@junipertree2

Maybe I am just over-sensitive, Mumsnetters! Maybe it's just years of having my son called 'Spacker' and 'Retard' by neighbourhood kids, and having the school bus called 'the Mong bus'. Perhaps they can add the word 'subnormal' to their vocabularies now.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do.

That I can understand.

My son is called spastic and retard amongst other things (he has hereditary spastic paraplegia and autism).

But people using disablist language isn't reflective of the social changes that have occurred.

It's reflective of the idiots who haven't adapted their use of language as acceptable - perhaps they are the "subnormal" ones

The point you are missing Op is many of these children didn't actually have learning disabilities,or any type of disability ,the education system of the time were failing these children due to racial stereotypes

@junipertree2

Maybe I am just over-sensitive, Mumsnetters! Maybe it's just years of having my son called 'Spacker' and 'Retard' by neighbourhood kids, and having the school bus called 'the Mong bus'. Perhaps they can add the word 'subnormal' to their vocabularies now.

Must be nice to live in the enlightened paradises that you do.

The point is that back then “subnormal” is as the official word that schools and teachers used.

I’m guessing the documentary has been titled that was to shock and draw attention to the shocking story.

I do agree with you that if it were a drama, it would be less justified.

It's not an enlightened paradise, far from it.
The older ones amongst us just remember when terms such as subnormal (& worse) were commonly used in medical & educational settings.
Like @Babdoc says, times & terms have changed but the program was about life back then & this was, rightly or wrongly, the term that was used.
We can't change history & this was a historical documentary.

The title is entirely appropriate because that is the term (educationally subnormal) that was applied to those children to justify them being placed in special schools. It’s that term that made the difference for them. It all hinged on that word “subnormal”.

It’s not referring to modern day special education. It’s refering to a specific time and place, the name is deliberately shocking.

I think it is really important not to ignore, erase or try to rewrite history. We need to recognise the awful injustices in the past, not only to see how much we can improve and progress, but so that we can continue to do so.
It is a shocking title, but it is meant to be, especially as it will hopefully educate and inform those people who are too young to remember those days.