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?

The purpose of this documentary has gone over your head so fast it broke the sound barrier.

Isn’t the whole point that these children weren’t subnormal but were labelled as such? The title is deliberately ironic to highlight this.

The way your child has been verbally abused is horrific, OP. I can't imagine how horrible that must be. I'm so sorry.

Going back to the programme in question... The full title of the documentary is 'Subnormal:a British Scandal'.

Of course it was offensive!!! The way these children were treated was utterly repugnant and scandalous. The title is drawing attention to that fact!

I think you've missed the point OP. Sorry.

"Why is some language used in previous societies considered unspeakable, and yet this is okay?"

Are there though? I'm sure there's a Darcus Howe one whose title includes the n-word (which I'm not going to type because it might get my post deleted).

Have you watched the documentary itself? If not, I'd suggest you do so before you comment further. I have an autistic child too, I think I'm pretty inclined to be sensitive to this stuff but I'm having trouble connecting your anger with the film I saw.

@DaphneDuBois

Isn’t the whole point that these children weren’t subnormal but were labelled as such? The title is deliberately ironic to highlight this.

But it's not actually focused upon the SN children is it?

It's about the black children who ended up in these schools and who were given the label. It's about the injustice of how they were wrongly categorised. Can't you see the difference?

What about the children who did have learning disabilities? Is the title 'ironic' for them?

Well clearly you want to be offended ,I'm guessing you haven't watched the Documentary.

@x2boys

Well clearly you want to be offended ,I'm guessing you haven't watched the Documentary.

Yes, I have. It was about Afro-Caribbean children being wrongly labelled as educationally subnormal and sent to special schools. Unless we were watching different shows.

And it was prefaced with warnings about anachronistic racist language but not old-fashioned ableist references, which just about sums it up.

But language changes all the time,currently my son's diagnosis is Autism spectrum Disorder and severe learning disabilities,but some people prefer Autism spectrum Condition
Then there is the whole minefield of is the person autistic or a person with autism
When I was a child children with learning disabilities were called mentally handicapped,prior to that the R word was the diagnosis of choice
At some point current terminology Will be out of date and no doubt be offensive

The campaigning by the Black parents, teachers, social workers and others shown in the programme, finally revealed that disgraceful system for what it was.

This brought about the Education Act 1981. The Act removed terms such as "handicapped" and "subnormal". The 1981 Act brought in better educational integration, and major improvements to assessments for all children,
The term " special education needs" was introduced, and the system moved towards improving learning and support for ALL children.

But carry on making it all about you OP.

@x2boys

But language changes all the time,currently my son's diagnosis is Autism spectrum Disorder and severe learning disabilities,but some people prefer Autism spectrum Condition Then there is the whole minefield of is the person autistic or a person with autism When I was a child children with learning disabilities were called mentally handicapped,prior to that the R word was the diagnosis of choice At some point current terminology Will be out of date and no doubt be offensive

Exactly this.

Yeah I still think the point of the programme (and title) has whooshed over your head OP.

I saw the programme. The title was meant to be offensive. It was kind of the point.

I went to a london comprehensive late 70s/early 80s, so similar age to many of those interviewed. I remember that some kids were taken out for "remedial classes," surprisingly the majority were Black. It definitely happened.

The actual Documentry was fascinating and horrifying that they got it so wrong ,they said the IQ tests were universal ,but how could they be when they were developed in Britain for British born children ?
The example I remember was a booklet of general household objects ,and children had to point to them so they Iasked I assume quite young children to point to a Tap,the carribean children had no idea what a tap was ,eventually they brought in an educational psychologist originally from the carribean and apparently at the time a lot of places in the carribean called the tap a pipe ,so when the educational psychologist,pointed to a tap in the room most of the carribean children knew what it was it was a pipe ,there must have been lots ofl little examples like this ,calling items different words ,etc it's frightening they got away with it .

Back in the 70s we had an ESN (Educationally Sub Normal) block at our school. No black kids though.

My parents taught us at home what to say in different IQ tests as they were worried this would happen to us. I was taught by my dad that if asked to draw a picture of a person, to include as much detail as possible. Apparently simple drawings with little detail were seen as a sign of low intelligence. He also gave us IQ tests from a book he had bought and taught us to improve our scores.

The actual Documentry was fascinating and horrifying that they got it so wrong ,they said the IQ tests were universal ,but how could they be when they were developed in Britain for British born children ?

It is horrifying, and how anyone (disabled child or not) can seem more disgusted at the terminology used (in a programme bringing it to attention) rather than what happened is baffling imho.

Indeed ,these kids were removed from their country of birth ,there will have been cultural differences ,different food ,different weather ,their lives have completely changed,but they were given tests for the average British born child ,no wonder some scored a lot worse then they should have ,it was disgraceful

In school we watched a documentary about the attack on Jill Saward and its aftermath, entitled No Great Trauma (now I look it up I see there was a ? after the title). The title paraphrased the judge's comment on what he thought of the effect of the attack on Jill. It was a good title- it stirred me up and has stuck in my mind.

There is a Louise O'Neill novel called Asking For It- the subject matter as you would expect. I think an angry title like that is fine.

What Mrs Tulip said.

I haven’t seen it. I wouldn’t assume from the title it is offensive. As I think seeing terms used is educational.

However if the message is that being in a special school is for losers then that is bad. But haven’t seen it. My DS is in a special school and it’s the best place for him - way better than mainstream for his needs.

Not meeting Age Related Expectations doesn't sound so catchy

OP- The title immediately draws attention to the injustice you refer to. It’s a horrible label for all children, particularly those who weren’t actually below the age related expectation. Applied to any child with genuinely identified specific difficulties, it’s shocking. Applied then to those assumed to have difficulties, it’s more shocking. The BBC is documenting how it was.

BBC’s Small Axe: Education was also hard hitting seeing the provision for the child (and his peers).

Like others have said the language evolves all the time. Thankfully too now practice is inclusive or specialist to support children’s needs.

Did you watch the thing OP, it being offensive was the whole point!

Its history OP. That's the point.