To think the head teacher should never have said the N word

[LittleMissMe99]

For context the head teacher of my children's secondary school decided to address racism by saying the N word. She actually said that she had asked permission from the other teachers to say the word....they're all white.

I'm literally gobsmacked. So AIBU to think she shouldn't have said it even if it was "teaching" kids not to say it?

I think were going around in circle here .

Your entitled to your opinion and if you choose to be offended that's ok.

Atleast I didnt have resort to lying about what others have said to fit my argument. Unlike a few poster on here

If that was aimed at me, I'm not offended and haven't said I am.

Until some of the white people on this thread understand that white privilege is actually real, this debate is pointless.

My apologies Hellsmovie, I meant to say because some white rappers say it. You stated it was clearly not offensive for a white rapper to sing it and went as far as to post a link, in spite of being told that the black people on this thread found it offensive. All you demonstrated was that you wear your privilege with pride.

You don't see the irony do you? A white rapper trying normalise a word that was created as part of the brutalisation of black people.

The N word is a violent, abusive word in whatever context it is used. You could learn something from @OopsAnotherOne 's posts, given that you clearly don't respect the black voices. But you won't will you? Evolving is for idiots isn't it?

Well put. All any of us can do is try to empathise with issues that affect other groups but not us. If more white people in this country cared enough to understand what you have articulated above it would be a safer space for people of colour, and other minority communities.

A white rapper trying normalise a word that was created as part of the brutalisation of black people.

That's a wierd conclusion to hearing that song

You: ( Along with the video)

"White rapper called ill bill has a song called white n* (I'll censor it myself this time)
Thetes absolutely not offence in the way it's used"

You do the math.

But did you actually listen to it

Ah, pop music (whistles "... all it takes is one itchy trigger ...")

As @Socrateswasrightaboutvoting says, you don't get to have an opinion if the slur isn't about you. When someone is calling Polish people the P word (the bad one) and telling me 'they' we came over here, stole jobs, ruining the country whatever, the only opinion I want someone without Polish heritage to have is "do you need anything to support you, Terry?".

What I don't want is someone telling me it's not OK for me to be pissed off with their xenophobic shit.

Why someone would want permission to say any of the slur words is beyond me. And I'm not about to give them it.

I think slurs were covered by:
However, there are words that I would like her to know can't ever be said under any circumstances or in any company and I would not want to wait to hear them to make that point.

So swear words you can cover when your child says them, but certain slurs you may want to get in first and try and ensure they're never used.

I don't think I could bring myself to say the n word, it's very deeply ingrained in me not to. I also feel it's different talking about it one to one with your child, and maybe having to say the word, if, for example they'd misheard it, to using it in front of a whole school, where some children present may have had it used against them.

The obvious solution would be for schools to have resources, perhaps videos would be best - assuming they don't already! I suspect addressing the issue in smaller groups rather than during assembly would be more beneficial as well. My memories of issues being addressed in assembly is that nobody paid any attention, unless something mockable was said.

What's the p word? Obviously I know the one for Pakistani's . I dont think I've heard this one

I wouldn't dream having a say in which slurs @MrsTerryPratchett should find offensive about Polish people. In the last 20 years I have noticed a significant increase in prejudice against Polish people, their food, the jobs they do, what they have apparently stolen, as Mrs TP mentions above. I didn't know the P word was that offensive, but I would never have said it out loud, safer to stick to Polish if there is ever a need to mention ethnicity. It's not really complicated to err on the side of caution. I don't find it provocative to be told I don't get a say nor do I feel my rights have some been infringed in some way. I challenge those perceptions when I hear them because its not enough to not be racist you need to be anti racist.

And yet he has publicly stated that will never perform that again specifically because of that.

I did and I made me deeply uncomfortable. I also read that that he won't ever perform that song again because he doesn't want the audience singing that word back to him, although I could not find the source information for that statement. As for him saying that term, it is offensive and he should not be saying it because it is a variation on the original term about black people. All that has happened is they have added the word white to more specifically target certain groups effectively saying they should be consider like black people. Black people get a say for that reason. The K work is more straightforward like the Y word and is a matter for the Jewish community not those outside of (including Tottenham Fans) singing it for years doesn't get you a seat at the table on this one, only being Jewish does. The song is deeply problematic and triggering, there are better way of describing his upbringing.

I know. However, in the spirit of adding some grit to this thread, it won't stop me playing it. Make of it what you will.

(Personally I think the standout line from that song is "overrun by the Chinese line with the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne ...." but then is that racist to the Chinese ?)

You're funny. I bet you are even funnier in your pillowcase. Make of that what you will.

I just find it an odd concept to be offended not because of what/how something Is said, but what skin colour the person who said it has.

Manly transatlantic voiceover:

"Offence" the fun new board game for the whole human race.

Cut to a carefully curated scene of people around a table with one going "Cancel !" as they move a media token into a square of determinant wavelengths.

Now, what's Mattels number ?

I am not bringing up the below as a “woe is me” poor little white girl story but as evidence that in order to tell children never to say a word they do need to know what the word they shouldn’t say is. It is total white privilege not to have heard the n-word growing up and probably incomprehensible to black posters that some children live in such a protected white enclave that they haven’t but it is possible, and so a white person unclear on what the n-word is may say it unaware of the offence.

I was embarrassing old before I discovered what the n-word was which I well aware just shows my white privilege.I thought the “n-word” that my parents were very very insistent that I never used as it was a slur to black people, but also never said was the other not acceptable n-word that is the Spanish word for black. So I at 19!!!! sang out loud some song lyrics and causes quite a bit of offence. I honestly didn’t know and was mortified but I also caused serious upset and offence to the people i was with.

The issue here is that there are two offensive n-words (that I know of) to refer to black people, one the Spanish word for black and the other that rhymes with tigger and more sheltered (white) children will be aware of the first but not the second . If we are aiming to stop (white) children saying the n-word in front of or worse as a slur towards black people and causing offence then we need to tell them in advance what not to say. I’m not sure what the teacher could have done differently. If children at the school are using the slur they need to stamp it out hard and fast so they might not have time to find an external speaker. I’m sad (but not shocked) that there were no non white members of staff that could have delivered the assembly, but then I think why should the black members of staff have to be responsible for educating the white kids about race - white people should take responsibility for there own education, but then they can’t do that if they can’t say what is wrong, maybe a video if one exists of a famous black person explaining the word and it’s offence and then a firm lecture that if the word is heard out of the mouth of a student ever again then they are done for.

(I would also feel the same if it was the f-word to refer to gay men - becuase if you tell a load of kids not to use the f word about gay men as it’s a slur there gonna think you mean f@@k not the other one)

i tried to make my first paragraph above non offensive and I don’t think I managed it, sorry. I was in no way trying to say that black mumsnetters would be able to comprehend my upbringing but that if one has been subject to horrific racial slurs I totally get that it seems like a total fabrication to suggest that people can make it to there late teens having never heard the offensive words spoken