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Nothing, file a counter-complain.
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don't worry about it :p
god everyone has to be so politically correct these days.
also, it was a kid
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That's such bullshit. I'm not sure I completely agree with your philosophy of ultra-rigid political correctness, but what a ridiculous thing to be accused of. You better exact righteous vengeance on the person who filed a complaint.
How old are you, and how old are the kids you're instructing? I'm curious to see if the kids are old enough to logically vouch for either you or the mystery PC-cop in this situation.
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Wauw... I hate it when people pull their race card for something like this. I guess they don't know what racism really is.
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The kid is the racist thinking because of his superior skin tone he doesn't need sun-cream.
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But he is different. You were clearly being insensitive regarding his higher melanin levels that protect him from skin cancer. How dare you, who do you think you are?
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On November 21 2010 23:46 Flicky wrote:
which is unusual because not many black people live around my area because it's expensive.?
I have to say that wasn't the best word choice there, but what happened seems completely reasonable.
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On November 21 2010 23:54 underscore wrote:
The kid is the racist thinking because of his superior skin tone he doesn't need sun-cream.
Rofl.
I hate idiots who cry about racism or throw around the word without knowing what it means, they are just out to start a commotion cause they are retared :/
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On November 21 2010 23:56 floor exercise wrote:
But he is different. You were clearly being insensitive regarding his higher melanin levels that protect him from skin cancer. How dare you, who do you think you are?
I'm going to assume this isn't sarcasm, and respond by saying that resistance to UV rays does not equal immunity. No matter your complexion, you're still vulnerable to sunburns and other conditions. Why bother testing fate by hoping your genetics can protect you from the sun? If you're going to err, do so on the side of caution. It may not be an overly serious thing, but I'd rather not get a sunburn if I can avoid it.
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On November 21 2010 23:46 Flicky wrote:
which is unusual because not many black people live around my area because it's expensive?
Wait, what? You try so hard not to be racist yet you make a remark like that. ._.
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Don't know whether it's the way you wrote, but it really sounds like you are TRYING not to be racist.
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You're not being racist at all.
You're doing your job by making sure everyone had adequate UV protection.
Heck, you'd have been more racist if you had said that everyone *except* the black kid had to wear suntan lotion (only because you'd be specifically singling him out), and *refused* to let him put sunblock on.
You're fine; you did nothing wrong. They clearly don't understand what "racism" means. Either explain the situation to your bosses (to which they should 100% see no problem as well), or do that PLUS fire a counter-complaint back at the stupid black family (which may make you feel better but may be bad for public relations). I recommend just doing the first; you're always going to come across stupid people in your life. Try to let it go as long as your bosses understand that you did nothing wrong.
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On November 21 2010 23:46 Flicky wrote:
My boss was talking to me about a complain from August this year from one of my groups. I had a black student in my two day-session, which is unusual because not many black people live around my area because it's expensive...
Racist? No.
Stereo-typing? Yes.
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United States24784 Posts
On November 21 2010 23:46 Flicky wrote:
But when I got to the black kid and asked him why he doesn't think he needs sun-cream when everyone else does. I told him he wasn't any different and made him wear it.
If this is exactly the way it went down then you are creating headaches for yourself. Asking him why he doesn't think he needs it when everyone else does is going to open up a can of worms. Saying "you aren't any different" can be easily misconstrued.
A couple of alternatives would to say "everyone has to wear sun cream" and not question him about his reasoning (being fully aware that his parents probably don't make him wear much sun cream normally since he has darker skin). If he claims he isn't allowed/supposed to wear it then say you have to have all kids wear it unless you get permission from the parents not to. If the parents complain after this, they have no justification and your boss can easily back you.
You didn't do anything 'wrong' but being 'wrong' isn't what matters in these sorts of situations... it's whether or not you've learned through life/work experience the best way to avoid them.
I go through the exact same thing as a teacher when communicating with parents. I am very careful about what I say and how I say it because most things can and will be used against me, often out of context, etc. Don't give unnecessary information, ask unnecessary questions, etc, when dealing with a sensitive situation that could blow up into a racism complaint or something like that.
Is this completely ridiculous? Yes.
Should you have to deal with it at a recreational summer program? No.
Do you have to follow my advice? No, but I strongly recommend it.
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I don't think you're intentionally racist but it sounds like your raw lack of exposure makes it difficult for you to be completely comfortable despite your best efforts. I don't think I'm quite that bad but I do know how you feel because I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood and now go to a predominantly white college.
You did absolutely nothing wrong imo though. I mean, I don't think black people generally get sunburned but there is no reason when they're under your charge you should exclude anyone from having proper protection.
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But when I got to the black kid and asked him why he doesn't think he needs sun-cream when everyone else does. I told him he wasn't any different and made him wear it.
This sentence doesn't read correctly. Did you hand him suncream and he refused to wear it, whereupon you told him he had to? Did you hand it out generally to the group and he just didn't put any on? It's hard to judge the context of what you said without the extra information of how he acted and the exact sequence of events.
It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, but that really depends on those extra details that are missing. In any event it doesn't sound like you were being racist. As micronesia said though, there are always more tactful ways of handling situations.
Also, there's a spelling mistake in your thread title.
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i believe its the " i told him he wasn't any different" that lands you in trouble this time.
The kid assumed that you assumed that he thought he was different from the others because of his skin colour. It wasn't racism per se and it's stupid how politically correct you must be but that's how society is nowadays.
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That's silly of the guy who made the complaint; ott when your trying to help him.
FYI dark skin naturally blocks the harmful rays of the sun. Very dark(black) causes to little sun to be absorbed leading to lack of vitamin d and other things. Ofc the perfect colour is brown cause you get immunity to skin cancer while getting plenty of vitamin d.
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Germany2896 Posts
On November 22 2010 00:03 StarStruck wrote:Show nested quote +On November 21 2010 23:46 Flicky wrote:
which is unusual because not many black people live around my area because it's expensive? Wait, what? You try so hard not to be racist yet you make a remark like that. ._.
Sounds completely objective to me. Everything I read about the racial situation in the US indicated that black people are on average poorer than white people. So it'd hardly surprising if in a rich are black people are less common. It in no way implies that black people are inferior or any racist opinions like that. But if you have any statistical data that proves this statement wrong I'd love to see it.
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EPT
