Culture

[Unregistered]

The whole Paula Dean scandal has gotten me thinking on this and how to handle it in childcare. More times then not since this broke I have heard "People are so Sensitive these days" and it seems I've even heard that alot on here as well. So are we over sensitive to these culture issues or is there really a line not to cross.

For QRIS in our state when you get to 4 or 5 stars you have to start having "culture" intergrated into your program. It pretty much is anything to do with the "culture" the child is living in, not just skin color. So religion, marital, food, disabilities, etc.

I remember awhile back there being a post about a dcb calling everyone at childcare the N word as that is what he heard at home. As I recall the child was African American and alot of the African American use the N word when addressing someone. The other families were offended though by the child using that word even though it was in his culture.

Then I was in a class where same sex marriage was brought up and how some parents in a program were having a hard time with their child being in an environment where children are coming from families with this "culture".

Other providers and I were talking and trying to really figure this out. How do you allow culture from different families in your program without offending each other. Also, what happens if a family calls and their "culture" doesn't fit into your program, how can you decline without possibly being sued for discrimination?

[Blackcat31]

The only time I get offended is if someone believes, teaches or thinks one culture is better than another.

ALL cultures/beliefs and traditions should be respected. Even if you don't agree, you can still be respectful.

Diversity is something EVERYONE should celebrate and welcome!

I don't necessarily follow much news (other than political) so I don't know what's up with Paula Deen.

[craftymissbeth]

The only time I get offended is if someone believes, teaches or thinks one culture is better than another.

ALL cultures/beliefs and traditions should be respected. Even if you don't agree, you can still be respectful.

Diversity is something EVERYONE should celebrate and welcome!

I don't necessarily follow much news (other than political) so I don't know what's up with Paula Deen.

Very well said!

[Play Care]

The only time I get offended is if someone believes, teaches or thinks one culture is better than another.

ALL cultures/beliefs and traditions should be respected. Even if you don't agree, you can still be respectful.

Diversity is something EVERYONE should celebrate and welcome!

I don't necessarily follow much news (other than political) so I don't know what's up with Paula Deen.

Agree, though I have been following the Paula Deen saga. She got me through PPD after I had my first child.

As the facts stand now I feel bad for her. She was sued by a former employee for discrimination. Under oath she was asked if she had ever used the "n" word. Being under oath she was honest and admitted she had used it years ago.
And people are shocked, SHOCKED! that a 60 something year old white woman from the Deep South used that word years ago?! Really?!
I believe in the very near future the words "gay" or "retarded" will be held in the same regard as the "n" word. While both words have fallen out of favor in my area, I still overhear them in casual conversation. Imagine 20 or 30 years from now being vilified because you said something was "retarded" when you were younger... I'll admit I find this idea that we can never learn/move on from mistakes tiresome and it's directly tied in to this 24/7 media bombardment. It's going to implode, and it will be ugly.

Stepping off the soap box::

[Blackcat31]

Agree, though I have been following the Paula Deen saga. She got me through PPD after I had my first child.

As the facts stand now I feel bad for her. She was sued by a former employee for discrimination. Under oath she was asked if she had ever used the "n" word. Being under oath she was honest and admitted she had used it years ago.
And people are shocked, SHOCKED! that a 60 something year old white woman from the Deep South used that word years ago?! Really?!
I believe in the very near future the words "gay" or "retarded" will be held in the same regard as the "n" word. While both words have fallen out of favor in my area, I still overhear them in casual conversation. Imagine 20 or 30 years from now being vilified because you said something was "retarded" when you were younger... I'll admit I find this idea that we can never learn/move on from mistakes tiresome and it's directly tied in to this 24/7 media bombardment. It's going to implode, and it will be ugly.

Stepping off the soap box::

So she (Paula Deen) is being vilified for using a word years ago that appears more than a dozen times in movies like Django Unchained, which brought in $129.1million in 3 weeks???

Yeah, something is definitely wrong with society today.

[Oneluckymom]

But religion is NOT considered "culture". Food, clothing, music, living styles(houses) , family dynamics, yes....but not religion.

[Starburst]

I remember awhile back there being a post about a dcb calling everyone at childcare the N word as that is what he heard at home. As I recall the child was African American and alot of the African American use the N word when addressing someone. The other families were offended though by the child using that word even though it was in his culture.

Using derogatory terms and racist slurs is not a part of "culture" its ignorance that the kids pick up on from hearing it. It was a word slave owners used to belittle and dehumanize slaves, in the dictionary it says it means "an uneducated person". My Psychology teacher is African American who grew up in a low-income family during the 1960s/70s (when he was called that all the time) and he says he never uses that word.

[Unregistered]

Agree, though I have been following the Paula Deen saga. She got me through PPD after I had my first child.

As the facts stand now I feel bad for her. She was sued by a former employee for discrimination. Under oath she was asked if she had ever used the "n" word. Being under oath she was honest and admitted she had used it years ago.
And people are shocked, SHOCKED! that a 60 something year old white woman from the Deep South used that word years ago?! Really?!
I believe in the very near future the words "gay" or "retarded" will be held in the same regard as the "n" word. While both words have fallen out of favor in my area, I still overhear them in casual conversation. Imagine 20 or 30 years from now being vilified because you said something was "retarded" when you were younger... I'll admit I find this idea that we can never learn/move on from mistakes tiresome and it's directly tied in to this 24/7 media bombardment. It's going to implode, and it will be ugly.

Stepping off the soap box::

Thank you for explaining! Just was able to get back on.

I feel for Paula Deen and I can't believe Food Network dropped her like that. I'm sure most people in the South have used that word!


So I guess this is my confusion-if a child comes from a culture that accepts certain things but isn't correct in other cultures, how do you dicifer that in your program without looking like your being biased?

[Cradle2crayons]

Here in the south apparently the n word is only derogatory if its used by someone who is not African American. I don't use it and neither does my husband. However, my dad and his brothers are racist and they do use that term. I grew up hearing it from them but my wonderful grandma is thankfully the one who taught me right from wrong and that word has never left my lips. And if I hear it, I cringe.

[Lyss]

The whole Paula Dean scandal has gotten me thinking on this and how to handle it in childcare. More times then not since this broke I have heard "People are so Sensitive these days" and it seems I've even heard that alot on here as well. So are we over sensitive to these culture issues or is there really a line not to cross.

For QRIS in our state when you get to 4 or 5 stars you have to start having "culture" intergrated into your program. It pretty much is anything to do with the "culture" the child is living in, not just skin color. So religion, marital, food, disabilities, etc.

I remember awhile back there being a post about a dcb calling everyone at childcare the N word as that is what he heard at home. As I recall the child was African American and alot of the African American use the N word when addressing someone. The other families were offended though by the child using that word even though it was in his culture.

Then I was in a class where same sex marriage was brought up and how some parents in a program were having a hard time with their child being in an environment where children are coming from families with this "culture".

Other providers and I were talking and trying to really figure this out. How do you allow culture from different families in your program without offending each other. Also, what happens if a family calls and their "culture" doesn't fit into your program, how can you decline without possibly being sued for discrimination?

In all honesty can't think of a reason that someone's culture would or beliefs would exclude them from my program so I'm not sure how to answer that question. I also dont discuss any details of other families with my DCP. I guess if you ran a specific type of program (like religion based for example) both parties would probably realize it wouldn't be a good fit if they were on different belief systems.

The only time I get offended is if someone believes, teaches or thinks one culture is better than another.

ALL cultures/beliefs and traditions should be respected. Even if you don't agree, you can still be respectful.

Diversity is something EVERYONE should celebrate and welcome!

I don't necessarily follow much news (other than political) so I don't know what's up with Paula Deen.

[Blackcat31]

So I guess this is my confusion-if a child comes from a culture that accepts certain things but isn't correct in other cultures, how do you dicifer that in your program without looking like your being biased?

I honestly can't think of anything that would fit into that scenario.

You'd have to give an example of what you mean.

If you are referring to the use of the "N" word, that word is NOT socially acceptable and I think that what is socially acceptable sometimes supercedes the right to observe or practice your personal cultural beliefs. It may be used within small groups of people who "believe" it is a cultural thing but I think that is just an excuse some people use to justify why they use that word.

I feel it really isn't different than using the "F" word. Just because certain groups of people use the word, does not give it merit or include it in any definition of socially or culturally appropriate use. kwim?

In every culture, some words or statements are considered hate speech or inappropriate ethnic slurs (such as, using the word Hun to a German, using the word Jap to a Japanese person, etc.). In most modern cultures, insulting a person or group of people, especially for any reason outside his or her immediate control, such as having a medical condition, following a particular religion, or being poor, is considered rude. Rude speech also includes derogatory terms describing an individual person and asking inappropriate questions or pressing for an answers to a question.

However, there is no universal rule about which terms are considered derogatory and which questions are inappropriate under what circumstances.

Hate speech is, outside the law, communication that vilifies a person or a group based on discrimination against that person or group
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/)

I think the "N" word would fall under hate speech and would not be an acceptable word to use simply because IT IS offensive to others and not commonly accepted in society.

HTH

[Blackcat31]

It was a word slave owners used to belittle and dehumanize slaves, in the dictionary it says it means "an uneducated person".

Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy - the man who literally wrote the book on the word - notes that etymologists say the N-word "was derived from an [old] English word 'neger' that was itself derived from 'Negro,' the Spanish word for black."

But, he adds, "the term 'N****r' is in most contexts a cultural obscenity."

http://nationalcenter.org/P21NVMassieNword90408.html

[preschoolteacher]

I think that what is socially acceptable sometimes supercedes the right to observe or practice your personal cultural beliefs.

^^^ This.

People have differing opinions and practices, but when YOUR opinions and practices infringe upon MY rights--that's when we have a problem. So what are my rights? In a daycare setting, I think all children and families have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. If another child or parent's use of racial slurs (for example) creates a negative environment or causes a child to feel humiliated, shamed, or rejected--I think that is a problem that the provider must address.

In the Paula Dean case, it is my understanding that she used racial slurs, made racist jokes, and told racist stories on occasion. The reason why she was fired was because it happened in the workplace. There are federal anti-discrimination laws in place as part of the Civil Rights Act that prohibit employers from discriminating on the case of race (as well as other things). As part of those laws, employers like Food Network also MUST take disciplinary action when one of their employees acts in a discriminatory way. Under this law, racial slurs and racist jokes are considered discriminatory acts. If Food Network would not have taken action against her, they could have been sued and would have lost. In another workplace, someone who did what Paula Dean did might have been written up or suspended, but since she's a very public figure, I think the Network did the right thing by firing her. There is not much they could do to redeem her image. Honestly, she should have known better. She was making these comments at work, not at home or in social situations.

[Blackcat31]

In the Paula Dean case, it is my understanding that she used racial slurs, made racist jokes, and told racist stories on occasion. The reason why she was fired was because it happened in the workplace. There are federal anti-discrimination laws in place as part of the Civil Rights Act that prohibit employers from discriminating on the case of race (as well as other things). As part of those laws, employers like Food Network also MUST take disciplinary action when one of their employees acts in a discriminatory way. Under this law, racial slurs and racist jokes are considered discriminatory acts. If Food Network would not have taken action against her, they could have been sued and would have lost. In another workplace, someone who did what Paula Dean did might have been written up or suspended, but since she's a very public figure, I think the Network did the right thing by firing her. There is not much they could do to redeem her image. Honestly, she should have known better. She was making these comments at work, not at home or in social situations.

Oh, okay....well that makes a world of difference.

She definitely should have known better. If I were her boss or an agency or network representing her, I'd fire her too as I wouldn't want to be connected to her in any manner.

[AcornMama]

I'm sure most people in the South have used that word!

Um, politely, no.