When did I say anything about big red lips?

When did I say there is no racism in Switzerland?

If I was that much influenced by all the blokes I've dated, lived with or been married to, I'd be in the loony-bin by now.........although this thread is making me wonder if perhaps I already am.
Ducking and running and going to bed now!

Oi! To your corner!

I do, too, principally.

What I do not like is one thing. This is a complaint corner. If we show up and nag about stupid parking ticket, we don't get hostility, but it slowly turns into a ligthhearted and sarcastic banter. Just because OP is pretty shocked and tried to argue and people feel like the culture here/kids we haven't seen and the situation itself needs a hardcore defense...why?

What's up with the groan match lately, too... OP wasn't happy with something, but why be groaning pretty innocent and decent posts?

I do know how a teacher might feel after a while. It does not feel so yumy after a while, being exposed to unfiltered anti pc-ness, heavy duty, over and over, every day. In a class that is shared by all cultures and is supposed to be international, that you usually find black kids, or whatever kids from the US too. Classrooms are to be comfortable for everybody. Where we live and work, it is more than 50% foreign. If you want to have international classroom in an international school, you might also want to adjust the local habits to not be offensive to the kids from abroad. Easy.

We do not know what exactly happened. We can totally assume the kids never meant it. But, so can we assume they did. OP was there, got upset. I give her the benefit of the doubt she actually assessed the situation, saw the kids, heard the talks, the atmosphere. Why do you assume that you need to hear all possible details of the situation, to give her the benefit of the doubt? And, would you start blurting out here, in all possible terminology, what happened at work? No, you wouldn't.

She wasn't happy with the situ, wanted to share her opinion, maybe get some debate going on. Why go into great lenghts, and have people who weren't there hostile towards OP, or groan people who actually see the point of what she was trying to say. I don't get it, but I might really be slow. Plus, come from a different culture. Which used to be redneck and I am glad it curbed the "innocent" ways of celebrating cultures, since they understand some people might not be happy with it.

Yeah. What's fascinating are the legal racist campaigns here. That would be illegal anywhere else I have lived.

In the light of that, I do see the point of the OP's reaction.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

Please see Mud's eloquently written argument here. I'm with Mud too ... ahem

As I have never seen black people with red lips, I fail to understand this.

Tom

So you would agree that painting in black face with big red lips, just might be considered offensive?

Offensive to who? I'm not sure I've seen any black people with big red lips before

Then why would people want to dress up and portray them that way?

I don't know. You tell me.

I did!

It is called Lip stick!

Of course you don't . It's to foster negative stereotypes.

And you are gona get it tomorrow, hahaha...

I know, I've read it. I did say I agree, principally. I do. When you change cultures, you ought to adjust.

But.

It's not as black and white. As flaming a person from ultra pc culture wanting everyone to be nicely ultra pc too. And I happen to know OP and know she is very reasonable and not a sheep wanting the entire world being uniformly and mindlessly pc.

And I teach too, you see?

And, you don't really change culture, coz you are actually hired not to. You are hired to imprint yours in a way. Does it make sense? And, even at an international schools, you still have this melange of so many cultures. And you deal with what is and has been allowed here for decades, what your own heart allows according to where you are from (not for the form, but for moral reasons) and according to super fast assessment, and then you have those other kids in the class that could potentially be super offended.

Man, I laugh when people are offensive, without realizing they are, but sometimes it gets to you. And sometimes it is the kids you want to feel good about sharing a class that get to you, since you feel like you failed at mixing and matching something completely unmixable - ie pc and un pc, with a quite the dose of normal hormonal teenage anti pc.

Whatever I read here still didn't make me appreciate the groan fest, no.

What are we....embassadors of pc? Or, embassadors of those who we only assume that are innocent? None of it, if you ask me.

I appreciate debate, sure. But just because things got dished out passionately does not mean we have to retaliate, maybe think about the situation in a different light, or so...Which, I do agree, should work both ways.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

Ok. But when did I mention anything about red lips? All I said was that blackening your face as an act on its own isn't racist.


Likewise, putting red lipstick on isn't a racist act either

I don't see where you're going. Am I going to have an AHA moment soon? Should I video myself bursting into tears when I do?

Exactly my point, then why dress up in blackface and portray them with big red lips. It's a distorted image and it is belittling. Why some on here don't understand that is a bit bewildering to me.

While I agree with you, that your avatar is from a 43 year old movie leaves a bit to be desired.

Tom

If you want to be film yourself, go ahead, as you seem to be in love with yourself anyway.
Keep playing the I don't know game You know the exact stereotypes I am referring to, but stick to your ignorance, it's most becoming of you.

And who said anything about red lips?

Tom

If I don't love myself nobody will

I've seen this portrayal at Fastnacht here, Black face with big red lips.