Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/10/17/school-security-guard-asked-st.html
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Did they expel the student? If so it’s not zero tolerance and they will pay 
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Zero tolerance has always been code for zero intelligence and/or zero courage.
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This sounds similar to what happened to Walter Mosley.
He was describing a time when a cop called him the n-word, and people were disturbed he used it in relating the story.
I don’t think zero tolerance was ever supposed to cover when black men use it when saying people shouldn’t use the word.
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Guess who writes the zero tolerance policies. /s
Hint: it rhymes with quite feeble.
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So I guess a lot of classic literature is not taught either
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Pretzel logic wins again. Are we surprised?
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"When asked how a masked man in black wielding a sword was allowed entrance to school property, officials sited their Zorro tolerance policy’ ----Spider Robertson, Callahan’s Key
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And here we have the elephant in the room that no white authoritarian will admit exists, from waaay before Ferguson to Kaepernick to the murders and subsequent retaliations against witnesses in Dallas.
“You will only exercise your right to exist and/or your right to protest your conditions of existence as we, white supremacy, will allow”
The administrators are trying to create a “peaceful” white supremacist haven while restricting the rights of POC.
ETA: Mosely’s story gets straight to the point with this statement…
Mosley wrote that he is unaware who complained about his use of the word. “There I was, a black man in America who shares with millions of others the history of racism. And more often than not, treated as subhuman,” he continued. “If addressed at all that history had to be rendered in words my employers regarded as acceptable .”
“There I was being chastised for criticizing the word that oppressed me and mine for centuries. As far as I know the word is in the dictionary,” said Mosley. “As far as I know the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence assure me of both the freedom of speech and the pursuit of happiness.”
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And also “field day for sneaky bullies”. Zero tolerance policies always end up further victimising a victim.
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I’ve never used “X-word” bowdlerizations. When my girlfriend’s kid says “fuck”, I tell him not to say “fuck”. Saying “don’t use the f-word” just sends the message that he’s being transgressive and gaining power by saying a word that others are afraid to. It encourages him.
25 years ago, the term “n-word” was not in common use, and it would not have been considered controversial to tell someone “never ever call a black person a n####r”. At some point between then and now, it got promoted from a slur to an expletive, something that must never ever be spoken, the worst possible two syllables to say.
Not coincidentally, I hear the word now far more than I ever did 25 years ago. An angry kid who wants to shout the most offensive thing they can think of will sometimes shout “N####R!”, whether or not they’d ever dream of using the word as a racial slur. That’s a usage that didn’t exist previously.
I’m white, it’s not my call to make, I’ve started playing along, no matter how dumb saying “n-word” or any other “X-word” makes me feel, no matter how sure I am that doing so around the kid is increasing rather than decreasing the likelihood that he’ll use the actual word in an offensive context. But… it’s just so stupid and self-defeating. It’s sad.
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Um… what? It was… that was like the height of gangsta rap and of white boys thinking that it gave them permission to use that word.
Again… no, not really.
No. It’s still a slur, we’re just having better conversations about such things now and actually making an effort to not be dicks.
Yes. It did. See above. And white kids yelling it out because it was “edgy” to do so.
Then… maybe just respect the views of the people who this word actually hurts instead of calling their desires “stupid and self-defeating”.
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You’re absolutely right;
It’s NOT.
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Wondering if they have eliminated the works of Walker, Lee, Haley, Malcom X, Baldwin, Twain, etc. from the school libraries and literature programs.
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That’s interesting. Did you know that I once got a box of Cracker Jack with no prize in it?
I was just reminded of how I felt back then.
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I can absolutely attached to this fact as a fat kid in high school who was repeatedly bullied and got into more fights than I could count just trying to defend myself from multiple people ganging up on me I was often thrown in suspension for being the victim
Zero Tolerance policies are complete and utter bullshit should not exist and the people who employ them are feeble-minded idiots who can’t fucking think for themselves. When I think of the adults who were paid to treat me like shit in high school it’s no wonder I ended up leaving the country as quickly as I could
I just wish I had stayed abroad
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I get what you’re trying to do here to 'splain and deconstruct this. But it’s not working. Generally, the past has little bearing on the present in terms of language usage. If people become sensitive to a term, then it should just be avoided unless you intend to cause harm. Does it matter if it’s a slur or an expletive? Is there any functional difference? No, there isn’t a real difference.
The other piece is the education of children. What is the difference between saying, “Don’t say X.” Vs. “Don’t say that.”? Again, no big obvious difference. If anything, it’s showing the adult’s ability to use good judgement where needed. Why repeat the bad word to a child? No need.
I think the socially smart thing to do is just not engage these words. There are better words. Better attitudes. Better thoughts and more interesting ways to relate to one another. Yes, people can get frustrated with one another. That’s real. But we can be frustrated AND raise our consciousness about the words we use and the effects they have.
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…And yet somehow this school is expected to teach language arts to students?
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White supremacists gonna white supremacist.
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