Jesus said: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. John 8:7
On Thursday, February 10th, 2022, a Farmington MI. substitute teacher told an African American male student,
“Get your cotton picking hands off that.”
At which time the student told her,
“Wait what? You can’t say that to me! That’s bad!” After which she told him it was an ‘old saying.’
What followed this was a full scale walk out of students in the school, telling reporters they wanted justice and also protested ‘chanting’ Black Lives Matter. And the North Farmington high school students followed suit.
According to the Kansas City Star, “I was touching the teacher’s mic. I probably shouldn’t have been doing it,” Keichean Wilson, a 16-year-old high school student, told Fox 2. “She says to me, ‘Get your cotton picking hands off of that.’” ‘According to the news outlet, a letter was sent to parents saying the substitute teacher would not return to any school in the Farmington School District.’
The superintendent also stated that people who they are hiring are background checked but they can’t see into their hearts. So this remark was automatically deemed ‘racist’? No trial by jury, no mention of what the teacher had to say for herself, no apology option, no nada nothing! Her career is now ruined. Is that fair?
To me, this is so sad! I’m sure from watching the video it was an innocent remark. If she meant it to be vindictive, there was a whole lot of worse things she could’ve said alongside a few choice words!
Old sayings like, watch your back, don’t burn your bridges behind you or loose lips sink ships or I may have been born yesterday but not last night and karma’s a bitch, have been around a very long time or the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, and just when you thought it was safe to go outside..are these sayings going to be turned into racial epitaphs too regardless of one’s color?
You can watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/rESK2UaLdco
I’m going to say it again, I feel it was said innocently. I feel the students jumped to a conclusion too quickly. And then there is this …..where are black children learning it’s ok if they address their peers as ‘hey my n….’, but if someone outside their race calls them the n…word it’s ok for all hell to break loose? People in the news have said it and they apologized and were still scrutinized, and their careers have been ruined. Does this make it right?
Brian Davis a play-by-play sports broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball, made the comment about a black player, ‘if he was out of his cotton picking mind’ after a play. He has been suspended by the team and his contract will not be renewed. Another career ruined.
Most recently, other types of racism are going on but still with the same notion. Whoopi Goldberg and Sharon Osborne have been removed from the View because of comments made respectively on the holocaust and taking Pearce Morgans side when he insulted Megan Markle. And their names are now smeared.
According to ‘phrases.org/UK’, Cotton-picking' is an intensifier, used as a general term of disapproval. A substitute for the word 'damne’.
The same website also states, The expression began life in the late 1700s and differs from the 19th century Dixie term, 'cottonpicker’, in that the latter was derogatory and racist, whereas 'cotton-picking' referred directly to the difficulty and harshness of gathering the crop. This didn’t extend to the specific expression 'keep your cotton-picking hands off of me’.
It was to make known the Difficulty and Harshness of gathering the crop!
The article indeed goes on to say that it is now racially unacceptable. Sad, it was a phrase that depicted the ‘job description’ and now it’s just as bad as saying f..k.
I think I speak for a lot of caucasian people when I say that we don’t hate black people. In fact, if you go back to the days of the Civil War, Harriet Tubman had at least 4 white men who helped her cause to help the black men from being sold into slavery. This was the start of creating the co-existence of our should be relationship with each other. Way back then till now there are still white people who help black people in one way or another... Our previous president Obama is black.. White people had his backing! I will say yes, there are idiots out there who can’t shut their flipping mouths and keep their opinions to themselves and are taught at home to be racists and to be better than black people. And this adds to the reason for racism like throwing salt on an open wound!
Many years ago, my daughters went to catholic school. One day my 8-year-old came home crying. She relayed to me that her teacher who is black, saw her playing with a black girl's hair and the teacher told the black girl and I quote:
“Don’t let that white girl play with your hair!”
Needless to say, I was livid! I wasn’t teaching them to be racist at home! I immediately called the school to make an appointment with this teacher. I relayed this incident to her and then let her have it that instead of letting little girls be little girls, she turned that into a very ugly moment. I didn’t go to the principal, I didn’t even call the school board, she apologized, and it was done.
Last week I took my 4-year-old granddaughter shopping. I told her she could get anything she wanted. Do you know what she picked out? Yup here it comes! A black baby doll. Now I know you’ll say well she’s too young to know the difference etc. I disagree! My son and his wife are Not teaching them racism at home. It brought a tear to my soul knowing this started with me!
I know I may get a bunch of flack for writing this but #1 this is one family that will continue to pass this legacy on for years to come. #2 This is my way to say to the world, cut the shit out!
We are all human. My view may not be yours and your view may not be mine. That’s what makes us human. We aren’t cloned. That’s why we are all different. What happened to a good old apology? Why can’t we agree to disagree and get along in all phases of life? What is it going to take?
Thanks for reading. How do you feel about this? Let me know in the comments.
Credits: You tube Global news.ca, USA Today, The Kansas City Star