Childminder guilty of racial assault on two year old child
 

Childminder escapes jail for racial assault on two-year-old

Dunno how I feel about this. Is it not the case, after all, that ignorance is not a defence before the law? Either the woman should be judged mentally incompetent and processed accordingly, or she is responsible for her actions.

It may well the the case the woman was not very intelligent and didnt appreciate the full extent of what she did... but I also think that there is a degree to which you must punish the crime rather than the person. A suspended sentence really does not send a good message in regard to this crime.

Certainly it is appropriate that this person not be allowe dto be in any way involved with the care of children in the future.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...ticle_continue

It doesn't look like a crime was committed. Maybe child abuse, but that might be stretching it a bit. This woman certainly shouldn't be watching children, but judging her in a court of law is a little much. Would this be a big deal if a black woman wrote the word "cracker" on a white kid's head? Something tells me "no."

It doesn't seem like something that requires jail time to me, but I think that revoking her liscense to be a childcare provider is certainly warranted. Writing on the kids' foreheads with a crayon was a little strange to begin with, and this was just way over the top, but a crime, or abuse? I think it falls a bit short of that.

Gilda

It's definitely abuse. Writing a derogatory slur on a child's forehead is most certainly abusive behavior.

Any derogatory slur written on a child is abusive whether it's cracker, spic, faggot, chink, wop, kraut, gook, wetback, n*gger, wombi, paki, mick, jap, nip, kike, heeb, rag, sand-n*gger, frog, porch monkey....

That's racism, whether you'd like to face up to it or not. I think she deserves worse punishment than she got.

that story is pretty strange, and disturbing. I think she needs help more than anything else

From one view point: she wrote the label thousands of blacks use on a daily basis, to refer to each other, on the girl's head.

She did in writing, what thousands do verbally each day. Had it been done with intelligence and purpose in mind (with an adult, and willing "canvass"), it could have been a powerful artistic statement. One that someone could use to make a point about blacks-calling-blacks "nigger."

(I don't believe I'm required to put * in place of letters. Either you can discuss the word without only pretending to type it, or you can't. I choose "can."

BTW: I note jorgelito used a * only when replacing letters in the word "nigger," but in none of the other slurs. Not to single him out, but to make my point plainly, that's really stupid, isn't it? As if "nigger" is more offensive than "spic," "chink," "wop," or any of the other slurs listed. I think, if one is on the recieving end, any of those would be pretty offenesive. )

I didn't have to watch "Coach Carter" to realize that slurs are slurs, no matter who is voicing it. Though, in a populist format, the movie did make it plain that "nigger" though applied by blacks to blacks, does not make its use okay.

Back to the post's point though:

Did the woman commit an abusive act? I wouldn't go so far as to call it "abuse," but its certainly far from anything correct. She's said to be a pretty dense lady. Maybe she didn't get the memo passed to most neo-racially sensitive white people that using "nigger" is the: Big Sin, the One Word You Can't Use Beause You're White.

(Don't worry folks, there's still a long list of slurs you can type, and sometimes even say! It's "nigger" you have to put *'s in, because somehow it's soooo evil, it can't even be seen in it's entirety. Also, you're showing just how deeply you empathise with the black american experiance with that *.)

It's certainly not a good word, and it goes pretty high on my personal list of words not to use. But, like I said, you can discuss it, and handle it in print, or you can't.

The lady wrote it on a kid's head. Apparently, that poor kid has heard that, and worse, applied to herself.

It's very sad, and it's very common. I hope that the little girl, and those around her, learn from this. It is just a word, but it's one that embodies all of America's guilt, shame, hate, rage, when it comes to our past sins of slavery. Sins we've never really acknowledged, or as a nation, apologized for. I hope the woman who wrote it somehow is educated to understand why "nigger" embodies all that; and, why it goes in the: "oh my god was that a stupid, insensative, just plain wrong, thing to do" catagory.

The fact she would write anything on a child's head is wrong. The fact that she used a racial slur is unforgiving. Her plea of ignorance in the whole matter is a falllacy.

Since when does being a racist = jail time?

If she had written 'flower' instead would it be jail time? The same 'harm' was done.

The woman obviously shouldn't be taking care of children, but lets not bring the thought police into it.

Also the kid is 2 years old, there won't be any psychological harm done.

child abuse is a crime in the UK.

I would also disagree with the person who posted that racial abuse would not be pyschologically damaging to a child that is only two.

In terms of racism not being a crime - the crime in question isnt that the woman uses offensive racial slurs - it is that she is racially abusing a 2 year old child left in her care.

Writing a racial slur on the girl's forehead was assault, aggravated by the age of the victim. Child abuse, indeed.

i agree it's wrong, but jail time? no. i'm with gilda, she shouldn't be licensed to care for kids (though she wasn't anyway).

Wow... that's pretty messed up and rediculous. Why would an adult write on someone's head in crayon anyhow? I just don't get it.

I think perhaps rather then argueing about her punishment, and the use of the word nigger in todays society, genuinegirly hit the real point.

And I can't imagine why either, it is something that is incomprehensible to me.

To continue the current direction of the thread, I really don't think jail time is going to do anything toward making this woman understand why that act was wrong. The mere fact that she did it means she is seriously missing something from her list of right and wrong. My guess is if she was to go to jail, she would come out thinking her actions still not wrong, but more that actions that result in her getting caught is the issue to avoid.

Just my two cents. I believe anyone can be redeemed, but it has to come from inside, you cant force it down their throats along with prison food.