Sana
Racism is a pervasive problem in our society and it is something that affects all of us.
Whether we realize it or not, our words and actions have consequences, and they can perpetuate the cycle of racism if we are not careful. A recent incident involving a Chinese delivery driver and a family’s racist comment serves as a reminder that we must all do our part to confront racism and educate ourselves and our children on the impact of our words and actions.
A few weeks ago, a family ordered Chinese food for delivery. When the delivery driver arrived at their door, OP’s daughter was taking their cat upstairs to avoid him eating the food. However, the OP’s son loudly said, “Make sure they hide the cat from the Chinese guy!” The delivery driver was understandably upset, but instead of letting the matter go, OP decided to use this as a teachable moment for her son. She forced him to apologize to the delivery driver and write a one-page paper on Chinese culture and another on why racist jokes and stereotypes perpetuate racism. Scroll down for the whole story.
A mother posted this in the subreddit r/AmItheAsshole to know if she is TAH for punishing her son:
OP’s family ordered Chinese food for delivery and her daughter had to take their cat upstairs to avoid him eating the food when the delivery driver arrived.
OP’s son made a racially insensitive comment to the Chinese delivery driver and she had to apologize and take the food quickly.
OP told her son that racist jokes are completely unacceptable and she forced him to write a sincere apology, a one-page paper on Chinese culture, and another on why racist jokes and stereotypes perpetuate racism.
OP took her son to the restaurant to read his apology aloud and give the papers he wrote to the delivery driver, who was appreciative and shared instances where he had faced racism as a delivery driver.
OP and her husband got into an argument about making their son apologize to the Chinese delivery driver. Her husband thinks that it was embarrassing for their son while OP argued that the driver’s experience was more important and her son would get over the embarrassment.
OP does not tolerate any form of hateful thinking in her house, and while her husband thought it was just a joke, she believes it’s important to help her son understand how his comment was wrong and hurtful:
As parents, we must be willing to have difficult conversations with our children about racism and the impact of their words and actions. We must teach them empathy and understanding and hold them accountable for their behavior. This incident serves as a reminder that racism is a learned behavior, and if we want to raise anti-racist children, we must actively work to confront instances of racism and educate ourselves and our children on the impact of our words and actions.
OP’s husband should use the lesson too:
OP’s son should not be embarrassed about the apology, he should be embarrassed about the racist joke he made.
OP’s husband’s attitude is a reason why systematic racism continues to grow:
The punishment fits the crime:
OP did the right thing by holding her son accountable for the racist joke:
We must all do our part to confront racism and educate ourselves and our children. We must be willing to have difficult conversations and hold ourselves and our children accountable for our behavior. We cannot ignore or sweep this issue under the rug. It is our responsibility to take action and create a better, more inclusive world for everyone. What do you think about this incident? How can we do better in confronting racism in our society? Leave your thoughts and comments below.
The cat tax:
Source: Reddit
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