Sticks and Stones...

I found this news story to be interesting: a teacher in Nashville was suspended for comparing the misuse of the word "gay" with the word "nigger."

He heard a female African American middle school student misuse it and asked her how she would feel if he used "the N word." She told her parents, and he ended up getting three days with no pay.

Is misusing the word "gay" the same as calling someone a "nigger"? I'm inclined to say that the two are comparable, but that "nigger" has a bit more historical venom to it. I think "faggot" and "nigger" are on equal ground because "faggot" is a blatant, intentional slur and insult. When kids say "gay" to mean "stupid," it's likely to be a habit they picked up. I think a lot of them don't know better or bother to question the implications of what they're saying.

And the teacher was trying to get them to know better. He was trying to get through to the student by striking a chord in her. I think he was right to use that moment to teach something. His comparison might have been a bit exaggerated, but I certainly don't think he should have been suspended.

I wonder if he would have been suspended if that student wasn't African American. The student's mother didn't think the teacher was trying to insult her daughter, but she thought that middle school students are too young to discuss this. Kids generally aren't fully able to discuss the power of language until they are about 16; however, they know full well that words hurt. And I think it's best to get them in the habit of knowing which words are hurtful and which aren't.