The problem of White Supremacy - Spinoff from Buffalo Shooting thread

[Hoodoo]

At this point, I'm just waiting for the demographics in this country to change and its my sincere hope that white folks keep that same energy when they are the minorities. My common sense knows otherwise though.

Plenty of folks of all demographics feel racially slighted at times. That doesn't mean they're always right. I think in this case it's more than likely a misunderstanding and unless they can show some some of real pattern or intent then I doubt they have much of a case. It wouldn't surprise me though if Sesame Street settled out of court anyway, which I think would be a real shame.

 

[sfidc3]

Logically, if that happened to my child, my first assumption isn't that my child was purposefully snubbed. It's that these characters can hardly see in the costume and they are moving through the crowd along a parade route rather quickly. It looked to me like the character waved at them. I think it's highly plausible the character didn't intentionally snub them.

Is there evidence of a pattern of that type of behavior?

It has been alleged there has been, it will be up to the prosecution to prove it….

 

[Hoodoo]

It has been alleged there has been, it will be up to the prosecution to prove it….

The skeptic in me doubts it even goes to court.

 

[Hoodoo]

Sesame Place's statement

Sesame Place park sorry after Rosita character appeared to dismiss two Black girls

A mom posted a video of her daughters being neglected by a Sesame Street character, prompting a theme park to clear up it wasn't racially motivated.

www.usatoday.com

Sesame Place said the incident was a misunderstanding and that staff had been in contact with the family to offer an exclusive meet-and-greet with all the characters at the theme park.

"Our brand, our park and our employees stand for inclusivity and equality in all forms," the statement from Sesame Place read on Instagram. "We do not tolerate any behavior in our parks that is contrary to that commitment.

"Regarding the incident yesterday. ...the performer portraying the Rosita character has confirmed that the 'no' hand gesture seen several times in the video was not directed to any specific person, rather it was a response to multiple requests from someone in the crowd who asked Rosita to hold their child for a photo, which is not permitted. The Rosita performer did not intentionally ignore the girls and is devastated about the misunderstanding."

 

[Optimus Prime]

Sesame Place's statement

Sesame Place park sorry after Rosita character appeared to dismiss two Black girls

A mom posted a video of her daughters being neglected by a Sesame Street character, prompting a theme park to clear up it wasn't racially motivated.

www.usatoday.com

This was the initial statement before more videos surfaced then it was “we’re going to have them undergo sensitivity training”

 

[Hoodoo]

This was the initial statement before more videos surfaced then it was “we’re going to have them undergo sensitivity training”

I was only aware of one other video that seemed like a similar situation from a completely different character. You're saying there's more?

Again, you're expecting people in costumes that provide very limited vision and are quickly walking along a parade route to make certain they don't accidentally exclude any minorities. That's completely unrealistic.

If I were a theme park manager, my solution would be no longer allowing crowd iteraction at all during parades or mass groupings beyond waving at them. That's a shame, but how else would you prevent claims of racism the next time a minority gets missed?

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

The skeptic in me doubts it even goes to court.

Out of curiosity- since you seem ready to assume ‘not racism- what about our current racial environment makes you comfortable with that assumption

btw - I was also a bit skeptical (maybe ambiguous is a better term) after seeing the first Sesame Place video - the subsequent videos shifted the burden of proof into the park for me

 

[Hoodoo]

Out of curiosity- since you seem ready to assume ‘not racism- what about our current racial environment makes you comfortable with that assumption

btw - I was also a bit skeptical (maybe ambiguous is a better term) after seeing the first Sesame Place video - the subsequent videos shifted the burden of proof into the park for me

Nothing about the racial environment and everything about the actual environment.

In a theme park such as this where millions of children go through every year, how often do you think this sort of thing happens? Not just with black children, but any children. I would imagine with thousands of people in the park every day, it's a daily occurrence where a character doesn't see a child and that child feels left out. If that child happens to be black, that doesn't mean it's racism. More than likely its the law of probability. Possibly not in every single case, but likely way more often than not.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Nothing about the racial environment and everything about the actual environment.

In a theme park such as this where millions of children go through every year, how often do you think this sort of thing happens? Not just with black children, but any children. I would imagine with thousands of people in the park every day, it's a daily occurrence where a character doesn't see a child and that child feels left out. If that child happens to be black, that doesn't mean it's racism. More than likely its the law of probability. Possibly not in every single case, but likely way more often than not.

Nothing about the racial environment and everything about the actual environment.

In a theme park such as this where millions of children go through every year, how often do you think this sort of thing happens? Not just with black children, but any children. I would imagine with thousands of people in the park every day, it's a daily occurrence where a character doesn't see a child and that child feels left out. If that child happens to be black, that doesn't mean it's racism. More than likely its the law of probability. Possibly not in every single case, but likely way more often than not.

Did you watch all the Sesame Place videos?

Here’s the CCheese one again
Watch the character walk straight forward- the only thing in their direct line of vision is the little girl and whomever is holding the camera (we can probably assume also black)
The host would be to the right of the character’s field of vision
Unless the character had their eyes closed, there is no way they don’t see a little girl alone of the floor
Then yes the character goes to the kids on the stage and no longer has eyes on the girl on the floor
But then the character turns and lowers their head TWICE in the direction of someone they had already seen on the floor

I would give you that on the street with tons of kids and other things going on, sure, a kid will get missed
Here?
Nope

 

[Hoodoo]

Did you watch all the Sesame Place videos?

Here’s the CCheese one again
Watch the character walk straight forward- the only thing in their direct line of vision is the little girl and whomever is holding the camera (we can probably assume also black)
The host would be to the right of the character’s field of vision
Unless the character had their eyes closed, there is no way they don’t see a little girl alone of the floor
Then yes the character goes to the kids on the stage and no longer has eyes on the girl on the floor
But then the character turns and lowers their head TWICE in the direction of someone they had already seen on the floor

I would give you that on the street with tons of kids and other things going on, sure, a kid will get missed
Here?
Nope

Did you read my last sentence?

I watched the Chuck E. Cheese video, but I haven't commented on it because I was specifically referring to the claims that there is a pattern of racism with Sesame Place parks. I also haven't read any of the situation in the Chuck E Cheese incident.

As I said, it's possible in some cases there are instances of racial bias and in that video I didnt see any way to form an opinion for or against without further context. In the video, it's plausible he saw her and chose to ignore her because, as you said, there appeared to be a lot less going on. However, one had nothing to do with the other.

In the case of the two parade videos, I think it's much more likely a misunderstanding. I think the explanation the park gave in the first one seemed valid and I also think their response to the woman when they learned of the situation should have been sufficient. Not to mention, Sesame Street has built its reputation on inclusivity. I think it's much less likely someone with racial bias would seek employment there, seek a position where they were required to interact with children of all shapes, sizes and colors and that Sesame Place would allow such practices and/or hire people with those tendencies.

 

[First Time Poster]

You're saying there's more?

"Wait, there's more proof?!" LOL.

This is why I said what I said. Good white folks, like yourself, and I mean that genuinely, not sarcastically, are the problem. You know systemic racism exists. But, instead of your default being to believe us, it's always, "eh, I don't see it, I don't experience, I'll need to see more." And, even if you get more, it's "well, I would handle it like this" or "I wouldn't do that."

Until yall become real allies in this fight, the status quo will remain just that. I mean you had the nerve to say this:

Logically, if that happened to my child, my first assumption isn't that my child was purposefully snubbed.

I, mean, that's a bit Mufasa talking to Simba, aloft Pride Rock isn't it? "All you see is yours, except that one spot. Elephant graveyard. You can't go there." You really think Daddy zebra is having the same conversation with Zebra Jr. "If that happened to my child..." That's the whole point! It's not happening to yall/your kids! Of course your assumption is that it isn't purposeful. If it does happen, it probably wasn't. Unfortunately, minority parents don't get to make that assumption. Sooner or later, yall are gonna have to accept our experiences are different. We know when it's benign and when it isn't because it regularly happens to us. WE, one more time, WE know the difference. You gonna believe us or nah?

Plenty of folks of all demographics feel racially slighted at times. That doesn't mean they're always right.

I'll take "Nah" for $1000 Alex! "It happens to all of us!" "We all go through it!" Like I said, if we all live long enough to see that societal shoe on the other foot, keep that same energy. Remember, we need more proof and if that's provided, we all go through it.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

"Wait, there's more proof?!" LOL.

This is why I said what I said. Good white folks, like yourself, and I mean that genuinely, not sarcastically, are the problem. You know systemic racism exists. But, instead of your default being to believe us, it's always, "eh, I don't see it, I don't experience, I'll need to see more." And, even if you get more, it's "well, I would handle it like this" or "I wouldn't do that."

Until yall become real allies in this fight, the status quo will remain just that. I mean you had the nerve to say this:


I, mean, that's a bit Mufasa talking to Simba, aloft Pride Rock isn't it? "All you see is yours, except that one spot. Elephant graveyard. You can't go there." You really think Daddy zebra is having the same conversation with Zebra Jr. "If that happened to my child..." That's the whole point! It's not happening to yall/your kids! Of course your assumption is that it isn't purposeful. If it does happen, it probably wasn't. Unfortunately, minority parents don't get to make that assumption. Sooner or later, yall are gonna have to accept our experiences are different. We know when it's benign and when it isn't because it regularly happens to us. WE, one more time, WE know the difference. You gonna believe us or nah?

I'll take "Nah" for $1000 Alex! "It happens to all of us!" "We all go through it!" Like I said, if we all live long enough to see that societal shoe on the other foot, keep that same energy. Remember, we need more proof and if that's provided, we all go through it.

Every now and then you see videos of guys hooked up to machines that help them feel what period pain is like (sometimes even birth pain)
But I’ve never understood why the machines are necessary- if half the population is telling you this ****’* miserable, it’s probably miserable

MLK’s quote about the White Moderate fits in here somewhere

 

[brandon8283]

"If that happened to my child..." That's the whole point! It's not happening to yall/your kids! Of course your assumption is that it isn't purposeful. If it does happen, it probably wasn't. Unfortunately, minority parents don't get to make that assumption.

This was exactly my thought.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Awful story, it's amazing how many minority children ask for "regular" food or to just buy lunch at school (and ironically decades later the same food they were shunned for at school is now trendy on the authentic cuisine foodie circuit)

and to @First Time Poster point - this is something his own child experienced and the child's white father still needs proof to believe that this happened
=====================================================================

........The original poster (OP) revealed her daughter is 6 and is in second grade, and she was doing remote learning until a few months ago, so she hasn't "physically" been in school for very long.

Her daughter recently told her mother that she didn't want packed lunches anymore and that she wanted to eat what the other kids ate. The Redditor added she had not been wanting to eat her favorite food and was "asking for pizza more."

"I asked her why she didn't [want] to eat her favorite foods anymore, and she told me she wanted to be able to sit with the other students," the woman explained. "I was shocked because I didn't know she wasn't sitting with the other students, and she told me it was because her teacher made her sit in the other room by herself during lunch times because she brought 'smelly foods.'"

The OP revealed that growing up she was also "targeted by teachers" who didn't let her bring shrimp or things with garlic or onion as they "hated the smell." She admitted she tries not to pack her daughter anything that could "cause them to target" her, "like spam, sushi, or egg fried rice."

"I was really upset because she is half Chinese, but she clearly looks Asian, and I felt it was my childhood trauma happening [to] her," the OP said.

The woman called her daughter's homeroom teacher for a meeting, but the teacher said she didn't make her sit in another room to eat. However, the OP's daughter told her to ask her best friend, who "confirmed" the story. Another teacher also admitted she had seen the girl eating "alone."

The homeroom teacher then "switched stories" that the girl had sat alone but it was due to the girl bringing in a persimmon to school, and the teacher said it was "distracting" the other children as they thought she was "eating a tomato, and she didn't want her distracting the other students by having 'foreign' food."

The OP continued: "She refused to believe it was inappropriate and said she didn't see anything wrong with sending her to eat by herself. I had to go to the principal and take my daughter to another homeroom to finish up the school year because that teacher said it only happened once despite my daughter swearing up and down it happened every few days for weeks before she told me."

Her daughter also mentioned a time she brought tomato egg stir fry, and a boy was "bullying" her because "it looked like blood," and their teacher sent her to eat in the other room instead of telling the boy to stop.

The OP's husband doesn't believe his daughter, and he said the teachers would have said something, but the woman doesn't think he "understands because he is white.".............

'Racist' Teacher Bashed for Forcing Kid to Sit Alone With 'Foreign' Food

"I'd push this," a Redditor said. "Moving your child isn't enough. The teacher should at minimum face investigation and ideally be dismissed."

www.newsweek.com