<< Back 10/2/02 Tiptoeing through the tulips of racism By Marshall Frank Look out, folks. Better watch your tongue around persons of ethnic difference, or you might find yourself reprimanded, embarrassed, and in jeopardy of losing your job. Even though you are infinitely accurate in what you say. Being right is no excuse. Take the case of Mrs. Stephanie Bell, a Williams Elementary School teacher in Wilmington, N.C., who dared to impart the meaning of a perfectly legitimate word to her class: “Niggardly.” Look it up in any dictionary, it means stingy, miserly, and has been in use for over two centuries. Enter Mrs. Akwana Walker, a thin-skinned African-American mother of one student, who protested, saying it was offensive because it sounded similar to a racial slur. (Shhh ... we won’t even mention the “N” word). Now, here’s where school officials had an opportunity to stand up and support a loyal career teacher who was doing nothing less than the job she was paid for. Here’s where school officials could have illustrated the ignorance of the whiny mother and politely let her know she was dead wrong in her accusation. But, as is the custom of 21st century America, sensibility wimped out in favor of political correctness. In a classic act of betrayal, the school’s principal, Susan Hahn, and the New Hanover Board of Education capitulated to Mrs. Walker and issued a formal letter to the teacher saying she used poor judgement, admonishing her for lack of sensitivity and not being aware of the school’s cultural differences. In addition, Mrs. Bell was basically forced to send an apology to the student’s parents. Apology? For what? That’s like telling a fireman to apologize for putting out a fire. It’s his job. In the aftermath, following a blitz of national attention, more than 1,200 people voted in an on-line poll overwhelmingly in support of Mrs. Bell. My guess is that many of those were African-American. Meanwhile, Mrs. Walker and her circle of friends and family have undoubtedly heard some of the words to modern rap music and black-oriented motion pictures in which the horrid “N” word is used rather liberally, without scorn, among themselves. No apologies needed there. It’s OK so long as it’s among sisters and brothers. But, if white people so much as utters any sound that is a homonym for the “N” word, they better watch out. Is this supposed to mend racial relations? Sensitivity works two ways. I have no problem with decrying pure racism, for it certainly ran rabid in our country in days of yore. But there are blacks, some quite prominent, who are so over-sensitive they will seize any opportunity, no matter how absurd to pump fists and generate scorn, causing everyone to jump through hoops pleading that they not be tagged with the dreaded “racist” label. And to even suggest that there is such an animal as reverse racism is a racist statement in itself. Believe me, I know. Police officers all over the U.S. often get involved in shootings, mostly in self defense, some in the defense of others. Rarely will scrutiny be attached when the racial equation is black on black, or white on white. But, when a white cop takes down a black man, and there is even a suggestion that it requires further investigation, cities enter a phase called “urban paranoia,” in fear that the African-American community might burn the city. Believe me again, I know. Been there. So, now we’ve come to this. Teachers have it hard enough keeping up with a frazzled schedule, maintaining order in class, imparting knowledge to students, grading papers, adhering to administrative procedure, all for a pittance of pay, while they find themselves gagged from teaching if one sound offends one ignoramus. In the case of Mrs. Bell at Williams Elementary, it’s the school principal and the county school board that owes her an apology. Perhaps it’s time for the manufacturers of Spic & Span to reconsider their logo, before the nation’s Latino community comes after them with a vengeance. And, we better think of another term for a crack or fissure called a “chink,” lest we find ourselves apologizing to some of our Asian-American citizens. The shittah tree is mentioned in the Bible, a disgusting sound indeed. King James should have been ashamed. As for me, this niggardly writer doesn’t want to be called a “honky” by anyone, unless, of course, you happen to be white. Otherwise, please refer to it as the “H” word. (Marshall Frank is a novelist and a retired Metro Dade police officer who lives in Maggie Valley. He can be reached at mlf283@aol.com)