Are My Kids Racist?

Today's tidbit is woefully abridged. I am still swimming in the soju-induced haze from last night's blackout. (I'm not an alcoholic, I swear.) My question is, did I really listen to 26 minutes of All the Pretty Horses on audiobook? And why were all my clothes in a pile in front of the refrigerator, soaking wet? It wasn't urine, I checked.

Anyway, Mr. Phillips, move to the question at hand. Are your kids racist? Honestly, I don't know. You have to be the judge.

It all started with Brain Quest:


The wonderful quiz game. The invaluable classroom aide. The question was "In the 1800's, what kind of people worked without pay on plantations?" My student Jackie was the first to raise her hand. She got really quiet and almost whispered her answer: "black chocolate".

Now, what do I do? Do I stop laughing and tell her not to call black people "chocolate"? Do I allow the answer, saying I also would have accepted "slaves"? Do I ponder what latent line of racism is simmering in the Korean psyche that allows such thoughts to unwittingly seep into a Korean child's subconcious?

Nope. I merely ask her why she would identify black people with a delicious, dark candy. Her answer? "Because they're sweet. " Aw...she's not racist, she's just nice.

I wonder what she'd say if we took a field trip to the streets of Chicago and fielded the many hobos' requests for change. I wonder what kind of black man would scare such niceties out of Jackie. Unfortunately, until they allow English teachers to accompany their rich students on summer trips overseas, we can only speculate.