September 13, 2006
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It pains me deeply when Dmitry overhears - deliberately, i.e. said within his hearing - him being jeered at due to being Russian.
He's usually torn, OTOH expressing a desire to kill them, but also bewildered as to why they would say such things where they must know he can hear them ("Hello? I'm sitting right here and I'm not deaf....").
Best I can do is point out it's a regrettable combination of rudeness and ignorance, and were one of the kids here to find himself in a Russian school, it's likely he'd overhear some rather uncomplimentary remarks about America and Americans. People are all too often too insular (oy vey!) and uncaring about hurting others, sad to say.
Comments (8)
This just infuriates me! I worked in the school system for 16 years, and kids can without a doubt be the meanest, most hurtful people in the world. Tell Dmitry that I am sorry, and that I can not help but wonder what the heritage of the offensive brats happens to be. Unless they are Native American Indian, I wonder if they realize that they too are from somewhere else in ancestry?????????????? I would be willing to help him research this, but that would not be nice of me, would it??? Hang in there Dmitry! Sue
That's just so stupid. And I second infuriating.
The sad thing is it's not limited to immigrants -- um, not that it would make it better if it were, really -- but really it's just a handle for a kid who wants to be cruel, to be cruel. I remember being called a "Nazi" in the 1980's in a majority German-American region of the country because....I was taking Honors German as my language. Someone was just looking around for an opportunity to be cruel, and picked up the handiest stick.
So I don't know if it would make Dmitry feel better, but it really has basically nothing to do with his being Russian. It has to do with the other kid being a jerk.
That's what we pretty much boil it down to, Jane.
And you're right, Sue...kids, especially teens, can be very hurtful.
High School is the place where humanity's fallen state shows most glaringly. People suck.
Makes you just want to wring their snotty little necks. My son Robert (who is Dmitry's age) thinks that it's cool that you have a Russian child. And I agree with Jane, the other kid is being a jerk.
sorry to hear he's got a jerk to deal with!
. You could turn it into an evangelistic lesson though, on the positive side.
~K.
Fortunately most of the kids, from what I understand, tend to lean more to the "oooh, you're from Russia, how cool!" side, but he's had trouble with a few anti-Russian dimwits since he's been there.
And believe me, I do try to use it as a hook for the gospel. ;^)
This is a good time to teach him some Russian history. There is much of which to be proud in Russia-- at least as much as the Scots have to be proud of, which isn't a whole lot when you really sit down and delve into it.
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