I have noticed that it feels like 2 dimensions of racism locals might see. When we, as locals, are racist, it is not bad because it is not meant in a bad way (ehm, how does one really know that exactly?) and that bad kind of racism that exists abroad that manifests itself like we see it in movies. Which is the bad one. We aren't because everyone understand we like the "mohrkopfs, neggers, you name it, yugos" and the visual symbols the rest of the world cringes at. I think it is exactly this that allows for certain level of tolerance that medias have here towards racism, political campaigns, etc.
One thing is sweet little ladies referring to people like at the times of their youth, and then another thing is having kids chase another yelling this lovely stuff. Because they know, it does not matter at all.
And, the obligatory disclaimer, we hang out with some lovely locals that cringe at the same stuff. They might hate it even more since they as part of the domestic culture feel a tad responsible things are this way.
OK, it might be difficult to get a newspaper to run a story that brands a family as racist without some kind of proof or back up and would be rightfully difficult but, still.
What was the context of the worksheet? I find it weird in this day and age that they are writing stuff in Swiss German in Kindergarten rather than High German. It doesn't justify the word by any means but I just find it highly unusual that Swiss German, which is rarely "written" anywhere, finds its way into an educational document.
Was the rest of the document written in dialect or just the word Näggr?
Kudos for hubby going over and having a word and not getting involved in any Swiss passive-aggressive note-passing. :-)
I guess you haven't heard of Blick yet?
Yeah, there was even a guy called Arnie Schwarzen*gger who became governor of California. A good thing Americans don't understand German.
Some of my best friends are racist, um intolerant, um whatever.....
your forum legend... so like... multiquote dawg!!!!
I wouldn't dream of saying it to someone i didn't know well, or even less chasing someone down the street yelling it.
OP's husband did the right thing, stop the rot at source, which is clearly the parents - a bit of re-education goes a long way.
In any case there is a big difference between a neger or black person and a nigger in my opinion......
So far as the OP goes, of course nägger meant something bad when used in a mean way, children causing distress to another.
In the question about the paper though, I think that it is meant merely as a term for a black person, more similar to "negro" than to "nigger" in intent. The "ä" is pronounced like the ea sound in "bear" so it makes sense to me that it is more along the intent of "negro" in Spanish and Portuguese.
Anyhow, if you're interested / curious, this Wiki page has some tidbits about words used to describe black people and the differences between ones used with intent to offend and ones used with innocent intent, sometimes they switched places even. (Like Negro vs Black and now African American in the US.)
Whether old-fashioned, disparaging, derogatory or downright offensive depends on how, when and by whom it is used.
Perhaps we have become a little over sensitive and PC in recent years, but this is a term which should be avoided if one has the intelligence and enlightenment to do so.
And I agree with economisto about Austria.
Please explain, Ouchboy.
(Is it a recent humourous "put-together" and not one really from the Fifties?)
Words, per se, don't mean harm by themselves. It's all about context. Some words however do not work well in any public context, when people do not know eachother. The word was obviously used because those kids counted on the word not working in the context, aren't they some clever boys...
It's a cheap shot, undignified way and they will hopefully understand later on. No history lessons about humor, affection and bucolic good old times with good old terms will make it hurt less to that kid, the kids knew what they were doing. It's good when things go public.
Chapelle took it upon himself to display racial stereotypes, by "putting yourself in someone else's shoes" through an extremely funny scenario. Oddly enough the Wetback family was cut off rom the youtube video I put.
He plays the double entendre using the 1950's American dream/oppresion duality of the era.
but this is a joke which should be understood if one has the intelligence and enlightenment to do so. [/sarcasm.]
If you think that someone who has been on the Inside the Actor's studio and asked to socially deconstruct a sketch for the benefit of the audiance would somehow come as bad taste humor, then you and I differ greatly in taste.