A few years ago I was teaching a year 6 class in an inner city school. A lad, who happened to be of mixed parentage, came to me and accused another boy of making racist remarks. I thought that was strange because normally the two of them were pretty friendly.

I asked the "offender" why he had made racist remarks, if he had actually done so.

It transpired that the conversation went something like this:

1st boy:   You need a wash!
2nd boy:   I'm not the one with black skin!

I asked both boys why it was more offensive to make the second remark than to make the first.

They agreed that both remarks were offensive and the following day were friends again.

But that could have turned into a major problem if the press or even the parents had known about it.

I don't know if it's really relevant to the discussion but it came to me as I read some of the posts here.

Frank L.