Lie to the Children About Your Favorite Color...

...It's the only way to fight racism!! 

"Dress witches in pink and avoid white paper to prevent racism in nurseries, expert says."

Other great ideas for the prevention of racism:

• Dress fairies in darker shades (rather than the traditional pastels).
• Provide paints and crayons in "the full range of flesh tones", reflecting the diversity of the human race. (Aren't there already lots of different flesh tones in a good box of crayons?)
• When asked about their favorite colors, members of staff should be prepared to lie to the children-- for their own good.  "In the interests of good race relations, answer 'black' or 'brown'."  

That'll make so much difference in those children's lives and racial relations, I'm sure.  Yeah, more likely the kids will give the staff member a weird look.  Besides, how many people would ever name "white" as a favorite color?  Aren't blue, red, purple, and green more common choices?  How could it be construed as negative toward any race to say you like blue the best? 

"This is an incredibly complex subject that can easily become simplified and inaccurately portrayed," she [Anne O'Connor, the "expert"] said.

"There is a tendency in education to say 'here are normal people and here are different people and we have to be kind to those different people', whether it's race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or faith.

"People who are feeling defensive can say 'well there's nothing wrong with white paper', but in reality there could be if you don't see yourself reflected in the things around you. “As an early years teacher, the minute you start thinking, 'well actually, if I give everyone green paper, what happens’, you have a teaching potential.

“People might criticise this as political correctness gone mad. But it is because of political correctness we have moved on enormously. If you think that we now take it for granted that our buildings and public highways are adapted so people in wheelchairs and with pushchairs can move around. Years ago if you were in a wheelchair, then tough luck. We have completely moved and we wouldn’t have done that without the equality movement.” 

 Well, that must be the problem, then.  It's simply too complex for my simple brain to comprehend.  Thank goodness there are sharp-witted heroes like Anne O'Connor out there, saving the world from white paper and storybook witches clad in ~whisper~ black.