Good grief. Now the British nanny state is
actually warning nursery school teachers to be on the lookout for racist
babies.
Toddlers who turn their noses up at spicy food
from overseas could be branded racists by a Government-sponsored agency.
"The National Children’s Bureau, which
receives £12 million a year, mainly from Government funded organisations,
has issued guidance to play leaders and nursery teachers advising them to be
alert for racist incidents among youngsters in their care.
"This could include a child of as young as
three who says 'yuk' in response to being served unfamiliar foreign food.
"The guidance by the NCB is designed to draw
attention to potentially-racist attitudes in youngsters from a young age. It
alerts playgroup leaders that even babies can not be ignored in the drive to
root out prejudice as they can 'recognise different people
in their lives'.
"The 366-page guide for staff in charge of
pre-school children, called Young Children and Racial Justice, warns: 'Racist
incidents among children in early years settings tend to be around
name-calling, casual thoughtless comments and peer group relationships.'
"It advises nursery teachers to be on the
alert for childish abuse such as: 'blackie', 'Pakis',
'those people' or 'they smell'. The guide goes on to warn that children might
also “react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying
'yuk'.
"Staff are told: 'No
racist incident should be ignored. When there is a clear racist incident, it is
necessary to be specific in condemning the action.' ”