Fat fat fatty
Those of you who've never been to Hong Kong may not be familiar with the general attitude towards overweight, or even slightly pudgy, children. The general consensus is that if the opportunity presents itself, everyone should remark upon the child's size in a loud and bold voice, have a hearty chuckle (finger pointing and knee slapping are optional extras) and he or she must laugh along heartily and pretend that they're very lucky to be the centre of such undivided attention. If you think it's a teacher's job to stick up for the little porker, then think again! In most cases, it is the teacher who is the ringleader. I have seen many examples of this, but Naomi's story of an incident today left me speechless.
Nomes (that's Naomi, for those not up with the lingo) has just started at a new school - a hoity toity one with a great reputation - and today was her first day of teacher observation. This is when she just sits at the back of the class and watches the masters at work. The lesson today was on opposites, so after a few minutes of "black...white", "tall... short" and such things, the teacher had a little giggle and asked thin girl and a slightly overweight individual to stand up. Barely containing her laughter, she asked, "Can you guess what this one is?" The children were in hysterics, yelling out "Fat! Fat! FAT! Ahahahaha" while the poor kid stood there with a half smile on his face. The teacher responded proudly, "Yes, fat! He is fat!" Not content with humiliating the young fella, she then asked him to stand on his side, presumably so people could see that "He really fat", and put a sticker on him that said, "fat", while the whole class continued laughing their heads off. I'm not joking. She labelled him fat, and she didn't even have the courtesy to do it metaphorically.
I'm no expert on political correctness, or even teaching, manners, courtesy, respect or common sense, but you do not laugh in a fat kid's face. I don't care if he weighs a hundred kilos. I don't care if he looks as if he'd swallowed an inflatable ball that gets foot-pumped a little more each time he takes a step. I don't even care if his name is Fat (which is sometimes the case in Hong Kong), don't call him fat! Don't tease him, don't laugh at him and certainly don't encourage a class full of kids with a predisposition to laughing at anything remotely different to do the same.
My advice for the offending teacher: If you want to be funny, take a whoopee cushion to class instead. Farts are always funny. Sure, it's just as juvenile as laughing at the fat kid, but at least no one's feelings are getting hurt.
Nomes (that's Naomi, for those not up with the lingo) has just started at a new school - a hoity toity one with a great reputation - and today was her first day of teacher observation. This is when she just sits at the back of the class and watches the masters at work. The lesson today was on opposites, so after a few minutes of "black...white", "tall... short" and such things, the teacher had a little giggle and asked thin girl and a slightly overweight individual to stand up. Barely containing her laughter, she asked, "Can you guess what this one is?" The children were in hysterics, yelling out "Fat! Fat! FAT! Ahahahaha" while the poor kid stood there with a half smile on his face. The teacher responded proudly, "Yes, fat! He is fat!" Not content with humiliating the young fella, she then asked him to stand on his side, presumably so people could see that "He really fat", and put a sticker on him that said, "fat", while the whole class continued laughing their heads off. I'm not joking. She labelled him fat, and she didn't even have the courtesy to do it metaphorically.
I'm no expert on political correctness, or even teaching, manners, courtesy, respect or common sense, but you do not laugh in a fat kid's face. I don't care if he weighs a hundred kilos. I don't care if he looks as if he'd swallowed an inflatable ball that gets foot-pumped a little more each time he takes a step. I don't even care if his name is Fat (which is sometimes the case in Hong Kong), don't call him fat! Don't tease him, don't laugh at him and certainly don't encourage a class full of kids with a predisposition to laughing at anything remotely different to do the same.
My advice for the offending teacher: If you want to be funny, take a whoopee cushion to class instead. Farts are always funny. Sure, it's just as juvenile as laughing at the fat kid, but at least no one's feelings are getting hurt.
6 comments:
"Fatty fat fat fat, fatty fatty fat fat!"
Why oh why does EVERYTHING remind me of The Simpsons?
Hey I have a Hong Kong "Fat Story" too .. when a new NET started at LHK my teaching partner (and FRIEND) had a great laugh because I "looked so thin next to Fei Po" (which means Fat Woman).
Oh yes, I was laughing too. NOT.
My Hong Kong "fat" story. During exercise time (dancing to The Wiggles) one day my Chinese teaching partner yelled out in front of children, parents and teachers alike that I looked four months pregnant. Was I having a baby or did I just need to do more exercise?? Everyone had a good chuckle and a few nodded. I later tried to explain that in my culture that is actually quite offensive and she replied with "well how...I tell you.... you are very very fatter now.... when you start work here you not so fat?".
What a horrible thing to happen!
Oh yeah. The fat thing in HK.
I was in class (I'm a teacher here too) and a teacher had a great idea about how to teach opposites that went exactly like the one Nome's co-teacher had. Thankfully, she ran it by me first (excitedly) and I told her we could do it and include polite and rude as well. She would be able to be slapped with the rude sticker and we could all laugh at her. She dropped the idea after some explanation.
At another school I worked at I introduced myself to a new teacher on her first day. She told me her name and then enquired as to whether I like meat.
I said...ummmm sure. It's OK... but I like vegetables and fruit more....and I'm not that keen on beef.
Ah, but you do like meat? You eat a lot of meat, right?
No, not really...I eat some meat...but I'm actually more of a vegetable lover.
But you must eat a lot of meat.
Why are you so interested in me and meat?
Because you eat so much of it.
No I don't.
Then why are you so fat?!
ummm...OK...I think our introduction and first conversation is over now.
Good-bye, strange stranger.
and we never spoke again
: )
That's a shocker. She was obviously hell bent on suggesting that you're fat and meat was her ticket to the insult. Maybe someone had told her at some point, "If you want to call a gweilo fat, ask them if they eat a lot of meat/ice cream/chocolate first. That way, they won't be insulted."
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