Some people were all on my case about something I wrote for Slog, The Stranger‘s blog, concerning a Chinese girl found wandering the streets of Vancouver, BC, two weeks ago with a blond doll. I was thought cold for taking too much notice of the racial difference between the girl and her doll. But in my world, race is still a real and hard fact. It is not something that I have a theoretical or intellectual distance from. It is immediate. It is there all of the time.
For example, just last week, my daughter—who is 8 and happens to be the only brown person in her Accelerated Progress Program class at Thurgood Marshall Elementary—was ordered out of the classroom because her teacher did not like the smell of her hair. The teacher complained that my racially different daughter’s hair (or something—a product—in the hair) was making her sick, and then the teacher made her leave the classroom. My daughter was aware of the racial nature of this expulsion not only because she was made to sit in a classroom that had more black students in it (the implication being that this is where she really belongs, in the lower class with the other black students), but because her teacher, she informed me, owns a dog. Meaning, a dog’s hair gives the teacher less problems than my daughter’s human but curly hair. Most white people do not have to deal with shit like this. Shit that if not checked and confronted will have permanent consequences for the child.
Over the weekend, KIRO-TV ran a story on its evening newscast about the situation. The news segment showed the hair product that my daughter used, Olive Oil Moisturizing Hair Lotion, and brief interviews with her mother and lawyer. The lawyer smelled the hair product and claimed it was harmless; her mother expressed distress about the whole situation. The story wrapped up with a reporter standing outside of my daughter’s school in the Central District, explaining that he could not get a response from the teacher or the school’s principal because the school was closed for the long weekend. That was all you learned from the KIRO story.
What was significantly missing from this report is that my daughter is black American (the only black student in that teacher’s class) and the teacher who forced her out of the classroom is white American. The reason why this racial dimension was not exposed or addressed in the KIRO report is understandable: My daughter and her teacher were not interviewed. But my wife was interviewed—and she is white. So it follows that viewers would assume that her daughter is also white. But if the public had seen that the little girl has brown skin and curly hair, and her teacher has white skin and straight hair, then it would have been impossible to exclude race from this story.
If a white teacher—a person who is supposed to have a certain amount of education and knowledge of American history, and who teaches at a school named after the man who successfully argued before the court in Brown v. Board of Education for equal opportunities for racial minorities in public schools and went on to become the first African-American Supreme Court justice—removes a black student from a predominantly white class because of her hair, it is almost impossible not read the action as either racist or expressive of racial insensitivity, which amounts to the same thing for someone in that teacher’s position.
When we, her parents, were later informed of this incident, we also learned that once my daughter was removed from the class, the teacher felt much better. We were also told that the teacher had experienced something like a fainting spell because of our daughter’s hair. Feeling the seriousness of this situation, we decided not to send our daughter to school until the teacher had medical proof that our daughter’s hair or something in her hair was to blame for the nausea. (The last thing you want to happen to your daughter is for a teacher to faint or vomit at the mere sight of her.)
Days passed and the school took no action. This unresponsiveness left us with no other choice than to turn to a lawyer. The whole thing is a mess. Getting entangled in a racial dilemma is something most black parents do not want for their children. It’s just not worth the trouble. Then again, like I said, if not checked and confronted, the incident will have permanent consequences for my child.
So, yes, I have a very good reason to be sensitive to the image of a Chinese girl carrying a blond doll. Not to have that kind of sensitivity would in my case be a form of parental neglect.
Seattle Public Schools declined an interview request from Charles Mudede because he is the father of the student in question, but a school-district spokesperson agreed to be interviewed by The Stranger‘s news editor, Dominic Holden, just as this issue was going to press. Click here to read their response. 
Charles, the reason SLOG got on you about the little girl in Vancouver is that it appeared that your first concern was about the race of the girl and that of her doll. Most of us saw a terrified little girl. Fear & compassion are human emotions, not racial sentiments.
The fact that you can look at a terrified little girl and worry more about her race than her safety …. well, I fell sorry for your daughter. You’re playing out your angst with her future. How sad.
Are people really acting like EVERYONE doesn’t use hair products with fragances?
Hello. Herbal Essence. Hello. Mousse. Please.
156: (whooosh)
So sad you’re teaching your daughter to contact lawyers over the fact that your child was placed in another class. Get over it. I doubt the teacher cared if your daughter was biracial or not..
People like you are the reason Racism still continues to thrive, because even if its not racism YOU’LL turn it to that.
You have no proof that its racism just like you have no proof that the childs hair product makes the teacher sick.
So get the facts before you start accusing.
Sounds like you just wanted traffic to your blog, and guess what…. You got it!
My daughter uses the very same moisturizer and I cannot fathom the idea of her being kicked out of her classroom for a smell that I do love and remind me of her everytime I feel it. Shame on the teacher, shame on the school, wish you the best on the outcome of this whole situatio.
I was reading the article while eating dinner and shaking my head, thinking, “How on God’s green earth is he getting racism out of this?” and then, “I can’t wait to see the comments online.”
Charles, way to make a gigantic, explosive mountain out of a molehill. You, sir, are a drama queen. A shit stirrer. A wolf cryer.
A teacher who, after an event that inflamed her already scent-sensitive allergies, sent out a request that people take extra care with the scents they bring into a classroom, reacted to a scent in a product your daughter had in her hair. It does not matter what color your daughter’s skin is. It does not matter the texture of her hair. On that particular day, because of outside occurrances, the teacher’s allergies we particularly sensitive to that particular scent.
Could she have handled it better? Absolutely. Should the teacher have maybe called in sick until her allergies were under control? Probably. But for you to make an allergy issue about race is just ridiculous.
You’re ridiculous, Mr. Mudede.
We are with you and yours, Brotha. That’s just how most of them are. And, on top of that, their gov’t condones and protects this type of behavior from them. Funny thing is that this happened in Seattle where I always see and hear white people shoving alleged ‘liberal’ politics down your throat. The only liberal politics they care about are white liberal politics….period.
WA state is nothing but the TX of the west coast. A bunch of tree hugging rednecks….
We are with you and yours, Brotha. That’s just how most of them are. And, on top of that, their gov’t condones and protects this type of behavior from them. Funny thing is that this happened in Seattle where I always see and hear white people shoving alleged ‘liberal’ politics down your throat. The only liberal politics they care about are white liberal politics….period.
WA state is nothing but the TX of the west coast. A bunch of tree hugging rednecks….
We are with you and yours, Brotha. That’s just how most of them are. And, on top of that, their gov’t condones and protects this type of behavior from them. Funny thing is that this happened in Seattle where I always see and hear white people shoving alleged ‘liberal’ politics down your throat. The only liberal politics they care about are white liberal politics….period.
WA state is nothing but the TX of the west coast. A bunch of tree hugging rednecks….
OMG! i am so sorry that your daughter had to experience this embarrassing incident. i’m a black american female, and i happen to use the exact same hair moisturizer your daughter does (it is absolutely wonderful, btw!) for the record, it smells like body lotion, if anything. no heavy petroleum smell like with TCB or other products… just a light lotion fragrance. and you have to be right up on the person to smell that! the teacher is full of crap. i’m sure her dog smells 10 times worse than your baby’s hair could possibly smell. p.s. i don’t know about you, but i am so over people and their weak constitutions & allergies. i guess i am blessed to be a strong, healthy person who doesn’t have to whine about my reactions to lactose, heavy fragrances, cigarette smoke, grass, dust, animals, dirt, peanuts, MSG, white flour, white sugar… shut the f up, people. man up or get off the freakin’ island. (ok, i rambled a bit, but you get my point.)
Sparkle, that’s a pretty dull comment…
“but i am so over people and their weak constitutions & allergies. i guess i am blessed to be a strong, healthy person’
God forbid someone not be as blessed as you.
I feel like some of you commenters don’t really understand what racism is. Sociologically speaking, white people in America can’t be victims of racism unless they’re in the minority in a community. Racism is only perpetrated when one race uses their position of power to discriminate against another. A white teacher sending the only black girl in the class to a different class with other black students is racist, even if it’s not overt Jim Crow racism. Mudede complaining about it and taking action against the teacher may be prejudiced, but it’s not racist.
Who gives a shit if the teacher is sensitive to smells? She’s a TEACHER. Teachers shouldn’t be singling out ANY students the way she did. Why are this grown woman’s allergies more important than the psychological damage she did to a child?
Charles, being a mother in a racially diverse family, I can fully understand your frustrations. My hopes for you and your beautiful family is that this ignorance is short lived and your little Miss can return to her class where she belongs I hope she feels no ill affect from this and becomes a stronger person inspite of it. Please keep us abreast of the resolution as I am most interest. To the school and the teacher I can merely say they should be ashamed of the treatment and lack of communication.
Good grief Mr. Mudede!!
I came under similar scrutiny when I attended school about my choice of cologne and appearance. I didn’t start screaming racism and hiring lawyers. I listened to the faculty and CHANGED MY habits. I had NO problems after that.
Sending your daughter to class wearing that haircare product AFTER receiving notice about the teacher’s allergies is just plain old race baiting.
You should be ashamed of yourself and you might want to consider returning to Africa.
White people have to deal with this “shit” ALL the time. The difference is we don’t coat every fucking interaction in racist overtones.
Shit rains on white people if we have even second though about not enthusiastically accepting a doll of a different race.
You and your way of looking at things are slowly and surely wearing away my considerable outrage at actual racist behavior.
The teacher in this case was COMPLETELY in the wrong. The district needs to be held accountable. You’re absolutely right to pursue this with a lawyer. It’s not just about what your daughter has been through, it’s about making sure that no other child or family has to deal with something as ridiculous as this in the future.
Keep up the good fight, Charles.
Six five son of a slave holy fuck you have just proven why people think black people are so stupid oh and by the way I am sure slavery was outlawed way before you or your father were born fuck are you ever a moron. But then according to statistics compiled by the Federal Board of Education black peoples IQ is about 73 slightly above being mentally retarded in fact in the early sixties they had to low the IQ limit for mental retardation so that not as many black people would be considered mentally retarded and you have prove the statistics right
Sparkle in Seattle I am glad you enjoy the product but I think that your smelly ass covers up the smell to you but to the rest of the humans you and it stinks I say humans cause all the evidence that I have read and seen proves that black people are subhuman beasts.
@166 WTF now you’re splitting hairs between racism and prejudice because minorities can have racist beliefs just because you’re in the majority does not mean that you cannot be a victim of racism especially state sponsored racism. Such as seeing a job go to a less qualified minority in order to meet some government quota, or how about a scholarship go to a less qualified minority to meet a quota the school may have. So please don’t try and tell me that the majority does not face discrimination or racism. Also who gives a shit if the teacher is sensitive to smells ok then who gives a shit about the way cigarette smoke affects you or anyone else cause that’s not the smoker problem it everybody else’s problem in the restaurant. So guess what myself and my fascist friends will be coming to a restaurant near you soon, cause who gives a shit about your health and sensitivities.
let’s reverse this situation. if a non-white teacher was teaching a predominantly non-white or racially mixed students except for a one white student. one day the teacher tells the one white student to leave the classroom because the student is giving the teacher a headache from the whiteness/brightness that the student is giving out. The teacher sends the student to another class (maybe a class with a white teacher).
Yes, this would be totally RACIST! No social and cultural sensitivity what-so-ever.
Always knew Seattle people were non-tolerant, ignorant, racist, and yes! clique city….no, wait, I mean ‘town’….no, no…sorry, more like territory. Without any ounce of culture, compassion, and empathy in it’s foundation.
in refernce to that crazy as shit ramble:
thats the beauty of it. the ol u s of a.
at the stranger we even have to deal with the disgusting posts of some illiterate internet troll from the ozarks.
when i moved here in 89 it was full of skinheads. who knows maybe he’s a local
i thought they all went to the peninsula and then to idaho-
but hey i could be wrong.
whats funny is that free thinker like me gets poo poo’d by the stranger on-line community
– but no one says shit to the guy who is by definition, a racist- with nazis and a swastika for an avatar.
good luck ‘doubters’
mr mudede: fight that fight! it is a worthy one
Oh man I just read the story of what happened to your poor daughter. What a horrible embarassment and it’s aweful how your daughter must feel. whether the teacher is a racist or not I’m not so sure – if there was a reaction or something weird I understand – the most bizarre stuff sets off my reactive airway distress. but that the school has yet to issue an apology or have that teacher apologize or make any effort to get your daughter back into the school system and back into her advanced classes is outrageous and makes your thought towards rasism stronger in my mind. I hope to god that someone in authority steps in and sets things straight for your daughters sake and those of the students that are to follow in her footsteps for years to come.
now i don’t know what this asian girl with a blonde doll thing is all about and why you are so upset about the situation. This might set off a battle cry of craziness – but what the hell! I’m a white girl and as a child i always wanted to know why i couldn’t have the black babydoll. of course there weren’t very many – but once i asked for one my mom made sure that i had one. (hell i ended up with quit the collection of dolls that looked nothing like me – then again nobody makes dolls that look like me but that’s because I’m a rare girl with rare coloring and there aren’t very many of me – oh so lucky! ) she said it had never occured to her that that’s the type of babydoll i would want. maybe just maybe that’s what that little girl wanted – and who are you or anyone else to judge her, the toy industry, her parents or anything else about what she wants to play with..
Put some different shit in your daughters hair and quit whining. You’re setting a poor example for your kid. I live in Georgia and know what racism is. This is not it.
@173 You’re right, I am splitting hairs. You’re kind of contradicting yourself – minorities don’t have the power to perpetrate their discriminatory beliefs on another racial group – because they’re in the MINORITY, see? Minority groups can be prejudiced, but they don’t perpetrate racism on white people because they don’t have POWER.
Racism comes in two forms, one that’s obvious and easy to fight against – like Jim Crow laws, internment camps, and lynching, and one that’s subtle and easy for the power group to ignore – like an economic and public schooling system that keeps minorities at the bottom of chain. There’s a reason that African Americans still make only $.74 to the white dollar, and it’s not that they’re “lazy” or they “aren’t motivated.” So you can whine whine whine and try to claim that affirmative action is “state-sponsored racism,” but you’re just flat-out incorrect. Not only was affirmative action instituted by the group in power, which makes it de facto not racist, but the fact is that white people still get the majority of the economic and educational opportunities in this country. If you didn’t get a job because there was an equally-as-qualified minority applying for it as well, then too sad for you. At least affirmative action addresses the issue, I’m sure you’d prefer to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist.
You equate sitting around smokers to what that teacher did? I can address any of my peers who stink like ash and they can respond in kind, but Mudede’s daughter can’t. Who has the responsibility to whom? The teacher to the student, or the student to the teacher – as you seem to claim? That teacher’s allergies do not give her the right to single out a child in a class room and banish her. There were other ways to handle the situation, and she chose to do it in the way that would cause the most possible psychological damage to that child.
mudede’s constant animal-hating is a good sign that he’s just as bigoted as anyone else. he hates fur like some white people hate curly black hair. his little jab at the teacher for not being bothered by dog hair is just another item on a loooong loooong list of writings that show his hateful obsession with animals. around here, where most of us are all fairly well-exposed to animals as pets, it is a bad sign when someone just can’t get it that animals are worthy of respect and aren’t the dirty curs that he insists they are. a lot of psychopaths start out by consistently abusing animals. mudede’s animal-hating is kinda nuts.
homophobes that are repeatedly exposed to gays and lesbians often come around and end up respecting and accepting them as equals. those that don’t are seen as complete and total assholes. there’s a parallel here. pets are decent beings. animals have souls. mudede where the fuck is your soul?
people can have allergies to different things. one person’s dog hair is another persons hair product.
i guess i meant to say, i can’t respect someone’s objection to perceived racism (merited or not) if he consistently shows himself to be a bigot towards animals. the hypocrisy is stunning.
i am curious mudede – do your children have any pets? are they being exposed to the souls of animals at all? or will they grow up to be like you?
@coolhandluke46, dude, shut up. If you are who I think you are, you’re just as much of an ignorant fuck on the internet as you are in person. You are an expert at making a complete and total ass of yourself. There is a legitimate arguement going on here and you’re just throwing a bunch of bullshit in the pot.
Also, learn how to use a shift key and some fucking punctuation before you start spouting off about how dumb black people are.
Sending someone out of the classroom for a bad odor is a terrible thing to do to any child…
why does that make this a race issue just because the child and teacher are not the same colour?
Any comment said to a person of colour should not be construed as a ‘racial comment’ that is absurd
I pretty much don’t agree with Mudede about anything (except when he’s writing about jazz), but it seems like he’s in the right on this one. Good luck with this, Charles. I hope this is resolved in a way that your daughter can continue her education.
@172:
That’s Cool Hand Luke, raising the bar for everyone.
I notice there are no more comments from Muldede.
I bet his lawyer advised him to shut up as he was making his case even worse.
It amazes me how many people comment who have not even read any of the articles or comments.
This is not a race issue. This is a parent not liking the teacher (for whatever underlying reason) issue.
Oh, and Muldede and all of the rest of you “racist” chanters, Muldede’s daughter is only half black.
Was she only half discriminated then? What about her white half? Does it discriminate her black half?
Get real and get over it people.
“People are people, so why should it be, that you and should get along so awfully?”
@ on the lake, yes I am a fascist I am not a racist but a realist that refuses to be bullied by the racist minority and there enablers and I do not want to promote violence against any minority group. However I do advocate separation from animals like you, for our protection. As far as you being a free thinker the only way you would have an original thought is to plug your nose cross your legs and blow hard, then and only then you may have a chance of having a original though.Because multiculturalism is a lie, that is portrayed by liberal Marxist media.
@181 I am 100 % sure you do not know me, and how dare you tell me to shut up I also have a right to free speech and do so research on the subject and you will see the truth. Oh but wait you believe whatever your told by the media and the minorities cause we all know they would never tell a lie to promote there agenda.
@ 178 I disagree because anytime anyone gets or loses an opportunity because of the color of their skin it is racist. Affirmative action is state sponsored racism because they judge you on skin color and not your qualifications, just because you’re in the majority does not mean that you lose opportunities to less qualified people for sake of skin color.
@181 Sorry that I was unable to live up to your liberal elitist standards. Just because you lack some punctuation does not make you stupid, But a 73 IQ does. You do not have a counterpoint to make so what do you do is criticize and call names. Black people have a lower IQ just do some research from the Board of Education.
@184 the comments made on 172 are facts, but it does not agree with what you think on that subject so you ignore facts. To all if ignorance is bliss then all of you are in paradise. Just to give you something to think about, Hitler was right and Lincoln was wrong.
It is amazing to see so much ignorance on this forum. First of all I would like to say for those of you who do not share the same hair type as most African Americans, you do not understand that we have to use particular ingrediants in our hair to make it look presentable. The Olive Oil hair lotion, DOES NOT have a strong smell. I am a chronic sufferer of migraines and I use the product. Everything that we put on our bodies has sometype of smell. However, could it be that she has a reaction to a combination of smells versus one particular smell? Those of you who use hair spray and gel (of the caucasian race)you also products with smells. I do not knock what you use, nor will I state that a product that you use has a greater or lessor smell than the one I use. I would also like to ask why wasn’t the parents notified? The school should have notified the parents when this took place. I would be upset to find out that something happened and my child informed me of the situation. Lastly, to 188. I would like for you to do your homework. Affirmative Action is not based upon race. It will also benefit White American women who are also minorities. With that being said, if an African American and a White woman applies for the same job. They both have the interviews, to meet the quota the organization can hire (and in many cases do) the White woman. Also please look at the statistics the Latino and African American race is growing. In the years to come, the White race will be the minority and the others the majority. Based upon Affrimative Action, business will have to ensure that they hire more white people. Be patient, it just may work in your favor. Please educate yourselves.
To Charles, I support you. Please ensure that your daughter is still getting her schoolwork. I do not want them saying she cannot go to the next grade because of incomplete work.
I didn’t know grammar and punctuation was a liberal elitist standard. Silly me.
I agree, kerfulle!
And to Astrea, you miss a few key points.
Did you read the article?
“I would also like to ask why wasn’t the parents notified?”
The parents were notified, Muldede chose to defiantly send their daughter with the product the next day.
“The Olive Oil hair lotion, DOES NOT have a strong smell.”
Just because olive oil doesn’t have a strong smell, doesn’t mean that one can not be allergic to it.
And who all those who write about racism, I am not challenging it still exists and affects many people to this day. That is a big issue, but not this issue.
What I am challenging is this specific situation.
If a white girl got kicked out of a predominately “brown” class, [since other parents of students in the class have written in saying Muldede lied about his kid being the only “brown” person in the class] because she did not obey the teachers request, then this would not be news.
I’d really like to hear Muldede answer some of Charlie Mas’s questions. (#43)
I supposed the lawyers will be asking them though.
What a waste of our court system.
To quote Mulded himself, “so if i had used just cold water on my daughter and her things, like the other white students evidently did, none of this would have happened. im simply amazed!”
Yes, it is truly amazing!
I am so sorry for your daughters situation. I am a up and coming teacher and in those situations I have spoken to the parents and asked them to refrain from allowing that student to wear whatever the scent was. I have a pretty severe case of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity so I understand the student wearing something that makes a person feel ill. This teacher did not handle this well at all, but please keep it in mind that it might not be about race, it might be about a teacher who does not know how to communicate what she needs for her health…
I am so sorry for your daughters situation. I am a up and coming teacher and in those situations I have spoken to the parents and asked them to refrain from allowing that student to wear whatever the scent was. I have a pretty severe case of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity so I understand the student wearing something that makes a person feel ill. This teacher did not handle this well at all, but please keep it in mind that it might not be about race, it might be about a teacher who does not know how to communicate what she needs for her health…
I agree, kerfulle!
And to Astrea, you miss a few key points.
Did you read the article?
“I would also like to ask why wasn’t the parents notified?”
The parents were notified, Muldede chose to defiantly send their daughter with the product the next day.
“The Olive Oil hair lotion, DOES NOT have a strong smell.”
Just because olive oil doesn’t have a strong smell, doesn’t mean that one can not be allergic to it.
And who all those who write about racism, I am not challenging it still exists and affects many people to this day. That is a big issue, but not this issue.
What I am challenging is this specific situation.
If a white girl got kicked out of a predominately “brown” class, [since other parents of students in the class have written in saying Muldede lied about his kid being the only “brown” person in the class] because she did not obey the teachers request, then this would not be news.
I’d really like to hear Muldede answer some of Charlie Mas’s questions. (#43)
I supposed the lawyers will be asking them though.
What a waste of our court system.
To quote Mulded himself, “so if i had used just cold water on my daughter and her things, like the other white students evidently did, none of this would have happened. im simply amazed!”
Yes, it is truly amazing!
How long had this student been in this class? Was she a new student? Was this the first time this teacher had come in contact with her? Was this the first time this student used this particular hair care product? Seems odd that a student you’ve had all year would SUDDENLY make you sick as a dog.
Its not racism. It is a hair product bothering the teacher. I had the same thing happen to me when I was in school. I am white and the teacher was white. My shampoo had something in it that she was allergic too. I even moved from the front of the class to the back of the class and it didnt help. The thing that bothered me the most was seeing my teacher walking around smelling students. All i did was change my shampoo and nothing ever happened again.
Wait, how CLOSE was the teacher to your daughter??? Seriously, I’d be wondering about the teacher invading your child’s personal space.
And, this was recently, right? after your daughter had been in her class ALL SCHOOL YEAR? Gahhh. Now *I* feel sick. Can we get the teacher out of the room, please?
Thanks for the panty shots in the classified ads. The whole office thinks they’re a hoot. I’ll make sure not to come back again.
I’m a white American with curly hair who uses that product. I wonder if the teacher would find it equally irritable on my hair?
Mr. Mudede-I must say that it is unfortunate you have chosen to handle such a delicate situation in this manner. If your version of events are acurate, then I believe you, the teacher, the school district, and especially your young daughter would all be better served with a more professional approach.
Instead, you are using your daughter in what appears to be a “dear diary” blog and responding uncensored to public readers with no factual knowledge of the situation. How can you be unbiased in your reporting on this circumstance when it is hitting so close to home?
I can understand that you and your family have been hurt by this, but before accusing the entire Seattle Public School system-which educates children of all backgrounds and races-of such overt racism, let us have some unbiased and objective reporting from both sides so that as a public body, we can use such knowledge to support you without question.
My fear in the way you have chosed to act out publicly is that you are making a big stir out of an unfortunate incident that was never intended to hurt your daughter or make her feel inadequate in anyway and that you in fact may be the one doing irreversible psychological damage to her by convincing her of your one-sided point of view.
It’s possible that the teacher is actually allergic to the hair product the girl uses–it does happen. Reactions to certain scents or strong perfumes in general are pretty common. The symptoms I get around perfumes are like what the teacher supposedly experienced: nausea, headaches, feeling light-headed or faint. I don’t know if the hair oil is strongly scented; if not, this may not be a plausible idea at all. But if the teacher really is sensitive to it, she cannot help it, and it has nothing to do with whether she has pets or is allergic to dust, pollen, foods or anything else. You become allergic to each thing on an individual basis–usually based on sporadic exposure.
I don’t think Charles is wrong to suspect that there may be a racial element, but the innocent explanation should be ruled out first. And the teacher should have treated the girl more sensitively, regardless, so this wouldn’t even have become a question.
coolhandluke46 YOU ARE A RACIST PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!
You are a disgraceful human being and you make me ashamed of being white. You are an example of what’s wrong with America. People like you are why we even have racial issues. I hope you are as open with your opinions in person. And I hope you come across a group of black men and tell them your opinions. I would love to witness that!
You are a sorry excuse of a man and I’m sure you will ROT in HELL.
I am disgusted by this teacher’s behavior. How insensitive to single out a little girl, tell her her hair nausea-inducing, and make her leave the classroom.
How immature.