For this section I decided to investigate the usage of the term "swiss miss" as a racial slur.
I had never heard this term used in a derogatory manner before, however after some internet searches and Googling I have found the term to be quite popular in the realm of politics and racism. Apparently the term has been used quite a few times in a popular NBC show and many people have started to protest that show. I could never really figure out which show it is, since there are restrictions on people using the name in their blogs...but there was a photo of a white guy painted black and making fun of black people using the term swiss miss. I think this takes racism to a whole other level because it is finding ways to talk about people's color without them knowing it, like in the book no one knew that Jimmy liked Miranda because she used that term to describe Julia, until he said it outright. I think I am also turned off by this term because it infers that anything black/chocolate can be used in a derogatory manner to defile someone...
After investigating this term, I feel that this book deals with some heavy topics that would be good spring boards for discussions in the classroom of 6-8th graders. For example you could talk about racism and racial slurs...what do you think?
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you investigated this because, like you, I had never heard the term before. Also, this may sound dumb, but when Miranda called Julia "swiss miss" I never thought of her as black. In fact, I didn't know she was black until Miranda said so. I assumed it was something to do with the chocolate. It's a sneaky term that I had never heard before. Anyways, I find it interesting that this is still a term used today and I agree with you that it brings up a heavy topic to discuss with kids. It's crazy how many terms we have for different races!
This is an awesome term to investigate! I am so glad that you chose to look further into this racial slur. I too had never heard of the term "Swiss Miss," and wondered about it's usage in the book. Using this book would be a great way to address stereotypes with students.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it was hard for me to get past thinking about Hot Chocolate each time that I read this phrase.
It had honestly not even occurred me that this was a slur that could have been commonly used. I assumed that it was something Jimmy had just come up with in the book! Ashley, I think it's impressive that you thought to further investigate this term.
ReplyDeleteLike Eve, I didn't even realize that Julia was black until Marianne said so after the Jimmy got her so upset. I think this section would be a great way to address stereotypes and to discuss how names can be hurtful when misused. Students sometimes get so caught up in their own little world that they forget the words they say may have a double-meaning for some people. Miranda did not know the double-meaning of "Swiss Miss" and ended up almost losing a friend because of it.