I work with young people. Many young people do not know the value of choosing words carefully. They do not understand connotation and inferencing. I am so afraid of my students leaving their little comfortable bubble and getting punched in the face because of something they say, so exercises in ignorance are met with mentoring moments.
A couple of months ago, I overheard one of the students tell their fellow students, “The Chinese breed like rabbits.” OK, so… it isn’t 1977, so where did the student even get this idea?
Mentoring moment…
I question, “Why are you saying Chinese people breed like rabbits?”
Students answers, “They have lots of babies.”
I inform him China has had a One-Child Policy since 1979 (it actually just ended), and as a result many female babies were either aborted or murdered so families could try again for a male heir.
I succeeded in not only mentoring the student, but also ruining the student’s day with really Debbie-Downer information. It was a win-win.