Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Tolerance
Berlin East Side Gallery, Mary Mackay: 'Tolerance'. Souce: Wikimedia/Muns
Politics
ahmed marcouch
Blikopemer
categorization
criminal Moroccans
criminality
d66
delinquency
difference between men and women
discrimination
education
Malmberg
Moroccans
PvdA
Racism
social media
Sociology studies
SP
students
teaching
Turks
twitter
VMBO
young people
Thursday, September 11, 2014 - 08:50
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Minorities in uproar over textbook's racism

Sociology students in preparatory middle-level vocational education (VMBO) schools in The Netherlands are in an uproar over texts about Moroccans and Turks in one of their textbooks. The Book, from publisher Malmberg, contains prejudicial text about minority groups in The Netherlands, the students say on Twitter, the Algemeen Dagblad reports.  The book, 'Blikopener', has been in use for two years, and is especially made for VMBO students. These students, however, argue that it categorizes youths of a certain origin in a negative typecast. One example is a question about Moroccan youth delinquency. "You often hear about criminal Moroccan boys."  a. Are all Moroccan boys criminal?  b. How come some boys do become criminal?  * They are not clever enough to finish school. * They often have arguments with their parents.  * It is in their nature to be criminal. * They skip school and hang around on the street. Tick the right answer.  "Besides being stigmatizing, in respect to teaching rather poor. Sigh", tweets author and teacher Thomas van Aalten. Students also vent their rage on social media, speaking how "bizarre" and "shameful" it is that this text is deemed suitable for students to read, especially those in Sociology studies. Politicians are also reacting with outrage. PvdA MP Achmed Marcouch as asked Parliamentary questions about the issue, arguing the book's discriminatory stance towards non-native Dutch people. The SP and the D66 also want to debate the book in Parliament. The book's publisher, Malmberg, is shocked and disappointed with the reactions to the book. "We find it unfortunate that our publication Blikopener affect people negatively. Our intention is to make young people think and discuss recognizable social topics in an open manner, and not to dictate a value judgement." According to the Algemeen Dagblad, it is not simply biased views on ethnicity in society that the book does wrong, but the differences between men and women as well. "Boys can estimate distances better than girls. They can play darts better and can park a car better. They complete a task step by step. Girls react quicker. They don't make a plan. They first do it this way, then try it that way." The publisher announces that it will bring the book into closer consideration over the coming time. https://twitter.com/BouchibtiSamira/status/509355069524148224/photo/1

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • King's Day 2021 will be held in secret location in Eindhoven
  • 'Job guarantee' for students with a technical diploma
  • Suspect in Amsterdam fatal shooting arrested in Valencia, Spain
  • Covid-19 one year anniversary commemorated with stained glass artwork in Tilburg
  • Secondary school pays ransom after being hit by a cyber attack
  • 4,993 news Covid-19 cases; seven-day average up 22 percent for the week

Top Stories

  • Suspect in Amsterdam fatal shooting arrested in Valencia, Spain
  • 4,993 news Covid-19 cases; seven-day average up 22 percent for the week
  • Debate season has started: These were the main points of the first political showdown
  • Parents in suspected infanticide case were 'convinced that the child was dead'
  • Father rescues children from burning house
  • Teen parents, grandparent of baby abandoned in Amsterdam dumpster in custody

© 2012-2021 NLTimes.nl, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact