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