This Cello Teacher Exposed A Racist Parent By Sharing A "Thank You" Email She Received

No matter where you live in the world, varying degrees of racism and oppression are present. In cultures where fair-skinned individuals are in the majority, racism can range from extreme acts of hate and violence to micro-aggressive comments and emails. As noted by Dr. Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist, "Racism can manifest in subtle ways that are often overlooked, yet they can be deeply hurtful." For one cello teacher, the "subtle racism" was actually too "in your face" to ignore, prompting her to share an email from a parent on social media.

Seemingly concerned about her son coming home with an "ethnic stench," the parent emailed the cello teacher, sandwiching her racially charged insults between compliments. As Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence expert, states, "When people express bias, it undermines the very compliments they intend to convey." This highlights the ineffectiveness of compliments when they are tainted by racism.

The story is now going viral across social media, and understandably so.

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Subtly racist.

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Clearly, the email begins nicely enough.

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"On another note" ... then proceeds to spew racism into the email and finishes off with a "Kind Regards."

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No one is buying those "Kind Regards."

But the cello teacher was not about to let people panic; she came out of the gates with an explanation that also dropped jaws. The student was regularly ravenous and being forced to diet.

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Thankfully, she also shared her response to the parent in question.

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Antonio is awesome.

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Mom? Not so much.

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And the final nail in Mama Racist's coffin.

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Basically, almost every single one of us who isn't racist reacted like this:

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Or this:

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Given the nature of the "WTF" factor, it's no surprise the post completely blew up. It's been shared widely on social media, with relationship expert Dr. William Doherty stating, "When parents exhibit harmful behaviors, it is crucial for the community to address these issues openly." Before the thread was officially closed, it gained over 52,000 upvotes, and the original Twitter post was retweeted over a whopping 63,400 times, along with earning more than 281,100 "likes." Twitter user "sxinxm_" has been floating in and out of Twitter jail ever since.

Discussion of the email exchange has gone in multiple directions, including some concerns that when the cello teacher raised flags about the child's potential malnutrition and gave the heads up that she had contacted social services, the parents now had the opportunity to cover their tracks, so to speak.

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New Jersey-based social media influencer Dr. Terri Orbuch, a relationship researcher and author, reflected on her initial reaction to the now-viral exchange in an interview with Bored Panda:

"I was kind of disgusted by it. She tried to 'sandwich' those remarks between compliments."zariyagrant

Dr. Ramani Durvasula also said:

As a clinical psychologist, I see the impact of racism on individuals regularly. It manifests in subtle ways, from microaggressions to overt discrimination, and it’s a reality many people of color face.My advice is to not be a bystander when witnessing such behavior. Stand firm and speak out; every situation is unique, and addressing it can empower both you and others affected.zariyagrant

Janet Lansbury also included some sound advice for those who need to hear it:

“Don’t be afraid of who you are. Whatever your race or ethnicity, that’s what makes you ‘you.’ Show people how strong you are and find your voice. Little changes can help big problems.”“Racism is an uncomfortable subject for everyone and shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you don’t see the issue with little remarks or big gestures, you’re part of the problem,” says Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a clinical psychologist.zariyagrant

Reporter Masako Fukui has been discussing the "smelly food" component of racially charged perspectives for several years now. In an article she published on ABC.net, she wrote:

It’s virtually impossible to control our immediate responses to pungent odors, and the anatomy of our brains helps to explain this.Other senses are largely processed within the neocortex, the ‘higher’ brain, while the sensory recognition of odors is more thoroughly plumbed into the limbic system, a collection of ‘lower’ brain regions that are critical for emotion and memory.abc

Fukui added:

Whatever is tickling the nose hairs has a direct line to the sub-verbal, animalistic self. It’s exactly the amorphous nature of smell that makes it so powerful and political. For when those odors that repel us are associated with race, the disgust we instinctively sense undermines our attempts to overcome racial prejudices.kyodonews

Responses flooded in from the general public and they were... kind of all over the place.

A lot of people were outraged at the mother and her email, while many others were genuinely concerned about the child.

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"Nothing subtle about it!"

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Of course, some humor was added to the mix, because this is the Internet.

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Some people also found the relationship here to be... relatable.

There must be something magical about music teachers because I have fond memories of the music teachers I had growing up, too.

touchmyboohole

Well gosh, you know we can't have him "smelling Indian," least of all in public.

Because that's a thing.

imanarchy_

Well, ignorance isn't doing anyone any favors other than exposing themselves.

saffron_geena

A lot of people really applauded the cello teacher's response.

She replied with a lot less swearing and insults than many of us would be inclined to use instead.

DLHarpz

...Would NOT surprise me.

aneesa2604

In fact, it would seem the most consistent criticism against the teacher would be her use of the word "subtle."

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What do you think? Racist or not? Let us know in the comments.