This may be obvious but it needs restating. Racist words have a history. They also have a worldview. Both the history and the worldview assume that the Paki, or whatever, is deeply inferior. They strike not just an individual but a tribe.
Racial language speaks to deep wounds.
To all concerned except the Asian boy and his family the incident must have seemed trivial. Apparently the headteacher had not even deemed the name-calling significant enough to suspend H for the day, while the police advised against a prosecution. Even the best intentioned can find it difficult to navigate the murky byways of playground race relations. Working in an overwhelmingly white school, she says, can make dealing with racial bullying particularly sensitive. They began clubbing him with golf clubs.