Covid-19 coronavirus: childhood science educator Nathan Wallis apologizes after pillow outrage

One of the hosts of the official New Zealand home learning television channel apologized for disturbing viewers with his controversial pillow.

Today, neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis was photographed on screen during a class with his head resting on a pillow with the Confederate flag, which for many is a sign of racism and slavery in the United States.

In a video shared on Facebook, Wallis explained that his family gave him the pillow because he had a photo of Wonder Woman on the back.

“I fell in love, more like an obsession with Wonder Woman when I was a kid, so it’s kind of a family joke.

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“Now I know that this pillow not only represents the Dukes of Hazzard to people, but it is also a lot of horrible things, so we will get rid of it. You will not see it again, thanks for letting me know.”

In response to the video, many people said there was no need to remove the pillow.

“You shouldn’t have to justify, he’s such a bad man. People are rude, I think the cushion is amazing. Don’t get rid of him,” said one person.

While another said, “So your answer was innocent enough, but for all the people here who think it’s just a flag, you’re wrong. It is a symbol of racism endemic to the southern United States, the United States civil war. Basically they fought for black slavery and the Confederate states in the south were in favor of the terrible trade in human lives and the Confederate flag was what they were fighting for. “

Some people accepted the apology, saying that Wallis had realized his mistake, and was glad that he quickly got rid of it.

But others criticized Wallis’ apology for not being significant enough.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website

Wallis is part of Home Learning TV, launched with TVNZ, to provide teacher-led lessons for children ages 5 to 15.

Some of the other educators on the show include Suzy Cato, Karen O’Leary, and Jordan Vandermade.