Things that leave you speechless
I randomly stumbled across this article, the salient point of which is that this year--ie, 2009--is the first year that the high school in this shithole Mississippi town is having a non-segregated prom. First thought: how is that even legal? Second thought: wow the south really sucks. Third thought: No--really? This is a joke, right? Fourth thought: It's a good thing Obama's election marked the end of racism; otherwise, this might be troubling. Fifth thought: Seriously, you're just fucking with us, right? Sixth thought: okay, that's enough. Please stop this reality; I would like to get off.
posted by GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. at 2:28 AM
Yes, it's legal because I believe it's "voluntary." The kids and the school like it this way!
Though I recall hearing about one of these schools, where they held an integrated prom, and the white kids didn't show up. ::facepalm::
My 11th grade history teacher's wife was from Mississippi and went to one of those schools, though her school dances integrated in the 90s.
Many of these schools have separate prom king and queens. I wonder if they have separate stupid superlatives as well. "Most likely to succeed" and "Most likely to succeed(black)" (Well, they don't need to label the white superlatives, only the black ones. That shit always bothers me. My mom always says when a kid is black, but never when he or she is white. So I always say a kid's race around her - black or white or not.)
Forget the dances - many schools in the south did not integrate for 10-20 years after the Brown vs. Board of Ed. I think it was the same for schools around the country (the bussing controversy? I really don't know much about this issue). We're just still the stupid segregated holdouts.
In '71 while driving a school bus, the local school district closed the only black high school in town and we bussed the kids over to the predominatly WASP high school on the north side. There were fights, vandalism, you name it but I made friends with a lot of the kids on my bus. I was cool. I had long hair and was told I was ok for a white boy. We were on a first name basis. I listened to these kids self-esteem go up in smoke along with the joints and squares they shared in the back of the bus. I didn't care, I just wanted them to grow up and not be like my parents ilk when their kids went to public school.
The school district didn't hire me back the next year because I allowed my kids to smoke on my bus. My nick name on the street was 'Easymoney'. I often wondered what became of those guys. I hope they are paying attention now.
Marcus said...
"The school district didn't hire me back the next year because I allowed my kids to smoke on my bus. My nick name on the street was 'Easymoney'. I often wondered what became of those guys. I hope they are paying attention now."
Marcus they probably have computers and internet access in prisons. Your bud's may find you because you were such a cool dude.
But...not on this blog.
I don't want to say that that last comment comes from some sort of racist fuckshit who doesn't know how to use apostrophes, but...well, there you are. I don't know why I let it through. Morbid amusement, I suppose.
Anyway, it seems that I am much more naive about race issues than I had thought. Still, it seems a wonder to me that someone could actually justify such things to him/herself. I mean, sure, we have all kinds of implicit racism all over the place, but you when you're actually making clear-cut decisions designed to foster racial divides...well, that's what separates the willfully clueless from the genuinely assholish, I guess.
well I sposen iffen it's all pozible dem young brudders might member de likes o me all dees yeaars lata might come afta me in the de dark o night an what all armed wit my numbas howeva unlikely but i must object to da drawin of any racil lines or anythin rezemblin class leetizm hear cuz i bin certfied color blinded all my life an yall just all look alike to me enyway an bean de cool dude dat i am i aint losin no sleep ober it cuz know what i'm sayin?
one musn't project one's deep seated fears before examining them for expiration dates. It only fosters the myth that all black teenagers end up in prison like their asshole parents and all white teenagers grow up and become wealthy CEOs like their asshole parents or just snarky asshole bloggers with misplaced apostrophes.
my kingdom for a horse...