Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008

Students’ Protest Sends Wrong Message

By Kaitlyn Bivin

Contributing Writer

The following is a guest editorial by Grapevine High School senior Kaitlyn Bivin, editor-in-chief of GHS’ student newspaper, The Manestream. Kaitlyn is also working this fall as an intern at the Courier.

Living in a country that prides itself on the principles of freedom and diversity, one would assume the American people shifted ideals from those rooted in racial hatred, segregation and intolerance amid the election of an African-American man.

However, in certain North Texas middle schools the perception of this dream has been warped.

On the day after the decisive victory by President-Elect Barack Obama, some students adorned themselves in black clothing and spouted racial slurs to "mourn" Obama’s election. I find this to be repulsive. In my naiveté, I seemed to have forgotten that the world has not changed — racial hatred still exists. What terrifies me the most is the fact that many of the perpetrators are 11- to 13-year-old children. Most would argue that they do not know any better based on their age, that their sentiments are simply a reflection of other influences in their lives. But developmental theorist Jean Piaget would argue differently. According to his theories of development, children gain the ability to understand abstract ideas at age 12. Thus, most of the students understood precisely the content of their message. However, the children are not entirely to blame.

Parents also carry with them an air of responsibility for their child’s actions, as does society. We are taught one simple rule of thumb as children — to obey our parents. Naturally, as we grow older, the ideals of our elders imprint themselves upon us.

I recall as a child when my great-grandparents uttered the "n" word as if it were just a term — a way to describe a certain group of people of lesser status. That memory appalls me to this day.

I cannot fathom that some people were raised to be so ignorant toward a group of individuals. It saddens me to recognize that sort of disillusioned ideal has reared its vicious head yet again.

I fail to recognize how anyone would allow their child to attend school armed with the knowledge of their protest. But, perhaps we can expect nothing less from today’s youth as long as the "n" word has become a socially acceptable phrase to be used to signify camaraderie, which has become more pronounced in music and television. While freedom of speech is encouraged, the manner in which their views were expressed is unacceptable.Perhaps if the students educated themselves on the candidates instead of repeating "facts" they gathered from Fox News, they might be able to comprehend that Barack Obama is not a terrorist, nor is he a Muslim extremist, and Sarah Palin was never a maverick. Knowledge is the first step into understanding. Save your racial slurs for the 1800s.