Growing up. Finding yourself. Homecoming and football games. High school rivalries. Homophobia.
At least that's what it seems like at North High School in Eastlake, Ohio.
With all these stories of anti-gay bullying, and suicides, you'd think schools would at least be paying more attention. Not so.
At least that's what it seems like at North High School in Eastlake, Ohio, and their latest football fight song.
Fans from North High School--presumably, and hopefully, students, and not adults--have unveiled a new fight song to use whenever they meet up against their arch rival, Willoughby South.
"Powder Blue Faggots."
Oh, it's just a knock against Willoughby's school colors; North High employs a much more manly combination of black-and-orange. But really, is the song about the color of a uniform, or is the song aimed at the Willoughby South players? And, either way, why is it permitted to continue?
See, apparently, there was no a teacher or a parent anywhere near this game that tried to stop the North High chant, which is just a way of saying, "Hey, it's fine. Keep chanting."
Keep chanting, and when the thrill of the chant wears off, why not take it a step further and taunt one of the "Powder Blue Faggots"? And when the joy of the hunt wears thin, maybe the addition of fists and boots against a "Powder Blue Faggots" head might be fun.
This is how it starts, people, when you allow this kind of disgusting behavior to go unchecked. And this is how it escalates into violence, because a chant is fun for only so long.
Then it's on to more violent ideas. Like it did just one school district over from North High.
In the city of Mentor, Ohio, which has seen such a bullying epidemic in recent years that there are currently at least two lawsuits by parents who think administrators didn't do enough to protect their children. Like the parents of Eric Mohat--I first posted about Eric, and others, HERE--who was called "faggot" by students and told he should just go home and die.
Eric Mohat killed himself, and now his parents are suing to see to it that no other student endures what Eric did.
source change.org
And go there to send North High a message that this kind of behavior is intolerable.
This is a chant at a sportsgame, it happens all over the world everyday.
ReplyDeleteIt is not aimed at any specific person, they are just words.
Rise above it.
@kinkynik
ReplyDeleteSo, because it happens every day, and everywhere, we should ignore it?
Wrong.
These types of words, and chants, hurled at kids over and over again, degrades these kids so badly they think their only option is suicide.
So, why don't you rise above it.
Words can, and do, often hurt.
Rise above it? Fuck that. It just instills hate amongst so many people who hear it. Kinky can suck it.
ReplyDeleteRise above it my ass. Go to a New York Rangers hockey game at MSG and you'll hear "Homo Larry" to the tune of "Let's Go Rangers" and a very homophobic version of Camptown Races involving Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy.
ReplyDeleteWhile you so call "rise above it", you are tacitly saying that it is ok. The problem with bullying will not go away until all the silent bystanders get involed and say in no uncertain terms that it is NOT ok
ReplyDelete