Twins say their posters lampooned race-based awards

[Robb]

This missed the sell-by-date for LBN, so I thought I'd post it here, and see what DU thinks about it. I'll keep my own comments to myself for now, other than adding that nationally the only ones who seem to have picked up this story are Fox "News" (sic).

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Westside twins say their posters lampooned race-based awards

Two Westside High School students say they were using satire to make a point: The school shouldn't have a special award to recognize the achievement of black students.

That's why Paul and Scott Rambo, 16-year-old juniors, blanketed Westside on Monday with posters touting a white youth from South Africa for the "Distinguished African American Student" award.

"The posters were intended to be satire on the term African-American," Scott Rambo said.

The resulting flap left all three boys suspended from Wednesday's classes and drew national attention to the mostly white school. The Rambo twins stand by their actions, keeping them at odds with Westside officials.



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[KG]

1. snotty little buggers.

[Mikimouse]

2. Their methods stink, but I have to say...

that I am guilty of doing something similar. I often use a question similar to theirs to underscore what W.E.B. DuBois meant when he stated that African-American would never be able to shed the African part of the description. He argued that it would always be used to remind African-Americans of their skin color (an obvious stereotype). I suggest to my (mostly white) classes that if we are to be consistent, then anyone immigrating from SA to the US is, by definition, an African-American. Of course, the students always come up with arguments about why that should not be so. I ask why not? They respond in two ways, usually. The first is that it would be taking advantage of Affirmative Action (gag!), and the second is usually that we need to have a separate category for White South Africans. Laughable, but terribly sad. They completely miss the point, and in addition, they prove DuBois' point indirectly.

[DoctorMyEyes]

3. I think the school really screwed up

with the hasty suspensions.

I see it as they had a perfect "educational opportunity" presented to them - but instead tried to shut down any attempt at critical or creative thinking.

Recognizing that the word "African-American" is an American euphamism for people of color regardless of their actual heritage is something that could have been discussed.

I'm much more in favor of educating rather than punishing.

They could have learned about paradoxes
They could have learned about racial bias
They could have learned about the civil rights movement in America
They could have learned about the history of Apartheid in Africa

All lost.....

[tomreedtoon]

6. It WAS educational!

DoctorMyEyes said:

"I see it as they had a perfect "educational opportunity" presented to them - but instead tried to shut down any attempt at critical or creative thinking."

But it WAS an educational opportunity, and it was taken. It was a school administration telling their students, "Get in our way and we will wreck you." It's the same message administrators and teachers tell students every day.

In case you've forgotten what school is really about, it's about a group of domineering bullies with degrees exerting their will on frightened, insecure young people. School has as much to do with education as broccoli with Middle Eastern politics.

The kids who pulled this stunt, revealing a bit of racial politics in their own school, were educated. But don't worry, the principal, teachers and school board will beat it out of them.

[Mikimouse]

7. Whoa there, big fella...

"...domineering bullies with degrees exerting their will on frightened, insecure young people."??????
I believe that such a blanket statement is unnecessary. Of course, I am speaking from the 'dark side', as one such, but perceiving faculty as such is patently unfair to the vast majority of eeducators. These kids could have accomplished far more, had they taken a reasoned approach to the issue. What happened to writing letters to the school paper? Discussing the matter with the administration and faculty? Creativity is a laudable characteristic, but if it is used without tact, it becomes unnecessarily divisive.

[mike1963]

4. Well, obviously everyone in Amerika has the right to not be offended...

jeezus, what a tempest in a teapot. There are as many kinds of Africans as there are Americans.
:eyes:

If I were to move to Kenya, would I reasonably expected to be called "American-African"?

I'm 5th generation "american" but know a lot of so-called "Indians" (Native Americans) who have, IMO a clearer claim to the title than I do.

What a crock.

[masshole]

5. I don't like the award

No more "best of breed" awards like at a damn dog show.