in the real

i didn't want to write about this. in my mind (today), if it's not written down, it didn't happen. and i don't want to think about it happening on my watch.

there have been all kinds of racially-motivated incidents at the high school where i teach lately. whispered insults under the breath and dirty looks have made up the majority of the problems until this week. hateful, stupid, and sneaky. however, on sunday night, some of the students kicked it up a notch when they went "nigger knocking." okay, seriously, i've heard of this, but it's always several generations ago in a land far, far away. people would run up to a house, knock on the door, then run away. well, that's what the kids did, EXCEPT that they also targeted racially-mixed or liberal houses, included hate signs tacked to trees in the front lawn, and called themselves the "new KKK." that goes beyond hateful and stupid and into vicious and criminal. and then i got to school yesterday and some of my students were upset. why? because somebody had carved into MY community-corner windowsill upstairs "(female student's name) does niggers" or a variation on that theme six times.

to say i'm fucking pissed off is an understatement.