whatever is needed to be said

Racism

noun. the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races

I know not many people read this, and it may be ages later until a single person does, but please read through my rant and reaction to some things that have been going on in my hometown. Please comment your opinions--nicely. The internet should be a safe place where we can share our ideas in a friendly manner, form our own opinions and thoughts, and push for growth in society.

I'd like to focus on racism.

Recently there has been a video posted from a school in my county (in America)--not my school, but a lot of my friends attend here--of a male making extremely racist comments. The video is 17 seconds long and it made national news. There was a walk out at the school last week and another protest today, and the school system is trying to keep us from attending by giving us other options to "express ourselves". Actual news reporters showed up to this school for the walk out, and the kid that made the comments got suspended. People are outraged, and so am I.

Here are a few problematic points I've encountered through this ordeal:

1) Today in one of my classes, a girl expressed her confusion as to why any students not from the originating school felt the need to do anything or become a part of this outbreak.
I'm sorry I didn't realize that no one else was allowed to voice their opinions against racism. We all should have a view, and the fact that you don't understand why some students feel the need to participate shows you are too ignorant to be a part of the change in this world.

2) Some kids at my school were talking about going to the walk out to skip class--or hoping enough students would go that we wouldn't be able to learn anything.
To those students (or any that agree): we are privileged whites in one of America's richest school districts, you should appreciate your chance to get a higher education. Protests are a chance to voice your opinion on controversial topics that should matter, not a chance for you to slack off after a five-day-weekend.

3) A freshman that hangs around me asked if it is possible to be racist against whites.
Yes, any race can be discriminated against in certain circumstances, but do you here how self-centered and stupid this question sounds? Oh, I know that one of the most picked on races yet again faces a brutal discrimination, but is it possible that it could happen to me as well?

4) The same girl made a statement that there is a group of black kids that all hang out together at our school. They all dress the same; they all listen to the same music; they're basically asking for racist comments. Literally her words.
If you cannot already see how fucked up that statement is, let me argue it for you.
First, white girl, I'm pretty sure you listen to similar music as your friends, or dress similarly to them. Are you asking to be brought down and discriminated against for having a pair of those knee-high riding boots or whatever they're called and participating in "fancy Fridays"? No, in fact, it's considered "cool" and "popular". Saying that someone is asking to be discriminated based on their race by dressing or acting a certain way or liking a certain type of music is the same as saying a girl was asking to be raped or sexually assaulted by dressing "provocatively" when any and EVERYONE should have the freedom to be themselves without fear of being attacked or discriminated against.

5) At the walk out, some people showed up to argue their own personal complaints in front of the multitude of students and news reporters.
While I support fighting for causes you believe are important, this walk out was specifically to protest the racist comments the male student made in his video. I don't know exactly what happened or what other topics were brought up, but a racism protest isn't the place to get your thoughts on television. I'm sorry, but I feel very strongly about accepting diversity and ending racism, so the fact that people had the audacity to try and steal the focus from on of the most prevalent issues in the world today gets me fired up. I believe the spotlight should have remained on fighting racist beliefs.

6) The principals of the other schools in my county encouraged us to stay in class and not attend the walk out.
I appreciate the need for education, and the fact that we just had a week off from snow surely doesn't help, but what's the point of school--especially high school and lower--if you pass up the real-life opportunities to voice your opinions on such an important cause. Education means shit if we let the rights of the real world crumble. All our learning is for nothing if we can't handle social situations--even at extremes like a protest. It should be noted that a meeting that night to voice your opinion was mentioned to the students, which was a well thought out response. I still believe it was wrong to pressure students to silence their thoughts in a protesting setting. Plus giving a meeting as an alternative for a true protest (where students feel to have more power) is less desirable, meaning less kids will be willing to be heard.

Racism happens everywhere and to all races and I'm fucking tired of it. We are all people and we all deserve to be treated equally and fairly.

These are just a few of the many issues I've noticed since this chaos started, not including the extremely conservative and racist asshole in my junior class. He pisses me off so much I'd need another thousand words just for him.

There is also the argument of whether racism is learned or chosen. Again this point would take much longer to argue, and I'm sure I've bored you enough. Please comment if you want to hear my stance on this subsection of racism or any other controversial topics.

Thanks for reading!