The Violence of Being a Teen

With all of the recent happenings surrounding Kingston High School in Kingston, New York, internet message boards and personal emails have been overflowing with individual thoughts regarding the young men who have been attacked and beaten. As most of those engaged in discussion are not residents of that community, and have no first-hand knowledge of what the demographics or the tensions are there, myself included, much of what is being said has no real basis in fact.

Since New Jersey racist, Hal Turner, has decided to rally in that city on Saturday, along with an entourage of Nazi and Klan goons, (if you believe), the rhetoric surrounding these incidents has, at times, turned pretty insidious. The comments being made here have been toned down and lack the invective that is being seen in other areas across the internet - as they should be. However, one should certainly not be taken in by those who are attempting to gain the favor of mainstream America by putting on a false face.

Earlier today I made a quick trip around some of the more popular hate forums to get an idea of just how volatile this situation may be - and I was not surprised to see the typical racist in their cro-magnon state. While Hal Turner is trying desperately now to encourage his rats to stage a peaceful demonstration - there are those who want anything but. Pragmaticsaxon, citing the recent riots in France, queried whether or not Kingston could be "...the match that ignites nationwide burning..." Of course, he would like that:

"Personally, I say strike the match and let's set this issue ablaze.. America needs to be purged of all the brownskins.

"America is infested with spics, niggas, habibs, camel jockeys, etc. They must all go...

Need to send a message to the NWO and the filthy fucking jews that this land is for the Aryan peoples only.. "

Sure, Turner said no way and emphatically stated that the rally would be a peaceful one - but with mindsets like that, nothing is guaranteed. One ray of light showed up on Turner's forum and that was someone who actually lives in Kingston and who went to the high school in question.

Swordphish, who claims he is not a racist, tried to talk some sense into the heathens that frequent that board, and had the following to say:

"There is no issue of crimes committed by blacks against whites in Kingston. The two kids that got beaten are the victims of bullying - nothing more, nothing less. The bullies just happened to be black. I don't care what color they are, such people are scum. It sickens me that these events got turned into a race issue.

"If there should be a rally, it should be a rally against bullies in the school. All kids deserve to attend school without being harrased, verbally or physically - but the truth is that many kids don't get to enjoy a school day without feeling threatened or uncomfortable. These kids come in all races and social classes.

"Black kids get bullied in Kingston High - usually by other black kids - and nothing is done about it. White kids get bullied in Kingston High - usually by other white kids - and nothing is done about it. But when a black kid bullies a white kid - or a white kid bullies a black kid - all of the sudden it turns into racial intolerance and all hell breaks loose. Go figure.

"These white kids got beaten because they were the nearest feasible target for a bunch of mean-spirited punks. I've been bullied - insulted - beaten - jumped - by white kids and black kids - all because I looked different or because I was poorer than other kids. This is high-school. This type of thing happens all the time.

"And in the end of all of this, there will still be bullies at Kingston High, and there will still be an apparent problem of black-on-white crime - especially as the racial and social diversity increases - it's a matter of simple math.

"So during this rally, I really hope that the PRO and ANTI people are truly fighting for something - and not just fighting eachother for no reason - that'd just be stupid."

I hope so too...swordphish. I really do.

Being a teenager in today's world is not an enviable position - it's not a safe one either. While we would all agree that no child should be afraid to go to school, the statistics tell us that what is happening all over this country gives every child a reason to fear. Consider:

*282,000 students in sceondary schools are physically attacked each month.
*43% of students fear harrassment in the bathrooms at school.
*100,000 students carry a gun to school.
*Every 7 minutes a child is bullied at school.
*More youth violence occurs AT school as opposed to on the way to school.
*According to the latest poll, thirty-two percent of parents fear for their child’s physical safety when the child is at school. Thirty-nine percent of parents with a child in grade six or higher are more likely to say they fear for their child’s safety. Twenty-two percent of parents whose children are in grade five or lower fear for their child’s safety. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Now for those who claim that the attacks in Kingston should have resulted in hate crime charges - perhaps they should have. But, the Kingston Police Department has stated that there is no evidence that the crimes were racially motivated. Those who perpetrated the crimes have been charged with felony assault. Without evidence that these assaults were racist in nature, there is little chance that such charges will be brought.

Understanding that emotions are running at full throttle and that the parents of at least one of the victims are anguished beyond belief, it remains absolutely unconscionable that those from the racist right would exploit these people and their pain to reach some unreachable goal of some insidious agenda. They are not interested in the pain or the anguish - only their own notoriety. They are not protesting bullying, or even school violence. They are protesting black people. They are protesting non-white individuals. They are protesting the very premise that this great country was built upon. In actuality...Hal Turner and friends may be the worst bullies of all.