Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers don’t listen to that song for fun these days. It’s an old song. They knew what they were doing.

There’s zero basis to make that accusation, and I hope these kids’ parents get lawyers to fight the false accusation of racism.

The song is frequently played at baseball games to this day. It’s entirely possible that there is some movement to tag it as offensive in retrospect but zero evidence that it was a racist act here.

And of course, making this incident into a circus does the exact opposite of what’s intended. If people genuinely take offense at the song now, then what should happen is education about it to change norms. Not a witch hunt with extreme consequences- no doubt some people want to threaten these kids with explusion, loss of college admissions, etc.

And I hope that any parents of the accused who decide to lawyer up over this incident are bankrupted in the process. Raise your children better and stop trying to defend their poor behavior!

That's DCUM's answer to everything BUT never pursues anything. No reason to involve a lawyer. No identities have been released and no privacy laws broken. The punishment is what it is and if you wanna fight, go for it. I doubt that a family wants to go thru the "discovery" process? That alone could be devastating-all media posts are fair game! Just apologize, learn, and listen to others.

Anonymous wrote:Very telling that the majority here don't have a kid at SWW but think they know the environment. Well you really don't have a clue! The incident was the tipping point related to other issues. The meaning of the song today can be something quite different to teens than 25 years ago or in your bubble. People will give you the benefit of the doubt. Just say "I'm sorry ,I didn't know" and remove the post. This doesn't appear to be the case. I glad my DD and classmates took a stand. It's a learning experience for all.

Your DD joined a witch hunt mob for her own self aggrandizement - thereby making it much harder to actually handle these incidents in an age-appropriate and productive way. Also there’s no evidence that the kids refused to delete the Tiktok.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers don’t listen to that song for fun these days. It’s an old song. They knew what they were doing.

There’s zero basis to make that accusation, and I hope these kids’ parents get lawyers to fight the false accusation of racism.

The song is frequently played at baseball games to this day. It’s entirely possible that there is some movement to tag it as offensive in retrospect but zero evidence that it was a racist act here.

And of course, making this incident into a circus does the exact opposite of what’s intended. If people genuinely take offense at the song now, then what should happen is education about it to change norms. Not a witch hunt with extreme consequences- no doubt some people want to threaten these kids with explusion, loss of college admissions, etc.

And I hope that any parents of the accused who decide to lawyer up over this incident are bankrupted in the process. Raise your children better and stop trying to defend their poor behavior!

right - like you wouldn’t defend your child from expulsion based on a false accusation?

Very telling that the majority here don't have a kid at SWW but think they know the environment. Well you really don't have a clue! The incident was the tipping point related to other issues. The meaning of the song today can be something quite different to teens than 25 years ago or in your bubble. People will give you the benefit of the doubt. Just say "I'm sorry ,I didn't know" and remove the post. This doesn't appear to be the case. I glad my DD and classmates took a stand. It's a learning experience for all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers don’t listen to that song for fun these days. It’s an old song. They knew what they were doing.

There’s zero basis to make that accusation, and I hope these kids’ parents get lawyers to fight the false accusation of racism.

The song is frequently played at baseball games to this day. It’s entirely possible that there is some movement to tag it as offensive in retrospect but zero evidence that it was a racist act here.

And of course, making this incident into a circus does the exact opposite of what’s intended. If people genuinely take offense at the song now, then what should happen is education about it to change norms. Not a witch hunt with extreme consequences- no doubt some people want to threaten these kids with explusion, loss of college admissions, etc.

And I hope that any parents of the accused who decide to lawyer up over this incident are bankrupted in the process. Raise your children better and stop trying to defend their poor behavior!

I've heard the song hundreds of times and never knew it was racist. But I don't to make excuses for these kids -- it's possible they didn't know the song's racist background but STILL had intended to do something that was racially discriminatory. At the very least it should be investigated.

But it's very sad that any interaction between Black and non-Black people, that would be nothing if between people of the same race, is almost by default considered racist against Black people until proven otherwise.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people wonder why so many White families end up moving away or going private by High School.

Are you staking the position that white families leave DC because they cannot be racist without pushback? That strikes me as a very cynical take on the white residents of MoCo and Nova, but maybe you know better than I.

Teenagers do unkind things to each other, do dumb things and can be generally unempathetic. If they do these things around members of their own race, its generally no biggie and life goes on. If it crosses racial lines, it potentially becomes life ruining.

Stand around any DCPS HS at dismissal, and watch how the students treat each other. The name calling, the language, the horse-play, the yelling; none of that ever causes a walk-out. Why is that?

Nobody's this dumb. If kids can horseplay at dismissal, they should be able to be racist? What is the connection in your mind, exactly? Is a little racism between friends how you let off steam?

But if you're raising your kids to think that racism is just being generally unempathetic, and believe that being racist is "life ruining" for the racist but somehow also a false accusation on the part of the recipient of your child's unkind dumbness, then good riddance to you and your white family. The way you people are telling on yourself is bizarre. Like an Onion writer is floating trial balloons in this thread, finetuning a piece about horrible white parents.

DP. I am raising my kid to respect and listen when someone tells him that his words/actions are hurtful (even if he did not intend them that way). But I will also defend him to the last if someone tries to ruin his life over an innocent mistake or “unnkind dumbness.” PP’s point is that kids engage in “unkind dumbness” all the time (including on social media) but there’s only one scenario where this can result in life-changing consequences.

Anonymous wrote:Teenagers don’t listen to that song for fun these days. It’s an old song. They knew what they were doing.

I hate this song with a fiery passion, and have since it was the 90s, when it a favorite at dance clubs, weddings, sporting events, etc. It was inescapable, and I'd love for the song to die. But unfortunately it lives on on Tik Tok. There are THOUSANDS of videos there of people showing off line-dancing skills, doing some silly challenge where they smash cans with their feet, etc. And on Tik Tok, it is just the same 15 seconds of a song played over and over. I wish teens spent more time with history books than on TikTok, but I'm sad to say most kids know this song from TikTok as a goofy hybrid country-techno song, like Old Town Road.

I'm not defending these kids. I don't know the details of the incident, so I'm not going to pass judgement. Just wanted to counter, that teenagers DO listen to that song for fun these days.

Glad it was handled and hope everyone is okay.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people wonder why so many White families end up moving away or going private by High School.

Are you staking the position that white families leave DC because they cannot be racist without pushback? That strikes me as a very cynical take on the white residents of MoCo and Nova, but maybe you know better than I.

Teenagers do unkind things to each other, do dumb things and can be generally unempathetic. If they do these things around members of their own race, its generally no biggie and life goes on. If it crosses racial lines, it potentially becomes life ruining.

Stand around any DCPS HS at dismissal, and watch how the students treat each other. The name calling, the language, the horse-play, the yelling; none of that ever causes a walk-out. Why is that?

Nobody's this dumb. If kids can horseplay at dismissal, they should be able to be racist? What is the connection in your mind, exactly? Is a little racism between friends how you let off steam?

But if you're raising your kids to think that racism is just being generally unempathetic, and believe that being racist is "life ruining" for the racist but somehow also a false accusation on the part of the recipient of your child's unkind dumbness, then good riddance to you and your white family. The way you people are telling on yourself is bizarre. Like an Onion writer is floating trial balloons in this thread, finetuning a piece about horrible white parents.

I, 45 yo f, right here from the DC area, didn’t know cotton eye Joe was a racist song, and frankly hadn’t ever read all of the lyrics. It’s played everywhere especially in the summertime. I hope those kids were ignorant to it like I was.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And people wonder why so many White families end up moving away or going private by High School.

Are you staking the position that white families leave DC because they cannot be racist without pushback? That strikes me as a very cynical take on the white residents of MoCo and Nova, but maybe you know better than I.

Teenagers do unkind things to each other, do dumb things and can be generally unempathetic. If they do these things around members of their own race, its generally no biggie and life goes on. If it crosses racial lines, it potentially becomes life ruining.

Stand around any DCPS HS at dismissal, and watch how the students treat each other. The name calling, the language, the horse-play, the yelling; none of that ever causes a walk-out. Why is that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT a racist song. Period. Doesn’t anyone remember the techno version from the 90s by some Swedish group? If anything it was making fun of white American stereotypes. It is also a long running *baseball* tradition. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/fernando-rodney-marlins-dance-during-fort-bragg-game-c187828322

It’s entirely possible that the Black child or Walls classmates interpreted the song as racist. But they were wrong.

I hope the Walls admin handles this appropriately, but I doubt it.

Boy, I can see the arguments that the students didn't know what they were doing. And, we should lean towards giving children the benefit if the doubt. But, it's something to see such a denial of the complicated history of the song. Words such as "He was de nig dat sarved me so" are right there to see and it was a popular song in minstrels where blackface was central. Other and more modern variations don't change this history.

We should not try to destroy these young men. But, we also should not dismiss the reaction as political correctness gone wrong.

Those lyrics are not in the 90s version of the song. When it is played today the true stereotype being perpetuated is of ignorant white “hicks” or “rednecks.”

But of course we can evolve in our understanding and preferences.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT a racist song. Period. Doesn’t anyone remember the techno version from the 90s by some Swedish group? If anything it was making fun of white American stereotypes. It is also a long running *baseball* tradition. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/fernando-rodney-marlins-dance-during-fort-bragg-game-c187828322

It’s entirely possible that the Black child or Walls classmates interpreted the song as racist. But they were wrong.

I hope the Walls admin handles this appropriately, but I doubt it.

Boy, I can see the arguments that the students didn't know what they were doing. And, we should lean towards giving children the benefit if the doubt. But, it's something to see such a denial of the complicated history of the song. Words such as "He was de nig dat sarved me so" are right there to see and it was a popular song in minstrels where blackface was central. Other and more modern variations don't change this history.

We should not try to destroy these young men. But, we also should not dismiss the reaction as political correctness gone wrong.

The Rednex version does not have those lyrics. Personally I’ve never heard the other lyrics and did not know they existed. Many people in this thread have said the same.

Anonymous wrote:This is NOT a racist song. Period. Doesn’t anyone remember the techno version from the 90s by some Swedish group? If anything it was making fun of white American stereotypes. It is also a long running *baseball* tradition. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/fernando-rodney-marlins-dance-during-fort-bragg-game-c187828322

It’s entirely possible that the Black child or Walls classmates interpreted the song as racist. But they were wrong.

I hope the Walls admin handles this appropriately, but I doubt it.

Boy, I can see the arguments that the students didn't know what they were doing. And, we should lean towards giving children the benefit if the doubt. But, it's something to see such a denial of the complicated history of the song. Words such as "He was de nig dat sarved me so" are right there to see and it was a popular song in minstrels where blackface was central. Other and more modern variations don't change this history.

We should not try to destroy these young men. But, we also should not dismiss the reaction as political correctness gone wrong.

Anonymous wrote:Also, if other students had such a problem with it that they went to admin and protested, that means that teens very much understand the connotation of the song.

Lol no. “The social media pile-on means that they must be right!”

Cause we all know that Tiktok is the truth.