Texas high school students (Twitter / @louismccorgilee).
CYPRESS, Texas – Several controversial photos of students from Cypress Ranch High School are circulating on social media.
The pictures show a group of students, some with their hands in the air making what appears to be a Nazi salute.
In an email to KPRC Channel 2, a student who witnessed the incident but asked to remain anonymous said students were shouting “Heil Hitler” and “Heil Trump. The student also said it was at least 70 or so people and, “It was pretty terrifying.”
The photos were taken on Tuesday, picture day for the senior class. One photo was supposed to be serious, the second was supposed to be funny.
But no one is laughing about it now.
The email from the Cypress Ranch student went on to say, “Most people may think it was just kids just joking around but in the current political climate and the fact these kids are seniors in high school, it’s beyond unacceptable.”
I’m very weary of the “funny! joke!” bullshit. No, it’s not funny. No, it’s not a joke. There are people who can do such a thing right, like Mel Brooks, but this is plain old ugly nazism, performed by a bunch of young white men, about ready to launch themselves into the world at large. Not remotely funny.
From a letter written by the principal of the school:
“This letter is to make you aware of a situation that occurred on our campus today while our senior class was taking a large group panoramic picture. Several of our students made the poor choice of displaying inappropriate gestures during this time. Unfortunately, many of these images have been shared on social media. This is extremely disappointing as this is not an accurate representation of our student body.
“We are currently conducting an investigation and those implicated will be punished according to the Student Code of Conduct.
“We ask that you talk to your students regarding the posting and sharing of negative social media as this perpetuates a false image of Cy Ranch HS.
No worry at all about the fact they have a large group of nazis in their school. No, this is all about image. Dammit, nazi boys, we told you, be discreet! This is a disgusting response, to say the least. What’s the punishment going to be, a course in proper nazi etiquette? Going by the Raw Story article, there were teachers present, but not one of them said a word, or told the nazis to knock it off. So normalised already that fully fledged adults turn their heads away from nazi youth. Great sign, ennit?
Via Click2Houston and Raw Story.
In the same vein, white supremacy was on view at a basketball game:
Video has surfaced from the controversial Dover and Jefferson basketball game on Friday during which members of the Jefferson crowd shouted racial remarks at an African-American player on the Dover team and “Build the wall” during their pre-game warm-ups.
The incident came to light Monday when Jefferson Superintendent Patrick Tierney apologized after students “allegedly made racist and/or offensive statements directed at the Dover athletes” during Friday’s game. Dover Superintendent Robert Becker issued a statement hours later in which he identified two of those statements, saying Dover students chanted “ashy knees” at a player, as well as, “Build the wall.”
Video obtained by NJ Advance Media shows several instances of members of the Jefferson crowd shouting “ashy knees” when an African-American player steps up to the free throw line for several foul shots. Occasionally, one area would shout “ashy,” and the other area would follow with “knees.”
The theme for the night was American pride, and several people in the video were dressed in clothes featuring the American flag — and one member of the crowd waved a full-sized American flag. Earlier chants combined with the flags, upset some Dover parents.
Michael Moore, a parent of a Dover High School basketball player, told NJ Advance Media he believed the Jefferson crowd’s intent was to disparage Dover — a town with a significant Hispanic and African-American population.
“Their intent was disrespect,” he said. “Not to promote the country as a whole.”
Moore, who was in attendance at the game, said he placed the blame on the adults in the Jefferson group as they “allowed this and put this together.”
If you click on over to the full article, you’ll see the incredibly flimsy, bullshit excuses provided by adults for their little nazis in training. Disgust isn’t strong enough. There’s also video at the link.
I’m not going to automatically blame the teachers. If I’d been there, I might have been desperately trying to locate my lower jaw, and have been too stunned too formulate a coherent response. Also afraid — lone nazis are bad enough, but in a group they’re terrifying.
I’m not sure how the administration should respond. Withholding degrees, maybe? They either didn’t learn much, or learned entirely the wrong lessons.
Maybe the principal is upset it was only 70 students and the salutes weren’t properly in unison. How embarrassing, dare I say “Sad!”
The principal might be worried about losing federal funding if the students don’t properly show their respect for der fuhrer.
I’ll be happy to heap some of the blame on the teachers. This wasn’t something that came out of nowhere. They were interacting with these students for years. Much of the sentiment may have come from the teachers themselves or, as Caine pointed out, the “best case” scenario seems to be they allowed the normalization of Nazi ideas to flourish.
Kengi:
Yep, I’m with you. I will, and do blame the teachers. These adults have been a consistent presence and part of the lives of these young adults. They are supposedly, in a position of authority. If I had been there, I would have immediately said something, jaw on the fucking ground or not. This is how fascism, nazism, all that takes over -- people look away, lower their heads, stay silent. Fuck staying silent -- this is not something any one of us can now afford to do. If you choose silence, you are deliberately paving the way for nazis. No, I won’t give those teachers even a scintilla of benefit. NO.
I’m damn weary of people constantly finding ways to protect nazis, fascists, and those who refuse to stand up to them. We are not in a crisis here, we are already sliding down the throat of full blown fascism, and the hand wringing continues. Fuck that fucking noise.
Caine, #4
This times a hundred. Just look at how much benefit of the doubt is immediately given to these people anytime something like this happens. You can even be a vocal, openly pro-genocide, unmistakably white supremacist public figure and people will be bending over backwards to defend you. I’ve yet to hear an even remotely satisfactory reason other than some theoretical, feel-goody, divorced from reality, completely ignorant of history and current events bullshit excuses.
“Fuck that fucking noise.”
Like Saad said -- that’s not near enough fucks.
That is bullshit, and big parts of Cypress are pretty damn white, Republican, and priviledged.
Saad:
Yeah. I’m not even buying denial anymore. It’s the ultimate in tone arguments, this “we must be civil!” crap. Why in the fuckety fuck anyone thinks civility will work with nazis and fascists, I don’t know.
Coragyps:
Ah. So, as Kengi said, there’s a good chance some of those teachers endorse nazism.
This insistence on a naïve, simplistic definition of “free speech” is the best thing ever to happen to fascists and nazis.
How else could they get their opponents to defend them?
Kids these days should be more careful about what they share on social media!
Fuck that fucking shit, too.
That photo freaks me the fuck out, and if none of those teachers present had the presence of mind to yell “what the hell are you doing” as a minimum (because sure as shit that’s not a response I would be able to control), then they’re definitely to blame in the fostering of these attitudes. If those students felt confident enough to go for that gesture in a crowd in front of ‘authority’ figures, then they’ve definitely been supported (at the very least, encouraged by the silence around them).
Jesus.
That photo is like the fucking 30s and it fucking freaks me out.