Fleming senior wears racist T-shirt to school

[Lochloosa]

By BRAD SCHMIDT, The Times-Union


"What's up with your shirt?"


Those are the words a former senior at Fleming Island High School remembers hearing as he walked from his fifth-period algebra class toward the gym. The 18-year-old, who is not being identified due to his family's concerns of safety, had just taken off his Dixie Outfitter T-shirt, exposing a highly offensive shirt.

The undershirt the white student wore had a confederate flag on the front with the words "Keep it flying." On the back, a cartoon depicted a group of hooded Klansmen standing outside a church, waving to two others who had just pulled away in a car reading "Just married."

Two black men in nooses were being dragged behind.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091505/met_19772830.shtml

I just LOVE living in this city..

[Tesha]

1. It's not just your city; it's America.

Our culture has become incredibly coarse and since it generally
serves to advance the needs of the Reich Wing oligarchs, they
not only do nothing to discourage it, but, in fact, actively
encourage it. Example 1: Rupert Murdoch and Fox, arch conservative
and smut-lite peddler.

Just about the best outcome that America can hope for right now
is Captain Trips and there are many far worse scenarios that are
all too possible.

Tesha

[raccoon]

33. I have to say I kind of agree with you about Capt. Trips. nt

[Rowdyboy]

2. The article is a "must read"

The depth of the young man's stupidity is stunning. Some of his quotes made my jaw drop. What a POS. He's really gonna geet his ass kicked big-time in the Marines...

[SheepyMcSheepster]

5. like this quote:

"I'm not racist or anything," he said. "It's just, some people I hate, some people I don't get along with. And black people just happen to be the ones because they think they're better than everyone else."

[LostinVA]

12. Yup, that's not a textbook definition of "racist"

Nope, not at all....

[ProfessorGAC]

54. Yeah. That Kid Is Dumber Than Dirt

The Professor

[raccoon]

34. Seems to me that should be:

"... Neocons/Republicans/fundies...think they're better than everyone else."

[alarcojon]

40. Not even this fuck will admit to being a racist

You identify racists by their actions, not their words.

[FreedomAngel82]

57. Ugh

Pot meet kettle!

[Arkana]

58. "I'm not racist. I just hate black people."

:eyes:

Please.

[tinymontgomery]

25. The marines

and all the services need to drop this POS like a lead pipe. He will bring nothing but disruption to the organization he's in.

[stanwyck]

41. Right. Wait until the Marines find

out what this kid said...my son (a Marine returning next week from his second tour in Iraq) is white. In boot camp, his drill Sargent was black, half of his platoon was black, and his best friend, who was so encouraging and strong, was black. That kid was so friendly and upbeat during my son's boot camp experience, that my son said it made all the difference between struggling and actually enjoying (really) boot camp.
During his tours in Iraq, my son has been with people of different races, religions, and backgrounds. Many of his COs have been black.
This trash talking T-shirt kid sounds like he's afraid of life. And that fear is taking the form of virulent racism.
People who raise their kids in racism might as well feed them poison. Their lives are stunted and misshapen by hate.

[alphafemale]

3. That article is heavily slanted in favoer of the racist.

Disgusting.

[Lochloosa]

4. The Florida Times Union is a very slanted paper

I'll let you guess which way it slants....

[northzax]

42. I don't see that

the article reads to me like the school basically let the kid get beaten because he's an idiot, and then told him not to come back. It quotes him talking about his parent's being disapointed in him, and the school calling him 'immature and stupid' which seems about right.

The article strikes just the right note, I think, without overtly editorializing, it makes the kid look like a stupid asshole, and that everyone else handled it just right.

[ecstatic]

59. i agree with you

the article seemed neutral; just reporting the facts. the impression left with me is that the kid is just an idiot

[leftchick]

6. an 18 year high school senior taking Algebra?

:eyes:

[alphafemale]

11. Not very bright. Seems the Marines are scraping the bottom of the Barrel.

Article implied he was on the scrawny side too.

[iconoclastic cat]

14. This kid really, really needs to be sent to Iran.

Er, I mean, Syria. Wait...Iraq! Hold on, who are we blowing up these days?

[kittenpants]

15. I teach college freshmen who don't know what nouns & verbs are.

Somebody kill me.

[Qibing Zero]

16. Truth:

The school system where I went to school was so bad that, despite the fact I was in advanced classes my whole life, I learned more about English in French class than I did in any English class. Our French teacher basically had to start off the class for a few days teaching English.

Another sad fact: They had an extremely special program for advanced kids in my elementary school, but since the middle school and high school both sucked, my vocabulary was better off in 5th grade than it was upon graduation.

[B3Nut]

22. Not only do many public schools suck,

but many parents suck too. No involvement in their childrens' education. I'm not college-educated (I'm self-taught in IT) but I do attempt to be proficient in English. I remember working in a factory and reading memos issued by upper management - the egregious errors in grammar and spelling made my jaw drop. Anyone who uses an apostrophe to make a noun plural in official correspondence needs to have their diploma or degree revoked. "We try to be fair to our employee's." - ARRRRRRGH! <bang head on desk>

High school should have been an environment for rapid vocabulary advancement, but it was limited in that regard. I sometimes took to reading through the dictionary in study halls just to enhance my word power. Geeky, yes. Did it help? Absolutely. Did "jocks" pick on me? Yes. Did I give a flying shit about their opinions? Hell no.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[greekspeak]

27. I hate the misuse of apostrophes. HATE IT!

I especially hate seeing apostrophes misused in more formal writing. For instance, a DAMN MEMO that management circulates! I see apostrophes misused in big signs in stores, and wonder who made the sign and why he or she still has a job.

[PDX Bara]

48. You Undoubtedly know about...

"Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss.

[Craig3410]

51. I do; great book. -nt-

[greekspeak]

26. Taking foreign languages helps with English grammar for certain

You cannot possibly begin to understand a second language without a good, basic understanding of English. English is collapsing in on itself as a structured language. Other languages, like German or Latin, have a lot of structure. You have to learn the structure, but as you do, you actually begin to see how English is supposed to work, as well as the new language.

[greekspeak]

23. I work with college SENIORS who cannot write English

On one paper I got in regards to an account from Matthew's gospel, "Matthew's account was real scary cause they knew a beaten (sic) was coming." Just last spring I got a paper that used the phrase "bitten in the butt." Who writes like this in a formal paper?

[Tesha]

39. Their hero.

> Just last spring I got a paper that used the phrase "bitten in the
> butt." Who writes like this in a formal paper?

Their hero, G. W. Bush.

It's like living in "Harrison Bergeron".

Tesha

[Tesha]

38. If you'll permit another reference to "The Stand"...

> Somebody kill me.

No need.

"We are dead ... and *THIS* is *HELL*!"

Nadine, err, Tesha

[ET Awful]

7. WTF . . . the kid says

"I'm not racist or anything," he said. "It's just, some people I hate, some people I don't get along with. And black people just happen to be the ones because they think they're better than everyone else."


I'm not racist, I just hate black people.

I wonder how the kid will react when he goes into the marines and meets that big black drill instructor :) . . . I wonder if he'll proudly wear his t-shirt then.

[kittenpants]

13. My mother-in-law said the same thing to me about her Muslim neighbors...

"I don't want to be a bigotress, but I just don't like those people!"

[fasttense]

8. The kid was asking for a fight and got one. He better be careful

there are a far amount of black marines and they wont take kindly to his shirt either.

[seemunkee]

9. "The 18-year-old said he has friends who are black"

Not anymore I bet.

[iconoclastic cat]

10. What an ignorant, useless piece of crap.

(edited: everyone posted the Marines quote already.)

Slappity, slappity, slap, slap, SLAP!"

[Danmel]

17. Unbelievable

I don't know what's worse - the kid or the reaction of school officials.

Every day I thank my father who immigrated to the United States from Poland after WW 2 for coming to New York City. Thank you Dad, for coming to NYC. I am so glad I was raised in NYC.

[Solly Mack]

18. I'm not racist - I just hate people who "happen" to be black

Is that the new spin on racism these days?

Goes well with "it's not hate speech, it's free speech"

There's a whole new lexicon of hate out there

It attempts to make hate and racism socially acceptable...to justify hate and racism

It's disgusting and people who hide behind such parsings are beneath contempt....

[kwassa]

30. I can't believe that this is viewed as "protected free speech"

Not in a high school. Speech rights are not unlimited.

[Solly Mack]

31. Exactly. It would not have been protected at my old HS

because a student's speech was limited...

[HoosierClarkie]

19. This is scary.

"He said he put the shirt on in the morning because he planned to wear it to a party that night with others who, like him, had enlisted in the Marines."

I guess this is our country's finest.

[LostinVA]

20. There are many blacks and other minorities in the military

And MANY are NCOs. This punk and his punk buddies are in for a rude awakening.... it makes me giggle to imagine him having a black
male DI, a black female ('cause I suspect he doesn't want a woman bossing him around, either)CO, and a hispanic NCO.

[zbdent]

21. Maybe someone should take him out for a "Texas Byrd joyride"

so that he can experience the pleasure of the Black Southern experience benefits . . .

[BiggJawn]

24. They're not EVEN trying to hide it anymore....

Evil Babs Bush's comment about Katrina survivors must have given them the idea that it's OK to bring it back out of the cellar now...

[alphafemale]

29. Agree. The Dixie Outfitter stuff I've seen was only moderately offensive.

Heavy on the Confederate Flag, but this is mind blowing.

[Lochloosa]

36. I agree with you. Since he bought it at a flea market

it most likely was a "knock-off". I went to Dixie Outfitter's website and could not find this shirt. Actually, I couldn't find anything close. There shirts are not offensive, they are just proclaiming their "southern heritage".

[alphafemale]

37. I read it again and it seems the shirt was UNDER the Dix.Out. shirt.

The "Flag" thing is a sore spot for some.

Large percentage of the time someone sporting the flag on their person or property is a racist.

I was involved in the campaign to get it removed from the GA state flag a few years back.
I didn't think it should have a place as such an officially promoted symbol.
Private individuals or groups should be free to use it as they wish though.

[Lochloosa]

43. I missed that one, thanks.

And you are right...should not be "officially pomoted symbol"

[kwassa]

28. This student should be expelled

no ifs, ands, or buts ...

[northzax]

44. in essence, he was

the school probably can't expell him for this, there are strict rules about expulsion from a public school, but the principle basically told him not to come back. close enough.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

32. .......

[bunkerbuster1]

35. Hate to admit it, but my FAVORITE line in this story?

"Upset by the shirt, a 17-year-old black student hit the white student in the head."

yeah, baybee!

[goclark]

49. I'm not one for getting physical BUT

this bully deserved to get hit in the head.


Malcolm X where are you when we need you!

[Coventina]

45. Well, goodnight folks. Going to bed. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Some mornings it's just not worth getting up and turning on the computer.

:cry: :mad: :puke: :banghead:

There just aren't enough angry, sad and sickened smilies to express how disgusted I am with this story.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

46. I think I found my new sig line.

"I'm not racist or anything," he said. "It's just, some people I hate, some people I don't get along with. And black people just happen to be the ones because they think they're better than everyone else."

:eyes:

[wakeme2008]

47. I hate that shit rag paper

I was working in Jax for the 2000 election and they NEVER had a LTTE that was pro Gore. :grr:

[Craig3410]

50. Wow... he literally used the "but some of my best friends are black" bit.

The 18-year-old said he has friends who are black,

I'm not a homophobe, some of my best friends are gay!

I'm not an anti-semite, some of my best friends are Jewish!

I'm not a racist, some of my best friends are black!


Every time they pull that line out, they're almost always a homophobe/anti-semite/racist.

[Danmel]

52. But but......

Some of my best friends are Republicans! ;)

[defiant1]

53. Exactly....

*snip*

"I'm not racist or anything," he said. "It's just, some people I hate, some people I don't get along with. And black people just happen to be the ones because they think they're better than everyone else."

then....

The 18-year-old said he has friends who are black, and he said he does not think they would be mad at him because they know he would not do what was depicted on the shirt.

*snip*

So which is it? He hates blacks, but has a few for friends??

Weird.

[tamtam]

55. WTH

This article is slanted, and highly offensive. For some reason I don't see anyone throwing a fit on DU about this article yet yesterday I posted a freeper chain letter and people were all over me calling me a racist freeper even though I'm black. I was simply trying to get information because I didn't know it was a freeper chain letter so I could refute it and I get attacked and called a racist. This person post a highly offensive article about black people being dragged from a fucking truck and this is allowed to stay on DU even though several people have said the article is slanted and I also say it is slanted toward the racist. It's seems like the person who wrote this article is saying well it's really no big deal ,which in my opinion is condoning the act of hanging men from fucking trees then dragging them behind a truck. If this isn't fucking freeper propaganda then I don't know what is. I'm not calling the OP a freeper but this article is freeper trash. This crap is allowed to be posted on DU and no one finds this offensive?

I personally find this article highly offensive as if we didn't know there are racist in freaking jacksonville Florida. Damn people, there are still parts of Florida that black people cannot even walk through at night but some of you act like you are so surprised wake up! When I was stationed in Florida I was given a list of places I was not allowed to travel to especially at night

Why is this particular slogan and t-shirt such a surprise to some of you? For gods sake this shirt and that particular slogan has been around for a long time now this is not new. They also have a shirt displaying the Klan with the slogan "boys in the hood". I guess the N word is more offensive to some of you than a slanted article in regards to some kid displaying lynchings on his t-shirt, unbelievable.

I read the article and it made me cry because lynchings still go on in this country but you don't hear about it. Funny how lynchings only get brought up if some stupid kid is running around displaying it on his t-shirt.I'm sure the local Klan is pissed at this kid for drawing attention to them. Maybe some of you can do some research and realize this crap isn't all talk.

[alphafemale]

56. I agree that the article was slanted and sympathetic to the racist.

I said so above.

Amazing that people continue to deny things happening right in front of their eyes.

[theHandpuppet]

60. How about this fashion statement?

http://www.fair.org/sp-shirt.html

This shirt is one sold by Southern Partisan, that collection of neocon racists & dominionists whose supporters and defenders include John Ashcroft, Dick Armey, Trent Lott, John McCain and Pat Buchanan, among others.