General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHigh School Boys Are Not Generally Noted for Their Good Sense
They often do stupid things, especially in large groups. That's why there are adults accompanying them on field trips like the one to DC to protest against women's rights to control their own reproductive lives. The adults are there to keep the immature boys from doing stupid things.
They didn't seem to be on the job for the Covington Catholic High School boys. Why is that? Where was the adult telling them to "Knock it off, boys!"
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)bearsfootball516
(6,369 posts)Chemisse
(30,793 posts)Even adults who are in large groups can turn into mobs, you certainly can't let huge groups of kids wander around without supervision.
Amishman
(5,541 posts)I think the age for many things should be raised to 20 or 21 (smoking, gun ownership, etc)
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)I am sure, though, that adults can help youngsters learn how to behave, by example and by telling them when they're behaving badly. It's sort of their responsibility to do that. From what I've seen of the behavior of those particular Catholic School boys, they are not receiving that kind of instruction from responsible adults.
For example, I would probably never suggest that teenage boys are good candidates to protest contraception and abortion. Why they were taken to DC for that "March for Life" really makes little sense to me. It's generally not a concern that they consider most of the time, unless a girlfriend is worried about a missed period or something.
The boys were way out of their element, and were acting stupid in an even stranger situation than a pro-life march. So, they acted stupidly, because nobody told them how they should act. Nobody herded them away from that small group of strange people with strange ideas. Nobody led them to where the bus was supposed to pick them up and told them to "Settle down, boys!"
A lot of blame should go to the adults who were there to supervise them. If even Freshman boys were on that trip, the supervision needed to be constant and alert. What happened never should have happened at all, with proper supervision. The boys are at fault, too, of course, but adults should have moved them away from that situation right away.
get the red out
(13,459 posts)The adults accompanying them were useless.
Arkansas Granny
(31,483 posts)https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/20/us/covington-kentucky-student-statement/index.html
If this is the case, it's no wonder these kids did stupid things. It's pretty obvious that no one has bothered to teach them proper behavior.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)different in many ways from behavior that is OK in a public square. Those boys appear not to have been taught the difference.
SunSeeker
(51,378 posts)They're not the Cov-Cath Braves. They don't do tomahawk chops at games. Rebel yells maybe, but not tomahawk chops and war whoops. Yelling "Build the wall!" at Nathan are not game stand cheers.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)They were over the top in several ways.
SunSeeker
(51,378 posts)These kids were being evil.
They surrounded a Native elder, did tomahawk chops and jeered as one of them stood sneering within inches of the elder's face.
Sure, unsupervised teens do stupid things like swallow Tide pods and toilet paper people's houses. But you have to have hate instilled in you to do what these boys did.
The chaperones did not stop what they were doing because they were fine with it. The chaperones were evil too.
matt819
(10,749 posts)Where were the chaperones? The boys were engaging in behavior endorsed by the chaperones. They didn't see the need to do anything.
What is a bit more disturbing is the kid's account of what transpired. He - and the school, and the community - had an opportunity to set things straight in a productive way. Basically along the lines of shit happens. We misunderstood the Indian guy, the Indian guy misunderstood us. We were disrespectful of our elders and we're sorry. We'd like to sit down with Mr. Phillips and talk things out. Heck, maybe we'll even ask those black guys to join us.
But no. They had to dig in, thanks to what is most likely a RW-leaning PR company. (I have no idea that this is the case, but no responsible PR person would take the approach these people did.) The problem, then, goes deeper and deeper. By digging in, entrenching them and their views into their collective psyches, we have a generation of kids graduating from this school who will be even more hateful, more racist, more bigoted than they might otherwise have been. They might have begun to undo the images of blackface and white power symbols. But no. The kids, their parents, the Diocese, and the PR firm have done everything in their powers to reinforce hate and racism.
Am I disgusted? Sure. Angry? Well, I have other things to be angry about. Surprised? No. It's kind of like that guy who murdered his fiance in Colorado. I had hoped that he was innocent. But, no. It's almost always the spouse/partner. And so it way there. People who wear MAGA hats are what they seem to be. So, no surprise.
SunSeeker
(51,378 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)What year is this?
matt819
(10,749 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)As an editor once instructed me "do your best to write downwards, to the lowest common denominator."
I think she was on to something.
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)and they said there wasn't anything they could do. They were probably too busy participating.
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)LeftInTX
(24,560 posts)A big load!!