Dear Editor:
I have been hearing more and more about the “Jena Six” lately, and I just have a few thoughts. I want to make it very clear that racism has no place in a free society. I honestly can’t decide whether to compare a racist to a criminal or a mentally ill person. That being said, I do want to make a point.
While the acts leading up to the beating of the white kid were indeed provocative and inappropriate, even disgusting, there is still a possibility that the black kids who beat him up are in the wrong as well. It seems impossible to get unbiased facts these days, but it is to my understanding that the “Jena Six” beat a boy pretty badly as a result of a string of racist actions. I’m not saying he is innocent in any way. I’m proposing that the whole situation could have been productive had they responded to the blatant racism in a more dignified manner than they did.
When they beat him, they acknowledged that what he said affected them. He won. However, if they had simply ignored or even mocked the acts by those shallow-minded, ignorant racists, much more could have been gained. They didn’t stoop to his level, but they did lower their standards when they sought a violent solution. Rather than trying to defend some irrational, senseless beating, they could have labeled these people as the idiots they are.
That being said, I have a closing point. The beating that occurred as a result of the racist acts of the white students isn’t justifiable. They beat someone up, arguably someone who was (disgustingly) practicing free speech. Attempted murder sounds extremely harsh, but some community service sounds fair. No crime was committed (to my knowledge) by saying the things that were said, or even hanging rope from a tree. Those things aren’t acceptable by any means, and neither is violence. The white kid makes it clear through his actions that he is a bigot. Ignorance like his should have no influence on a proud, dignified black community.
-Josh Stanley

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