“Kids will be kids,’ they say; and it’s the job of parents and teachers to turn them into responsible adults. Babies aren’t born with social skills, and the process of acquiring social skills is called “socialization.” All children go through it. But America, on the whole, isn’t doing a very good job of socializing its future adults.
Data collected by the Department of Education shows a steep rise in racist bullying and other hate behavior in America’s public schools over the last 5 years (see chart below). In theory, this might simply be better or more consistent reporting; however, anecdotal evidence from the field — including what kids themselves say — suggests such behavior is on the rise.
Why? To begin with, it’s occurring in tandem with more racism in society. We’ve learned since 2017 that America isn’t as nice a country as we thought it had become. Racism was a big issue in my youth — my high school years coincided with the great civil rights struggles of the 1960s — and in the decades since, it seemed that while we hadn’t entirely put it behind us, things had gotten better and were trending in the right direction.
Then came Trump, who effectively gave racists permission to be openly racist again, and it splashed over public spaces like a bursting water balloon.
It has spilled into the schools. Kids mimic their parents, and take it with them outside the home. Today, CNN says, “Students of color are facing racial slurs and bullying in and outside the classroom, and many who are fed up have been walking out of class, speaking at board meetings and even suing school districts.” (Read article here.)
That article continues, “As some lawmakers and parents attempt to limit teachings about racism and schools’ diversity and inclusion efforts are met with protests, numerous reports of racist bullying have recently surfaced in classrooms from coast to coast.” Those legislators and parents are, of course, in most instances the Trumpers who now dominate the Republican Party and have turned it into an overtly racist party.
That fact, and their efforts to pursue and enact into law their white-grievance agenda, will make it difficult to put the race genie back into the bottle. When half the voters support a political movement that condones and practices racism, then racism is a powerful political force. And we’ve seen these aren’t people who respond to reason or appeals for decency or responsible behavior. They’re going to do what they do.
Those on the getting end of it aren’t taking abuse quietly. In Tigard, Oregon, students staged a walkout over a video on social media video of other students making racial taunts. In Utah, a school district is under federal investigation after bullying led a 10-year-old girl to commit suicide. In Minnesota, police are investigating a video of a girl hurling racist slurs at a black girl who also “encouraged her to take her own life.”
There is a broad need in our society, beyond just schools, for more consequences. What kids are experiencing in schools is of a piece with what some adults are encountering in society. Racist “Karens” are being exposed and fired from their jobs. Hate crimes are being prosecuted. The pandemic, which originated in China, spawned a rash of violent assaults against often elderly Asian-Americans; the perpetrators of these crimes need to face long prison sentences.
This blog supported both impeachments of Donald Trump, whose behavior in office was corrupt and posed a clear and present danger to our democracy. It supports consequences for police officers who overstep their authority into the realm of abuse, rights violations, and inexcusable violence. It supports punishing Capitol rioters and sanctioning lawyers who brought frivolous election lawsuits. All of this is right, good, and necessary.
During my career as a lawyer, I saw that laws don’t enforce themselves. Without traffic cops, people won’t obey traffic laws. If we want a civil society, we must establish rules of behavior and enforce them. That’s not “woke,” nor does it violate anyone’s legitimate rights. It’s necessary so people can get along with each other. Those who oppose this are irresponsible and destructive of our social interests. With so many things now spinning out of control, it’s time to call them out.
Hate crimes committed in schools
The number of schools that experienced a hate crime nearly doubled between the 2015-16 and 2017-18 school years, according to an analysis by the US Government Accountability Office.