From the beginning of time, high school has been very “click-ish”. Every school has there groups and mine has: -the Goths -the jocks -the class presidents -the sluts -the gangsters -the pot heads -the ROTC nerds -the band geeks -the weirdos -the teachers pet -the over achievers -the under achievers -the “wannabes” -the label whores -the ditzy preps -the red necks -the ghetto kids with attitudes   .:read more:.

Than the regular kids that didn’t really fit into a “group” but still had their own “click” of friends. However, amongst all the “clicks and groups” there are so many races.

If you have never “hung out” with another race and/or someone who is not like you than you automatically feel a discomfort until you get to know them. With teens, we rarely take the time to get to know others before we judge. The word judge leads us to “pre-judge” and to pre-judge is to be prejudice. Teens are the most prejudice of all human ages because most teens are in high school and everyone knows how high school is. Though, high school is not to blame for most of the world’s racial issues but it is the place where you find some of your life long friends, (sometimes) the love of your life and you make memories that will last forever. Although most of the time it is completely innocent, teens of the same race will form their own "circle or click” because they have the same language or culture.

In most cases, teens don’t make a big deal about race but tend not to “hang out” with other races unless they were raised in an environment where that race is dominate. I think, that it has a lot to do with comfort and acceptance. If a teenager is in a “click” with other teens it’s because they “click” together. There is an understood comfort there which is a form of acceptance and relatedness.

For all the alienated teenagers in search of an identity, the Internet provides them with a chance to be part of something to fill that lonely spot. Here lies the breeding ground for racism and hate. Hundreds of racist sites are on the Internet and hundreds of teens are being swept into the world of "cyber-hate.” Protected by the First Amendment, the freedom of speech, various organizations are growing, spreading their hateful messages. The Internet also provides an underground market for hate rock, or skinhead rock, whose fiery lyrics include allusions to "Hitler's glory" and killing African Americans.
The commonplace of racial discrimination will inevitably bring out prejudice. As minorities are discriminated against, they begin to develop their own prejudices against the majorities, whoever they might be. The hate keeps building up, ultimately leading to a cycle of racial prejudice, making racism a part of society that is harder and harder to get rid of.

In our modern times, the word racism should not even exist. We should know better than to superficially discriminate against a person because of their race. However, the matter of the fact is that racism does exist, in adults and in teens everywhere.

Why did the Jena Six situation occur? My opinion is, racial matters don’t bother teens as much now as it did years ago but teens still tend to use it as a way to hurt others. In other words, it is not on our minds unless something negative happens to us and if it is caused by another race, at that point actions like Jena Six will occur. I don’t normally hang out with other races, outside of mine because I feel like I can be myself when I’m around peers of my race. In the same breathe I have nothing against other races and I would not mind having close friends of other races.

Other teens were asked to give their opinion on the topic (their names will remain anonymous).

A 15-year old remarked that she disliked some whites because of the way they are "always acting ghetto and listening to 'black' music…but still acting stuck up, like they are all that. They don't have respect for anyone but themselves. Minorities, in general, are nicer." Another 17 year old said, " Asians think they're so smart, but they're really just a bunch of suck-ups and nerds." “I don’t hang out with other races because it’s always a weird vibe, like you can say this or that because it might sounds racist” stated by a high school sophomore. One 14-year-old brushed off racist concerns saying, “I just stick with those of the same kind as me. Everybody else just acts so damn racist."

The American Heritage Dictionary defines racism as: 1) the belief that a particular race is superior to others; and 2) discrimination or prejudice against a particular race.

Teens will always have varied feelings on the topic of racism. Some will want it eliminated and others may want to expand on it. Tolerance levels will also differ from teen to teen as to what really constitutes racist behavior. Can a simple joke be that offensive? Is hanging out with your own kind a racist statement? The field of groups vary and the superiority-complex is overrated. Do teens have racist tendencies because that's how they find security and identity? Perhaps that American Heritage Dictionary should somehow revise the word racism to better fit the definition of today's times.

Jya

center stage magazine

beginning of article