I do not want a gun

There have been many times in my life when people have looked at me in disbelief.  That look has often been followed up with the question, "What kind of American are you?"

What have I done in my life to deserve harsh questioning of my citizen's credentials? Usually, I have revealed  (to both non-Americans and Americans) something that flies in the face of American stereotypes.  For example, I don't put ketchup on my fries (I like mayo).  I also don't drink any type of carbonated soft drink - never have.  Okay, I have one can of ginger ale in my fridge for when I suffer the occasional upset tummy. I have never sued anyone (though with winter upon us, I am looking for an icy patch on which to slip). I don't own a television.  I don't drink coffee. I hate "Black Friday."  I hate football. I am, at best, agnostic. All organized religions give me the creeps.  Bud Light makes me want to vomit.  I'm vegetarian, thus no hamburgers for me. Finally, I have never ever held a gun in my hand.  I have seen guns, but I want nothing to do with them.

I am completely exasperated at the current call for teachers to have guns.  The massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary was horrifying.  I have wept uncontrollably at every gut-wrenching story I have read. This shooting, however, nor any of the mass shootings that have come before this make me want to have a gun. I love listening to every wanna-be Dirty Harry talk about how he (in general) would take down the "bad guy." These machismo-heavy pronouncements remind me the power of fiction.

Think about it.  One minute,  we have a guy who has spent his entire adult life teaching teenagers manners and some academic skill (let's say accounting), the next minute we have Rambo, saving innocent lives. He's Bruce Willis, he's Charles Bronson, he's John fucking Wayne, feted by a ticker-tape parade and a trip to Disney. Who knew that Americans lived such vivid fantasy lives?  All this time, I thought we were the most concrete operational people who had ever ruled the planet. I thought Americans saw the world as black or white, with us or against us. I had us pegged as people who lacked nuance and tact.  Such wild fantasies debunk all my beliefs.

Perhaps this is our ultimate problem - we believe our own headline and refuse to read between the lines.  Down deep, we all believe that we, through excessive violence, can save the day. You know, like Jesus did. Or Gandhi. Or Dr. King. Or Sheriff Bull Connor.  Wait, he doesn't belong on that list.  You get my point.

I like the way guns and violence are portrayed in this short clip.  It also contains one of my favorite quotes of all time.

Ahhhh, the joys of spring!

Sadly, the bursting forth of buds, the twitter of returning birds, and the lengthening of days has also ushered in a rush of testosterone and a complete lack of civility. If it's spring, let the fighting begin.

In the last 10 years, I can honestly say that spring brings us two to four large scale fights, that when one is in the middle of it, feels like a riot. By large scale, I mean more than 10 kids fighting with the rest of the stupid student body crowding around cheering on the mayhem. In a school like mine, these fights almost always break along racial/ethnic lines. Probably for the last nine years, the African-American students and the Arabic students have been the main combatants. When questioned, of course nobody can explain why these two groups have such an intense springtime hatred of one another. All I know is that it will lead to everyone being in a shitty mood and a jail-like atmosphere being imposed on the student body as a whole.

On Friday, the first big fight broke out, but I have no idea when or where. Of course, ultimately, the situation can be traced back to a bad decision by an administrator. The senior class apparently still needs to raise money for its prom and thus requested a dodgeball tournament. By the way, according to the assistant principal, dodgeball is banned from schools in the state of Michigan. The principal approved it anyway. Tickets would be sold for two or three bucks and the tournament would be held during second and third hour. Yes, you read that correctly, students could pay a couple of buck and miss two classes. What a bargain!!! That's another pet peeve of mine, but an entirely different conversation. The kiddies went over to the building that contains the gym (it is a separate building) and surprise, surprise, there were a number of outsiders, drop-outs, and garden variety thugs hanging around. It is my understanding that some of those darlings sneaked into the event. This is where the details get a little hazy for me. At some point, a melee broke out in the bleachers and some students tumbled down the bleachers while others ran for the doors. The fight spilled outside and then into the parking lot. At this point, we have a riot on our hands. Some kids are beating the shit out of each other, while others are running around without their shirts - whooping and hollering. I was with my class, the only nine that hour who had not bought tickets. We witnessed the arrival of two ambulances and a number of cop cars and heard the announcement that were on lockdown. My student teacher took a walk to see what was up and he said it was a mess. I then wandered to the office where I saw one boy who has never been in a lick of trouble holding an ice pack to his head. He had a giant welt in the middle of his forehead because someone thought to try and drive his head through the ground. Apparently he had been jumped one other time out on the streets.

The students from the dodgeball tournament were ushered into the auditorium where our prinicpal told them that he wasn't going to suspend anybody!!!! By this time, the lunch hour had come around, the bells were turned off, and cops were all over the building (eight by my count). My student teacher and I stood outside the lunchroom ushering kids to the right spots, making sure there was no lingering. Sadly, the police were no help.

I know that a cop's job is tough and dangerous, but sometimes they simply make a situation worse. I asked one boy where he was going and he didn't respond. I teach high school, so I'm quite used to being ignored. Well, a cop grabbed the kid by his shirt and brought him to me. I asked him for his teacher's name and in very broken English told me the name of an ESL teacher. I told him to hurry to class and then I told one of the officers that the student didn't speak English. the cop chuckled and said, "Well, he will today." Idiot.

The rest of the day was tense and calm. Unfortunately, 13 years of experience tell me that we are not over the hump. Hell, we might not even be able to see the top of the hump at the moment. All I know was that today was a peaceful day and for that I am grateful.