I had almost forgotten just how racist Orange County was back when I was growing up here. The decades long Extreme Makeover had shifted OC's image from that of a rightwing backwater to that of a Gold Coast cosmopolitan playground for Nouveau Riche Housewives. It's debatable whether that's really much of an improvement, but there's no denying it certainly plays better on TV.
But then, occasionally, the mask slips.
The dogs and I set out yesterday on our morning walk and I was shocked to see school was back in session at the high school across the street. Who the hell starts the school year on a Thursday? We rounded the corner and ran smack dab into a news truck from one of the local LA stations, strategically placed, antenna mast fully deployed ready to broadcast breaking news. News of what? There was no one around to ask so I speculated they were there to cover the asinine school calendar.
Later that day, as I was leaving for school, I noticed there were now three more news trucks parked around our complex representing all the major networks. What the hell was so newsworthy in our little neighborhood? They all seemed to be focused on the high school and as I drove to school I tried to figure it out.
Maybe it had something to do with all the recent racial tensions here in Anaheim, brought on by the unfortunate police shootings. They had been holding various "town halls" in an effort to diffuse the situation, so perhaps they were holding some event in the school gym.
Turns out, I was half right. It definitely had something to do with racial tensions, and if I had to guess, they aren't going to be getting any better any time soon.
The latest controversy revolves around a high school tradition going back generations, part of the annual "Senior Week" festivities in the Spring...
“Seniores and Señoritas” Day!
Well, that sounds nice... a day to celebrate the area's rich Hispanic history? What could possibly go wrong with that?
“Pictures from last year's event show students wearing sombreros and fake mustaches. Others dressed up as border patrol agents arresting kids dressed as illegal immigrants.
Some students came as gang members, sporting bandanas and tear drop tattoos on their faces. There were also students dressed as gardeners, and even one girl who dressed as a pregnant woman pushing a baby stroller.”
Oy vey.
Didn't anyone...the administrators, the teachers, the parents or the students themselves, see a problem with this?
I realize this area, and the high school it represents, are still predominantly lily white, but it's hard to chalk this up simply to racial insensitivity. I'm afraid it's not a bug, it's a feature.
The really disheartening thing is that last Spring's senior class, the one called on the carpet, was born in 1994, when, one would hope, we had moved beyond a lot of this crap.
It looks like Orange County is going to have to suffer through at least one more generation of bigots.
