Racism Mars Community Conversations

I’m about to make a claim for which I have no scientific proof. You have been warned.

Nobody who has read this news is happy about it:

Howard County Police arrest teen, charge him with first-degree murder in weekend shooting, Abby Zimmardi, Baltimore Banner

Or, to be more precise, every response I have seen on social media has been expressed with varying degrees of anger, fear, sadness, and frustration. At long last, Howard County can agree on something.

That’s where the agreement ends, however. Where we diverge is in how we respond, how and if we want to lay blame, or what we think should be done next. I can safely say that some folks want to lay blame a whole lot more than they want to entertain viable solutions.

In reviewing three of those online conversations/threads, I wasn’t surprised to see that some used this inicident as an open door to spew all kinds of racist nonsense and glaringly obvious dogwhistles. The sheer enthusiasm of this kind of online behavior looks less like community concern and more like children on a holiday trip to the amusement park. Perhaps these commenters generally keep their racism under wraps during day-to-day exchanges but, wow - - give them an excuse and the floodgates are opened.

It’s sad. And I would feel sad if it didn’t make me so angry.

It is possible to discuss this topic and not spew racism. I know this because I read through another local online conversation where there was plenty of deep feeling and disagreement but not one incident where racist words were used.

The third conversation was primarily straightforward with a few unhelpful comments. Other commenters called out the racism when they saw it.

It is possible. It is possible to talk about this deeply disturbing incident which combines crime, violence, guns, schools, and students without using it as a free pass to be racist.

Not only is this behavior just plain wrong it also does nothing to address the problems that we, as a community, need to address. In fact, it makes them even harder to solve.

If it isn’t possible for you than maybe you should take a hard look in the mirror.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else. Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog