Very simple question, have they chanted it at other schools this year?

Other schools from same school district has chanted at the predominately hispanic school.

Other schools from same school district has chanted at the predominately hispanic school.

 

But not at each other?

Honestly, I think that Kentuckians as a whole are so far removed from border issues that these things just don't bother them either way. That's just the way it is. Being an ex-drill sergeant my boys are in no way, shape, or form "sissified". People don't have to love every body, just tolerate one another. Though a little love goes a long way these days. Self importance seems to rule the day in America, to the point of sacrificing what our country was founded on. No one person is more important than the many. Concern for others feelings do not matter much either. Love thy neighbor and all that it entails has gone out the window. The point is a lot of tolerance and some forethought work wonders in our relationships with our fellow man.

This article seems relevent to this discussion...from Ohio's Portsmouth Daily Times:

 

The instance that has made me reach my boiling point was last Saturday’s Boys Division III Southeastern District Final that featured Portsmouth and Valley. What we all should remember was a game that will go down as one of the best competitions between local foes in many years. Unfortunately, something more than a great game happened Saturday.

 

Whether it was an insult or misunderstanding, people were offended by alleged comments from spectators of what was supposed to be a showcase of local high school basketball excellence.

 

The back-and-forth chants between fans at our high school competitions is nothing new. However, Saturday’s chants included “STDs, STDs, STDs,” “Ribs and chicken, ribs and chicken, ribs and chicken,” “OGT, OGT, OGT,” and “You can’t read, you can’t read, you can’t read.”

 

Draw your own conclusion on what those chants mean, but no matter the intention, the damage was done. The proof is on tape, Valley administrators are in the process of investigating their students’ involvement and the SOC has condemned the behavior.

 

“From my perspective, after talking to our athletic director, and watching and listening to the film, you can hear the chants,” Portsmouth boys basketball coach Gene Collins said. “They’re very hurtful when you are making comments in reference to that kind of stuff.”

 

Complete Article

Great article.

I currently live in San Antonio, and had known some tidbits about each of these schools before I had even read this article.

 

First, I'd like to say that I firmly believe that someone's race or national origin is not something that defines what kind of person they truly are inside, nor is it a judge of their true character. Secondly, I believe that everyone is an autonomous human being with intrinsic self-worth, regardless of whatever genetic differences we may have. As such, I feel as though it is the duty of a virtuous person to try uphold and respect their fellow human as much as reasonably possible.

 

However, this incident is troubling to me on two accounts.

 

One issue gives the side that has been mentioned plenty of times on this board already, and I agree that it was wrongful, malicious, etc.

 

However, there is also a second issue that has gotten only a fraction of the coverage. Taking the story as a whole and looking at it objectively, you can't say that some of the Edison supporters chanting things like "Alamo Whites" at the opposing team was very classy or tactful either (with these claims being reported in both the USA Today & San Antonio Express-News).

 

Plainly put, the racist overtones coming from both sides were wrong (and I will concede that there is a difference in the degree of severity between the two chants which is debatable). Nonetheless, no matter which side started what, two wrongs do not make a right, and there are reports of "chanters" on both sides who showed a true lack of class. I'm not someone who particularly subscribes to 'reverse racism', I'd rather just call it what it is when applicable, and that's just 'racism'.

 

These were children playing a sport they love. These children probably had families and friends in attendance, and the players had likely worked all year to represent their communities in a positive manner. It's safe to say that this would be the last regulation basketball game that many of these kids would ever play and would leave them with a nice collection of memories.

 

The primary purpose of this game (and others like it at the same level) should be things like: setting goals for yourself both athletically and educationally, learning discipline, building teamwork, representing your community in a positive way, and being part of something bigger than yourself before you move on in life, where you hope to find that you've became a better person while playing a game you love.

 

Take the game for what it was: an opportunity for two groups of athletically gifted students to transcend numerous barriers by bringing out the best in one another while they competed for a common goal. Given the achievements of each team, it would seem as though they were able to at least challenge one another, implying that they likely raised each other's talents to new heights. Ironic how the players on each of the teams seemed to raise the athletic performance of both themselves and their opponents but the fans on either side apparently cannot seem to do the same.

 

Finally, while I know and understand that this is certainly a hot-button topic, I think that much of what I have said applies to many high school games in general, whether they be between two teams of completely homogenous classifications of whatever type.