Hate messages... on grocery bags?

[altivo]

This morning I went as usual to the local supermarket and did my week's shopping. As happens several times a year, the paper bags had been "decorated" in crayon by students at the schools in town. Apparently this was an observance of something called "Red Ribbon Day", but the messages on two of the three bags I received were in fact anti-drug messages. Fine. Wasted on me, I have never used anything stronger than caffeine or aspirin, but OK.

However, the third bag had a garish representation of the looped red ribbon used in support of HIV awareness and prevention campaigns. And the text on the bag read, "I hate fags. You should too." This is bad enough, but there was a spelling error which appeared to have been corrected by a teacher, and still the thing was allowed to go into the distribution stream.

Yes, I know, some lame defense of this is possible if you take "fag" as a reference to tobacco, but in the midwestern US that is most certainly not the case. If that student had written "I hate niggers" on the bag, I'm sure some sort of disciplinary action would have been taken and the bag would never have gone any farther.

It didn't take much thought before I wrote an angry letter to the supermarket manager, pointing out that some of his employees and customers were certainly gay or lesbian and should not be exposed to this sort of "message". Then I wrapped up the actual paper bag with a letter to the school principal, pointing out that it had obviously been examined by a teacher yet was not stopped from distribution, and this was completely inappropriate.

I'm still boiling, and considering letters to the school superintendant and state legislators. Probably this is overreaction. But if we don't stand up and shout a resounding "NO" to the continued bullying and harrassment of sexual, racial, or ethnic minorities in our school systems, the problem in the larger society will continue as well.

Am I wrong?

Comments

[calydor.livejournal.com]

You are not wrong. This is the kind of thing that needs to be stopped.

Just last week a school principal here accidentally said in a news interview that gays should not be allowed as teachers, because they can't properly understand the off-school life of the kids since their families are not how they (the gay teachers) are used to at home.

That was last week.

He's been fired now. Or at least suspended, not sure. The point is things went fast, people here were outraged. But okay, we allow priests who don't believe in the Bible, so what the hell. :)

Complain. Yell. Rant. That kid should have had a stern warning, and the parents called in to discuss how they're raising their child.

[doco.livejournal.com]

Just don't try to play the blame game with the kids.

When I was in 6th grade, we've had an issue with a kid who drew a big, fat honking swastika in one of the girls' poetry book. Eventually, her mother found out, and made a -real- big fuss about it.

Needless to say, the kid in question was neither racist nor fascist. He was just picking up the wrong threads and thought it would be a 'cool' thing to do.

That's the whole point of education, learning what's good and what's bad. And there'll always be somebody who's behind with the concept.

The -teacher-, on the other hand... that's the person to really take the blame for this. They should have known better.

[duskwuff.livejournal.com]

The -teacher-, on the other hand... that's the person to really take the blame for this. They should have known better.

Indeed. Especially because the teacher clearly read what it said! There is absolutely no excuse for something like this.

[deffox]

That's insane.

You're doing everyone service by being outspoken about it.

Thanks.

[cats-haven.livejournal.com]

You are definitely not wrong in what you did. Someone has to speak up or nothing will be done. We need to teach our children that it doesn't matter what a person is that makes them; but who they are inside.

The teacher that allowed that message to get through should be spoken to for allowing it as well as a stern talk with the parents.

Honestly, if I ever found out one of my boys did something like that, I would be trying to get to the bottom of it and finding out who taught them it was okay to say or do such a thing.

[duncandahusky.livejournal.com]

I agree with Florian. This is appalling, insulting, and completely unacceptable. The more of a stink you make about it, the better. Thank you for the letters you have written so far, and I think you deserve some answers from higher up as well. As for the state legislators, it's good for them to have a reminder that the constituents that they are supposed to be representing do indeed include many non-heterosexuals.

[pioneer11.livejournal.com]

On the one hand I'm really very much against the whole PC
political pro-homosexual "movement" thats sort of di riquer
in some circles these days.

On the other hand I get enraged at bullying tactics against
individuals because of some (real or perceived) difference
that makes them convienent targets for latent fascism.

Bottom line: Why let children be taught to denigrate others
based on differences? Life can be tough enough without letting
intolerance and exclusion be allowed to continue along as
a "norm".

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I only wish there really were such a movement. There is not. If there's a movement, it's the one that's trying to enshrine hatred and intolerance in law, and even write it into the constitution.

Now that racial hatred is unacceptable in public, gays are the new target that it's OK to hate. Note that even religious leaders feel they can safely condemn gays and demand that rights be denied them, just as they thought they could treat blacks 60 years ago.

[pioneer11.livejournal.com]

I think your handling this exactly the right way. Your letting the
school and the store know that you live and shop in the community
and do /not/ find it exceptable. People tend to straighten up a bit
when they realize that not everyone around them is enjoying the
sense of "I'm glad I'm not /them/" snickering exclusion that the
message on the bag implies.

[corelog.livejournal.com]

You are most certainly not wrong.

[rigelkitty.livejournal.com]

If you have another one, send it to your local newspaper or tv station. That kinda thing usually gets the best results.

[calydor.livejournal.com]

If you have another one, take a picture of it and show it here BEFORE sending it to the news station.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Gary wanted me to photocopy it. But dark brown paper and brick red crayon do not a contrast make. You could read it in good light, but a photo or a copy would not be legible.

[pioneer11.livejournal.com]

Actually...involve the media now. Local T.V.

"What else is being taught in this school?" would make a nice
soundbite.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

If this were Chicago or even Rockford, you'd be right. Here we have no local tv station, not even a local radio station. And the rag that passes for a "local" newspaper doesn't really care about this end of the county. The yuppies all live at the other end, that's where their money is.

[dakhun.livejournal.com]

I'd go back and look for more bags like that. The same kid probably did several. :-/

I share your anger...

[unigal.livejournal.com]

First off, you are not in the wrong. In our current society, actions and occurences like this happen with alarming frequency. Standing up against behaviors like this, i can only commend and appluad your actions. If in your shoes, i would have done exactly as you have. **:)

[kaysho.livejournal.com]

I hope the store manager, at least, has given you satisfaction. He's the one who has the potential to be out dollars if you take your business elsewhere because his store is using "hate bags".

If not ... definitely take your business elsewhere. I wouldn't expect the manager to have examined every bag beforehand, but ignoring an obvious problem once revealed would be a firm no-no.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have heard nothing from the store manager.

However, this morning I got a call from the school principal that left me quite unsatisfied. She insisted that the student wrote "I hate drugs" but misspelled "drugs" as "drags". Well, no. He wrote "I hata fags" and the teacher corrected the spelling of "hate" but let the thing go through. There was no way it said "drags" rather than "fags".

Telling me "We've done this for years and yours is the first complaint" doesn't excuse anything either. I wish the original had been more legible and high contrast, but it wasn't. Photographing or photocopying it would have been useless.