White Kids are Just Being Kids
A video of a White student tossing cotton balls at a Black student, then whipping him with his belt, circulated on social media recently.
The majority of people commented that “Kids are cruel,” which is always the excuse for the bad behavior of White children.
Black kids don’t get the privilege of simply being labeled cruel for behaving badly. They’re seen as violent, uncontrollable, and any other excuse to dehumanize their adolescence.
Racism is another level of cruelty: Like the high school students across the country who re-enacted George Floyd’s murder.
A Google or YouTube search of Teenagers in Blackface will show pages of kids smearing their faces with dark paint and mocking Black stereotypes.
Some go as far as spewing racial slurs and wishing self-harm on their Black classmates.
Yet, the trauma that Black kids endure as victims of these racist acts is rarely discussed.
The impact on their mental health is often ignored, as Black children don’t get the same kind of sympathy and support as their White counterparts, even when they’re the perpetrators.
Black children are also disciplined harder than White students, consistent with the…
