Is chanting "USA! USA!" racist?

[n2sooners]

Austin Medeiros said he has always felt an urge to be patriotic. The Camarillo High School student has chanted "USA, USA" after the singing of the national anthem at sporting events and student rallies and worn a U.S. flag bandanna, he said.

With the Rio Mesa High School boys basketball team set to visit Camarillo High on Wednesday night, Medeiros joined three friends in wearing the bandannas to the game. But he and Stefan Valenzuela said their display of patriotism led to their ejection from the game, along with two friends.

The students said they were suspended, which sparked a rally at the school Thursday morning. Camarillo High officials gave a different account, but both sides agreed they learned something about the line between patriotism and racism.

"We've done it always," Medeiros said of wearing the bandannas. "It's something we do. It's the same group of friends. We always talk about it. We're all very patriotic."

The four students wearing the bandannas came to the Scorpion Dome for the JV and varsity rivalry games. Valenzuela said that between the games, an associate principal came over to the stands and warned students not to curse or make racial comments. The school official saw the bandannas and told the four students to remove them or leave, Valenzuela said.

The four went outside, then ran back inside the gym at halftime with their bandannas on and began chanting "USA, USA." The four were ushered out and given five-day suspensions, which were later rescinded, Valenzuela said.

Principal Glenn Lipman, however, said Thursday that the students were not suspended but were asked to leave campus and meet in his office Thursday morning.

Asking the students to remove the bandannas was a precaution, Lipman said. The two high schools have diverse student bodies, Lipman said, and the chant could be interpreted in different ways.

Camarillo High's student population is 47 percent white and 41 percent Hispanic, while Rio Mesa's is 67 percent Hispanic and 22.5 percent white, according to the California Education Department.

News of the incident quickly spread after the game to social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"To be honest, this is what I wanted to happen," Medeiros said of the attention. "I was texting people from the minute I got suspended to start blowing it up on social networking, email whoever they could, call whoever they could."

More than 100 students gathered Thursday morning in front of the flagpole at Camarillo High wearing patriotic clothing. Lipman directed the students into the gym for a question-and-answer assembly about the incident.

Wearing patriotic clothing is acceptable, Lipman said, but the chanting gave him pause.

"We wanted to make sure (the chant) wasn't racially motivated, and I told the kids I just want to be sensitive to the feelings of everybody," Lipman said. "If we're doing it for patriotism, that's fine. But if we're doing it for something else that's racially motivated, I'm not going to allow that."

Rio Mesa Athletic Director Brian Fitzgerald attended Wednesday's game and said he noticed some Camarillo High students pointing toward the Rio Mesa fan section while chanting "USA, USA."

Fitzgerald acknowledged that in a heated rivalry, students from both sides can push the limit of what's acceptable.

"Are we going crazy about it over here? No, we're not," Fitzgerald said. "As far as crowd control went, I thought the Camarillo administrators did a very good job of trying to keep a lid on something that could have been explosive.

"We had a few kids that we removed from the game who said some inappropriate things. It's always a battle to keep the one-upmanship from happening."

source

My opinion is that there is absolutely nothing any more racist about chanting the name of your country than there is about chanting the name of your state, city, school or school mascot... And if hearing the name of the country in which you reside being chanted offends you then you should reside somewhere where that isn't the case.

 

[Glocktogo]

The chants arose loud and clear, just as they had at thousands of sporting events through the years.

“USA! USA!” the spectators yelled. Usually it sounds as sweet and strong as the peel of a later-day Liberty Bell, evoking feelings of unity, good cheer and pride.

This time, not so much.

This time, it happened at a high school basketball game, of all places, and it carried nefarious undertones.

At best, it was naïve and insensitive. At worst, it was - Shall we say it? - ugly, vindictive racism.

It occurred last Wednesday inside the Camarillo High gymnasium, with the Scorpions playing host to arch rival Rio Mesa. On the line was the Pacific View League boys basketball championship...........

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/feb/...#ixzz2KwGDEOBq
- vcstar.com

Nationalism can only be racist if the policies and practices of the nation are racist. America being a "melting pot" of diverse races and cultures is probably one of the least racist nations in the world. Our president is black. We have black and Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court Justices. We've had a black female Secretary of State as well. We have no caste system and no special laws respective to restricting specific races. No position in local, state or federal government is restricted by race.

Chanting "USA" anywhere within the United States cannot be racist, unless you are also saying that the U.S. is a racist country, which is patently absurd on the face of it. I can see where in certain areas and under certain conditions, chanting "USA" might be viewed as xenophobic, but xenophobia is not racism. Those who consider this to be racism are flat out wrong. The school superintendent of the Oxnard Union School District is either ignorant or intentionally misusing the word "racial" in this context. Either way, his position as superintendent of an educational system demands that he be held to a higher standard. For that, I consider him an idiot of the highest order.

Now we have the editor of a local newspaper misusing the word, when their very job is supposed to be effective written communications. When the misuse of language by the very people expected to use it correctly in every instance possible becomes widespread, and is intended to shame or coerce others into modifying their behavior on a false premise, there is compelling evidence that it's no longer ignorance, but willful misuse. Willful misuse of words or terms in presenting a single side of an issue has a correct definition as well:

Propaganda: As opposed to impartially providing information, propaganda, in its most basic sense, presents information primarily to influence an audience. Propaganda often presents facts selectively (thus possibly lying by omission) to encourage a particular synthesis, or uses loaded messages to produce an emotional rather than rational response to the information presented. The desired result is a change of the attitude toward the subject in the target audience to further a political, religious or commercial agenda. Propaganda can be used as a form of ideological or commercial warfare.

 

[cjjtulsa]

Now we have the editor of a local newspaper misusing the word, when their very job is supposed to be effective written communications.

The word has been misused for some time now. "Racism" is (or was) the belief that one's race is superior to another. Now it just covers merely mentioning race in any way. Cultural Marxism wins again. As for the topic, I wasn't aware that United States citizenship was considered a race. I'll add a box and check it on my next census form.

Sounds to me like both schools are in the United States? So what's so offensive? I thought those welcome immigrants from south of the border were all supposed to be coming here to be "Americans", right? So why would they be offended? They should have joined in the chant.

The two high schools have diverse student bodies, Lipman said, and the chant could be interpreted in different ways.
Camarillo High's student population is 47 percent white and 41 percent Hispanic, while Rio Mesa's is 67 percent Hispanic and 22.5 percent white, according to the California Education Department.

Yep. "Diversity is our strength". So was the chant "racist" to Rio Mesa's 22.5% White population, too?

 

[AKguy1985]

No, its not racist.

 

[OKCIS]

Since it happened in California (Mexico) Then it probably is to them. Then again those morons wonder why their state is bankrupt and going to hell in a hand basket.

 

[caojyn]

As for the topic, I wasn't aware that United States citizenship was considered a race. I'll add a box and check it on my next census form.

Murican

 

[BIG_MIKE2005]

If someone in America is offended by people chanting USA then they need to GTFO of our country & go back to whatever hell hole they left to come here.

 

[10bird]

What happened to free speech?

 

[cjjtulsa]

If someone in America is offended by people chanting USA then they need to GTFO of our country & go back to whatever hell hole they left to come here.

But many left those hellholes to come here and make this place just like the hellhole they left - and to which they are still loyal. So, no chanting "USA!". T'aint Murrica no more.

 

[ez bake]

I think a lot of folks are missing the point. If I was an American student with Hispanic origins in my family tree that happened to be going to Rio Mesa... and in a ball game (where already folks had been ejected from shouting stupid stuff as the article states), I'd personally feel like someone shouting "USA" at a ball-game while pointing to me... as if it applied only to their side... as if I wasn't a citizen of the USA... well I'd feel like they were calling me out.

Chanting USA out in patriotism is one thing, but to do it in a ball-game as if it only applies to your team's side is basically saying the other side is not the "USA". I'd wager several members of OSA would fight over being called out as if they weren't a citizen or patriot.

Lipman (the principal) even said "If we're doing it for patriotism, that's fine. But if we're doing it for something else that's racially motivated, I'm not going to allow that."

I don't think the suspension was necessary, and it could have just been overly patriotic kids being a little annoying by running through the gym but keep in mind that the testimony of kids isn't always accurate or trustworthy when they've gotten in trouble.

If it were my kid I'd definitely be up at the school asking questions as to what happened and I wouldn't leave without real answers, but I think a lot of people are blowing this out of proportion (on both sides).