On Friday night, I went with a few friends and co-workers to a new bar in the area to celebrate my last day at Borders. We entered the bar and found a booth. All of us noticed immediately a group of men standing around the bar 'holding court'. They were all wearing royal blue muscle shirts with the words "DUKE LAX". Well, for those midwesterners, it meant DUKE LACROSSE. We don't have a lot of LaCrosse in the midwest.
All I could think about when I saw this group of men/boys was PRIVILEDGE. I believe my assumptions are 100% right because they couldn't be more cliché. They were men from the University just down the road. What was the purpose of wearing these shirts except to have people stare at them? I am sure the Duke LaCrosse team doesn't feel their support since they are three states away. When asked why these men would wear such a distasteful and tacky shirt, the argument was made that they probably play lacrosse. So. I am a teacher and I don't wear shirts that support teachers who sleep with their students. I am not saying that anyone is innocent or guilty. I am saying that it is a sad and unfortunate situation that is happening at Duke and their community and this act of muscle shirt wearing was tacky. I would expect more from a community that prides themselves on their refined and scholarly young people.
I can picture how this immature and embarrassingly crude plan came to be. Picture it...18-22 year old men sitting around their house that smells of old beer and old pizza. Of course, they are sitting on third hand couches; at least three couches because college man dens always have at least three. The stupidest, most privileged of the men, probably the one who is on the six year plan since his father just keeps paying the tuition finds his one stroke of genius for the decade, "HEY! Let's get matching muscle shirts and have DUKE LAX printed on them and go out and drink on Friday night. That'll show 'em."
Then, all the men will go along with it because to stray from such disgusting behavior is not part of the privileged, white, so over-educated they are stupid man DNA. They laugh and the ball starts rolling. Before we know it, they end up in a bar where they offend other patrons and make themselves look like idiots.
These are the men that will soon give you a low rate on your mortgage. These are the men that will deliver your babies. These are the men that will date our friends, daughters, and sisters.
2 comments:
Not to mount the soapbox, but I really hate how political this case has already turned. You have the media hounding all sides, you have local government political races affecting the course of action...and it just seems prematurely doomed to turn out badly for any and all involved. I guess three ring circus comes to mind. And then you just throw the blue shirt boys in the mix, and you have quite a situation to observe.
DUKE LAX sounds like a stool softener. They should have re-thought that one.
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