Scotia teens heil Hitler

I must say that kids today are, well, too much like they used to be.

In the modern era of this country, we like to think that we have moved beyond racism and prejudice. We look back at the police brutality of the 60s against blacks and read about the holding of Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II and think, "Gee, it was really bad back then. I'm so glad we live in a time and country where that doesn't happen any more."

Of course that is a little naive. We all know a grumpy old man set in his ways who still hates blacks or gays. But that's it, the only people who still hate and discriminate are big, fat, white, ignorant, republican males, right?

Wrong. Kids today are picking up the worst traits of the previous generations, despite the efforts put forth to educate children about racial/ethnic/religious equality. While it is scary to see kids take part in any hatred or prejudice, I think the most puzzling is the rise of neo-Naziism. Neo-Nazis don't discriminate in their discrimination. They hate most people who are different from them. When I hear Nazi, I think of hating Jewish people, but most neo-Nazis also harbor hatred for blacks, gays, foreigners and anyone else who isn't caucasion. What is scarier than this broad hatred of anyone different among neo-Nazis, is the fact that many of these lunatics are children, and they go to school. With weapons.

As a Scotia native and a loyal Scotia-Glenville student, it outrages me to see a freshman girl terrified to come to school because she is Jewish. This is 2006 in the US, not Nazi Germany. This poor girl suffers from the fear sparked by a death threat made against her by a neo-Nazi last year, when the two students were in eight grade. After the threat, the neo-Nazi's locker was searched and a knife was found. The Jewish girl must have been relieved when the anti-semitic boy was suspended for the remainder of the year for his threat.

As far as I know, the incident of the death threat and knife last year never received publicity. Maybe the Middle School is good at cover-ups. Unfortunately, they must not have been very good at permanently removing dangerous students from the district, because good old Nazi boy now walks freely through the high school hallways along with his classmates, some of whom are Jewish, black, gay and from other countries.

Recently, some other neo-Nazis from Scotia-Glenville did make the news. Two freshman neo-Nazis caused the high school to go into lock-down last week. One overdosed on pills for whatever reason, and the administrators searched the locker of the boy who provided the drugs, also a neo-Nazi. The boy's locker contained a grenade from World War II, gun powder, and a knife with a six to eight inch blade. The newspaper and broadcasts did not mention that the individuals were part of the neo-Nazi movement.

The Holocaust was one of the darkest periods of modern human history. Students spend a lot of time learning about how terrible it was. I remember learning about the genocide in my English and history classes, and then again in German class. My German teacher warned that everyone needs to learn from the mistakes of the past, and never repeat the horror of exterminating six million people. I'm a little scared that after all the education, there are still people who call themselves Nazis. Maybe we need to educate kids earlier. If that doesn't work, how about permanently getting rid of people who threaten little Jewish girls with death.

I sure am glad we keep that Village of Scotia gang problem under control by not allowing hats or bandanas at school. I feel safe.