Idiot Cheerleaders Dress Up As Gang Members, Cue The ‘Kids Will Be Kids’ Apologists

Today in “why, white people?” news, a group of idiot teenager cheerleaders from Redlands, California dressed up as “gang members” in a team building exercise gone horribly moronic. Here’s the picture, from KTLA’s Facebook page, so you can revel in its idiocy:

Charming, right? I don’t know what my favorite part about the picture is. It might be the girls who stuffed their shirts so that they look pregnant. Maybe it’s the gang signs. It could be that girl in the back pointing a fake handgun at the pretend pregnant girl down front.

The girl with “THUG” written across her stomach is really vying for a special place in my heart, though. If I were forced to choose my absolute favorite thing about this entire photo, it’s the social media response from people who don’t understand what the big deal is. I know you’re not supposed to read the comments, but I did, over at Jezebel, because I’m kind of a masochist.

Here’s some of my faves:

And from Facebook:

Kids will be kids! Teenagers are barely cognizant human beings who can’t be expected to understand the consequences of their actions! The PC Police! It’s not racist! Dressing up like a gang member is just like dressing up like a football player!

Get a grip, everybody. Everyone knows that stuff like this is only racist when black students do it, like when Maya Peterson, badass extraordinaire, put on some L.L. Beans and a hoodie and pretended to be a dudebro.

Priorities, people.

Whether you think it’s racist, classist, or harmless, it’s still incredibly stupid, and I take issue with at least one of the prevailing responses so far; that teens shouldn’t be held accountable for the fucked-up stuff they do because they’re kids.

I disagree wholeheartedly. I might not have considered the consequences of my actions when I was younger, but that didn’t excuse me from them. And those actions were less me cornrowing my hair and throwing up signs than they were sneaking off to smoke pot unstealthily and getting caught.

Some parents don’t understand why everyone is so upset about this:

”I think they’re just being teenagers, having fun, being silly,” one parent told KTLA. If I may, “being silly” doesn’t extend to mocking pregnant teenagers. If I might also be allowed to have a moment of fuddy-duddiness, what the hell happened to Spirit Days that involved crazy hair and pajama pants as opposed to -whatever the hell that is? I hate the “kids will be kids” thing. It’s how we end up pardoning high school rapists and other instances of fuckery. Kids will be kids. But they will only be awful kids if you continue to excuse crap like this.

At least the superintendent of the school district where this took place, Lori Rhodes, is giving no shits about how special those snowflakes are:

“I find this picture offensive, and this type of depiction will not be tolerated. I apologize that any Redland USD student organization would be involved in an activity of this type.

“The circumstances surrounding the event and photo, including supervision, are being reviewed. We take this very seriously and I assure you that appropriate action will be taken once our review is completed.

“Team building exercises such as dress-up days are to build spirit and camaraderie in a positive manner. They should never demean, insult, or portray negative stereotypes, as done in this photo.”

Good point, Lori. I’m sure people will argue that there are no negative stereotypes being portrayed in the photo above (Kurt Cobain wore plaid, what’s the big deal?) and those people can STFU. At least until October, when they’ll be out en force defending the poor downtrodden white guy who just wanted to have a little fun by putting on a little blackface.

See you in the fall, assholes.

(Image: KTLA)