The (Nasty) Gloucester HS Situation

Subtitle: No Longer a “Those People” Issue

Ask yourself a question: Why is there sudden outrage over 17 pregnant short-sighted girls at GHS?

Do you remember when only “those people” did certain things? “Those people” was the code phrase for Blacks, of course.
I remember when only “those people” allowed certain drugs to override mature sensibilities such as paying utility bills and practicing safe sex. Crack was, is a beast! But like many other destroyer of worlds, he had a girl friend: Crystal Meth—and poof! Now those other people had a similar enemy of the state.
I remember when only “those people” were and remained on welfare. Eventually, national statistics showed that there were more other people utilizing welfare than “those people.”

Pop goes another philosophical weasel.

I remember when only “those people” sagged and listened to rap music. I remember when I was periodically classified as one of “those people.” That designation was not of my behest but the full opinion of those who chose and still choose to highlight the self-destructive exploits of Blacks, codify them and elevate them to the status of Full Religion.

I remember, as a native Detroiter, being referred to as “the exception” whenever I did something socially or academically prodigious. At the very least, as a high school graduate from the (then) Murder Capital, where 1 out of 17 Black males did not live to see the age of 18, I felt blessed, not prodigious, and certainly not “the exception.” But all it took was for me to break dance or use slang or give dap or wear athletic gear in view of certain Whites for me to receive the “one of those people” looks which were simultaneously condescending and condemning.

I remember, as a college graduate, being reminded of my station in life even after escaping the dire circumstances of Detroit via education and opportunity. I remember needing over four months to close on my first mortgage, and with outstanding credit and stable job history as the foundation of my application, I realized that my application was not FHA but FTP: For Those People.

I remember, as an employee for Northwest Airlines, when I was transformed from “Gino, the amiable co-worker” to “one of those people” immediately after the verdict was delivered at the end of the OJ Simpson trial. And yes, it was an unwanted, unnecessary reminder that I would forever be, in the eyes of too many people “one of those people.” And yes, every Black-on-Black crime, every Black teen pregnancy, every Black child support issue, every fatherless Black child, every Black taser recipient was a reminder—not from me, mind you, but from “other” people—that I remain “one of those people.”

So today, to remove the illusion of misinterpretation, I announce that I am one of those people, proudly. Of course, I am one of those people who realize that people of all colors and creeds can bring ignobility to the human race. The good news: People who knee-jerk the verbal reflex “one of those people” are also one of those people. The bad news: These people fail to realize shared commonality of humanity, and as a result trip over their own loaded language in a feeble effort not to sound like Archie Bunker.

At last: Enter the nasty GHS “situation,” the latest example of yet another deferred denial by those other people gone utterly Hindenburg. What makes this situation interesting to me and other those people is trying to meter the level and quality of the outrage from other people. Are they truly rapt in the throes of sincere umbrage at the latest group gag from today’s girls or are they disillusioned because they, like me, remember when only those people had conspicuous, prideful, out-of-wedlock and incredibly near-sighted pregnancies.

There seems to be, at last, some furor over the actuality of 17 high school girls being pregnant at the same time. I can only cynically say that this would be a non-issue if these were 17 Black girls in Detroit—or 17 Latinas in Los Angeles, for that matter. This wouldn’t even make the rounds of conservative television as it would only bolster already indefatigable beliefs that this is expected behavior from those people.

So, let’s examine the issue at hand. Get the popcorn.

Let’s consider the given information:
1. Consider the setting: Gloucester, Massachusetts, located within the picturesque seaside confines of Cape Ann.
2. Consider the demographics: Town of about 30,000 residents, predominantly White, Catholic, blue-collar.
3. Consider the economy: A fishing industry diving faster than the anchors meant to do such on the high seas. Why? Simple: The fishing jobs have gone, no pun intended, overseas.
4. Consider the words from School Superintendent Christopher Farmer: “Families are broken. Many of our young people are growing up directionless."
5. Consider the scenario: Teenagers, wanting to become adolescent mothers so they could all raise their out-of-wedlock babies together, make a pact to work toward reaching said objective. Out of a student body of around 1,170 students (http://gloucesterschools.com/report_cards/GHS_rpt_card_2008.mht), the girls were successful in more than quadrupling the number of expecting adolescent mothers in one year.
6. Consider the extent of individual motivation: "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," said Principal Joseph Sullivan.
7. Consider the philosophical climate: Amid self-actualized students, junior ROTC, athletes and cheerleaders, teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. “We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center.
8. Consider a sophomoric lament from Kacia Lowe, a classmate of expected mothers: "No one's offered them a better option."
9. Consider ironic perspective/advice: Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, recalled sporadic benedictions and accolades from some of the now pregnant schoolmates. Ireland states, "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally. I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m."

So, in brief: We have a White town with a highly publicized issue once thought to be the exclusive resident among those people. The question is, are other people over the situation at hand at its face value or are other people upset that the situation simply and easily cannot be placed at the laps of those people?
Let’s expand on some aforementioned talking points:

1. Consider the setting: Gloucester, Massachusetts, located within the picturesque seaside confines of Cape Ann. There’s not a lot of “urban” issues to apply here. Gloucester—insert understatement here—is not Harlem, NY; Gary, IN; Detroit, MI; Flint, MI; Chicago, IL; East St. Louis, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA—you get the picture! Not the expected locale arena for this type of 12-play.
2. Consider the demographics: Town of about 30,000 residents, predominantly White, Catholic, blue-collar. Not a lot of those people around on which to blame this shameful situation. This is all GLOUCESTER.
3. Consider the economy: A fishing industry diving faster than the anchors meant to do such on the high seas. Why? Simple: The fishing jobs have gone, no pun intended, overseas. I recall similar actualities from my hometown, Detroit, before it went from Mo-Town to No-Town thanks to auto-related jobs going overseas and to Mexico and to South America. I recall how other people told me that loss of job market wasn’t a mitigating circumstance to forego common decency. Funny how the script is flipped when it applies to other people.
4. Consider the words from School Superintendent Christopher Farmer: “Families are broken. Many of our young people are growing up directionless." Farmer was later quoted in the WBZTV article saying that these are generally "girls who lack self-esteem and have a lack of love in their life… the common threat is the lack of self-esteem and purpose in life, and a lack of a sense of direction…young women wanting and needing affection." Is that all? Well, that’s what Aisha and Shaquisha needed in the hood—but I almost forgot! Until The Nasty 17, it was only a problem among those people.
5. Consider the scenario: Teenagers, wanting to become adolescent mothers so they could all raise their out-of-wedlock babies together, make a pact to work toward reaching said objective. Out of a student body of around 1,170 students (http://gloucesterschools.com/report_cards/GHS_rpt_card_2008.mht), the girls were successful in more than quadrupling the number of expecting adolescent mothers in one year. Statistically speaking, without knowing but two names—Amanda and Kyla—that these are probably White girls doing what was long considered a “those people” activity.
6. Consider the extent of individual motivation: "We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy," said Principal Joseph Sullivan. Random disgusting sex with nameless sex partner: No longer an exclusive vest-patch activity of “those people.”
7. Consider the philosophical climate: Amid self-actualized students, junior ROTC, athletes and cheerleaders, teen parents are encouraged to take their children to a free on-site day-care center. “We're proud to help the mothers stay in school," says Sue Todd, CEO of Pathways for Children, which runs the day-care center. In communities of those people, this type of schooling is, well, alternative education. Shh! Don’t tell the other people!
8. Consider a sophomoric lament from Kacia Lowe, a classmate of expected mothers: "No one's offered them a better option." Teachers and administrators trying to produce graduates; the Catholic church providing spiritual guidance; colleges being positioned to issues degrees to qualified candidates; keeping your legs closed until marriage or at least graduation—nope! Not one better option offered to these poor girls! For shame!
9. Consider ironic perspective/advice: Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, recalled sporadic benedictions and accolades from some of the now pregnant schoolmates. Ireland states, "They're so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally. I try to explain it's hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m." Not fully explored in the Time article but touched upon in the WBZTV article is the seeming disingenuous nature of Ireland’s comments regarding The Nasty 17. This occurred when Ireland reflected on her own adolescent pregnancy. Ireland said, "I don't call it a mistake because the way I look at is everything happens for a reason. But, no, she was not planned." So it would appear that Ireland, as ruefully distraught as she may have been characterized in the Time article, is really a precursor to The Nasty 17. In case you missed that, catch this: Ireland will be godmother to one of The Nasty 17’s offspring. How’s that for closure—or is it sad irony?

I offer this open opinion piece as a challenge to bored people everywhere. Watch the dialogue concerning The Nasty 17 over the next few weeks. Try to determine if the cumulative disgust, disappointment and disdain is from the fact that this was an activity facilitated not by the descendants of those people, but by the sequestered descendants of other people. If you happen to meet one of the other people, gently inform them that the world affects everyone everywhere. Tell them that as soon as they allow their children unfettered access to technology in order to remain connected (cell phone) globally (Internet) to information (media) of a visual (tv, Youtube) and auditory (MP3) nature they instantly allow equal and opposite influences to infiltrate every life lesson taught to their child. Tell them that this is a derivative of Newton’s Law.

What lessons do I offer, specifically? I believe that the following lessons are already understood if not mastered by sensible, hard-working, God fearing people all over this country.
Lesson #1: Thanks to the media, negative influences can reach every corner of this planet. Therefore, there are no Edens, El Dorados nor Utopias thoroughly connected to today’s world and still totally immune from the pernicious side effects of, at worst, media’s low comedy and at best, life in general.
Lesson #2: Everyone is capable of reaching the nadir or apex of human existence, so don’t get cocky when one of those people do something wayward. Tomorrow offers similar examples of wayward actions from other people, too.
Lesson #3: When you have planned sex, even with protection, there is a chance of pregnancy. The unplanned pregnancy is weak and used to deflect proper blame. To the listener of such blame displacement: ignore it; to the projector of this contrived absolution: it was indirectly planned, so young mother deal with it!
Lesson #4: Review Lessons 1 through 3 as often as necessary.