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This American Life
Apr. 21st, 2016 02:20 pm(я не знаю, как про это писать по-русски, поэтому пусть будет по-английски)
Spring break. Downtown Chicago. Playground in front of an elementary school.
A dozen eight to twelve years old kids that attend a break camp are out to play. The camp is for the students of this particular school, which is one of the best elementary schools in the city (for those that are familiar with the area - Skinner West). Admission to the school is test based and then tier based, so there is a mix of every possible skin color.
Kids are playing a tag game - cops and robbers. When the game is called everybody has to decide who they want to be, roles are purely self-selected. Result - all cops are white, 90% of the robbers are not white.
Few minutes later when "jail" is set up and strategies devised by both camps, the game starts. A "cop" captures a "robber" twice his size and is walking him to "jail". The robber screams "Police brutality! He is torturing me!" In half a second camp teacher is next to them:
- What is going on??
- Nothing... We are just playing.... What's wrong?
I did not hear what she told them, but he toned it down a lot and switched to a more neutral "Let me go! I don't want to go to jail! I did not do it!"
Just a scene, no conclusions.
Spring break. Downtown Chicago. Playground in front of an elementary school.
A dozen eight to twelve years old kids that attend a break camp are out to play. The camp is for the students of this particular school, which is one of the best elementary schools in the city (for those that are familiar with the area - Skinner West). Admission to the school is test based and then tier based, so there is a mix of every possible skin color.
Kids are playing a tag game - cops and robbers. When the game is called everybody has to decide who they want to be, roles are purely self-selected. Result - all cops are white, 90% of the robbers are not white.
Few minutes later when "jail" is set up and strategies devised by both camps, the game starts. A "cop" captures a "robber" twice his size and is walking him to "jail". The robber screams "Police brutality! He is torturing me!" In half a second camp teacher is next to them:
- What is going on??
- Nothing... We are just playing.... What's wrong?
I did not hear what she told them, but he toned it down a lot and switched to a more neutral "Let me go! I don't want to go to jail! I did not do it!"
Just a scene, no conclusions.
