Going to Step on the Soapbox for A Minute...

Embarrassed to say my sister and I went to the school mentioned in this article in north Portland as kids. The article suggests that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are now considered racist, because it excludes children who grew up in households that don't eat sandwiches (apparently a "white privilege food). So, looks like Portland Public Schools have gotten very focused on wasting time and resources to project a bunch of hate about a classic American FOOD, of all things.

The caviar of the cafeteria, apparently.

I'll be the first to say I was a privileged white kid, but that was because my mom was able to stay home, be involved in the PTA, and PACKED my lunch, not because of my lunch's content. For as much complaining as there is about diversity (or lack thereof), you'd think they would have kids bring their sandwich, bring their pita, and learn something about another culture. Why can't this just be an opportunity?

It makes me sad when I see Portland trying to be so politically correct that it's actually inhibiting education. "Hard work is the key to success," regardless of which culture coined it, is a pretty fucking good idea. And frankly- I don't think it's exclusively white. The "hardworking Mexican immigrant" stereotype didn't come from nowhere, and I know a lot of Asian kids who work their asses off. I have no problem paying taxes, but I have a problem with what we're apparently investing in. If this was teaching about the nutritional value of peanut butter sandwiches, I'd be much more open to backing that. But supporting some overly-sensitive douchebag with a communist agenda who thinks sandwiches are racist when they've cut arts, theater, and physical education programs? Come ON.




Mainly, the only thing I can take away from this article, is that kids in Portland will now find more reasons to use race as a crutch. By drawing attention to that difference and making it appear debilitating (as though sandwiches are somehow better than tortillas?) kids from another culture are going to feel more alienated, not more included. Because kids are mean. You can give them all the sensitivity training you want, but if you're the fat kid, you had better grow a thick skin.


All these kids are in the same public school with the same access to the same education. They're taught the same curriculum, formatted to the same standardized test. At some level, you have to take some responsibility for your own future. There are hard-working kids, there's lazy kids. There's smart kids, there's dumb kids. You can't standardize humanity. Maybe intelligence could be the diversity initiative they go after next? Just my thoughts.


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