somewhere in america

On March 1, 2018
a reflection by [mykailyn]

Here in America in every single state, they have a set of standards for every subject. A collection of lessons that the teachers are required to teach by the end of the term. But the greatest lessons you could ever teach us will not come from your syllabus. The greatest lessons you will ever teach us, you will not even remember. You never told us what we weren’t allowed to say. We just learned to hold our tongues. Now somewhere in America there’s a child holding a copy of “Catcher in the Rye” and there is a child holding a gun. But only one of these have been banned from their state government. And its NOT the one that can rip through flesh, it’s the one that says “Fuck you” on more pages than one. Because we must control what people say, how they think. And if they want to become the overseer of their own selves, then we’ll show them a real one. And somewhere in America, there’s a child sitting at his Mother’s computer reading the homepage of the KKK’s website that’s open to the public. But that child would have never read “To Kill a Mockingbird” because the school has banned it for its use of the “N word.” Maya Angelou is prohibited because we’re not allowed to talk about rap in school. We were taught that just because something happens, doesn’t mean it’s okay to talk about it. They build us brand new shopping malls so that we’ll forgey where we’re really standing. On the BONES of the Hispanics, on the BONES of the Native Americans, on the BONES of those who fought just to SPEAK! Trans Continental Railroad to Japanese internment camps, there are things missing from our history books. But we’re taught that it is better to be silent than to make them uncomfortable. Somewhere in America, private schools girls search for hours through boutiques to try and find the prom dress of their dreams. While kids on the Southside spend hours searching through the lost and found, because winters coming and that’s the only jacket they have. Kids are late to class for working the midnight shift, they give awards for best attendance, but not for keeping your family off the streets. Kids will call your music “ghetto,” they will tell you, “you don’t talk right,” then they’ll get in the backseat of a car with all their friends singing about how they’re “bout that life” and they’re “bad and bougie.” Somewhere in America, schools are promoting self-confidence while they whip out their scales and shout out your body fat percentage in class. While hefty girls are hiding away and the slim-fit beauties can’t help but giggle with pride. The preppy kids go thrift shopping because they think it sounds real fun. But we go because that’s all we got money for, because Momma works for the city. Momma only gets paid once a month. And even with all of that she has to deal with getting beaten to death by the man she claims she “loves.” But apparently he feels the same way. Somewhere in America, a girl is getting felt up by a grown man on the Subway. She’s still in her school uniform, and that’s part of the appeal. It’s hard to run in new socks and Mary Janes and all of her male teachers know it too. Coaches cover up star-players raping freshmen after the dance. Women are killed for rejecting dates. But God forbid I bring my girlfriend to prom. A girl is blackout drunk from the after party. Take a picture before her peers wake her. How many pencils is your sanity worth? What’s a 4.0 to a cold jury? What did you learn in class today? Don’t walk fast. Don’t speak loud. Keep your hands to yourself, keep your head down. Keep your eyes on your own paper, if you don’t know the answer, fill in “C.” Always wear earbuds when riding the bus alone. If you feel like someone’s following you, pretend you’re on the phone. A teacher never fails, only you do. Is America honest or do we just bask in sin? Because in every state in America, the greatest lessons are the ones you don’t remember learning.

 

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