High School Football Team Rocked By Disturbing Text Message

I'm with you, just lighten up people

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The majority of these comments are about as appalling as the text!! This is exactly why there is still so much hatred in our society. I am a WHITE woman, and the action of what this white kid did is absolutely sickening. Kudos to Michael Gilbreath for being a class act and actually accepted the idiots apology. However, the idiot (which is the only name we can call him since his name is being withheld hmmm wonder why?) must be taught a lesson, being kicked out of school for 5 days, come on thats nothing more than getting to stay home and play PS3. I hope the Gilbreath's parents make sure he gets more than that such as getting kicked off the football team a season. No matter what the punishment it will not match or should I say compare to what Michael felt when he received that text from someone he thought was a friend.

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I AM A WHITE MAN, AND FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN TREATED BADLY FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I AM SORRY FOR ALL THE WHITES WHO DID THIS TO YOU..PLESE TRY AND FORGIVE US, WE ARE ALL NOT BAD PEOPLE........

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The fact that there are blacks who exploit their race is no damned excuse for anyone to send a text message to someone suggesting that they want to lynch that person. At the very best, this kid is an insensitive ignoramous; at worst he is a racist scumbag. Either way, he needs to learn a hard lesson here but it needs to be done in such a way that will be a unifying experience for everyone. He should have to make a presentation to the entire student body (with prior approval of the mesage) on racial insensitivity and it's possible implications and apologize personally to the Michael in front of everyone. I hope Michael is a bigger person than the sender seems to be. His father's comments were right-on without adding more fuel to the fire. Good on him!

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Please!Someone get this pu$$y some cheese to go with his whine!Help! He's being oppressed!

Jesus, if I had a nickel for every time someone called me something racist and I DIDN'T go ape$hit.I'd be damn rich.

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@Babygirl "If it were a white player that received the text it wouldn't have shown him with a noose and he wouldn't have been referred to as a Ni$$er".

According to the story, the text didn't show the Black student with a noose and didn't call HIM a Ni$$er. It was more general - not about HIM as an individual. Probably a (very misguided joke). I wonder what their relationship was before this? Sometimes people who have known each other 'rib' each other and take it farther and farther until someone feels disrespected. Well, this was clearly over the line (so the white kid is a dummy) but on the other hand I wonder what, if anything, was communicate between them before this? Because it is common for Black folks to call White folks 'cracker' or the new, popular and trendy racial slurs towards White people: Rednecks and trailer trash (you know, the words you see on these message boards, being used every day, with impunity).

Having said all that, I don't see how a private communication between two people, over a telephone, is any business of the school.

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Your comment, when translated, actually read "poor poor ignorant me".

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Puleeze people, it was obviously a joke. It seems the only reason it was not taken that way was because the black kid didn't recognize the number and showed it to his dad. I'm sure if he had known things would not have been blown out of proportion.
Btw, black are the worst racists I have ever met. If you don't know that then you don't know them well or you only know the ones who are as careful as white people about what they say. Trust me, I've heard all about how they really feel from many of "them". Don't believe me, just ask one. You of course have to make him/her feel as though you and everyone is a bit racist and you completely understand their racism. Ask a black woman how she feels about a white woman with a black man, they hate that! The reasons are different than how a white man feels, but the hate is there. Ask how they feel about Jews, if they have any experience with them that is. Ask about mexicans. If you're white you probably won't get too much negative info about whites, but trust me it's there.

I'm sure some liberal is going to say I'm a racist. Well, yes I am, most people are. Want to hear a negative racist comment about blacks? Show me a town, city, country etc that is 90+% black that isn't a slum. Show me a city etc that was originally a typical prosperous white community and blacks moved in and it didn't go to $#it. I'm currently living in one, it used to be all white and minimal crime, now it's about 25+% mex and black and the place is going to hell with crime, drugs etc. Guess who's behind bars at the local jail? It ain't the whites. Name an all white community that welcomes blacks to move in. Name a white family that welcomes a black to date their daughter. I could go on and on. My point is racism is normal behavior and it is not unfounded. Sorry I digressed from the story a bit, this is really directed at the comments of people pretending to be PC. I repeat, pretending.

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Here is what I think. I think this was one stupid white kid who really, honestly, did not understand the underlying "message" of his text. I think he is one very ignorant kid who thought his black teammate would think this was funny. Well, it is not funny. I will not "lighten up" as some posters have urged. As a Mexican-American woman., I have been exposed to far too many bad jokes and slurs to "lighten up". But I will say this. I believe that this white kid was not raised in a socially-conscious home, by parents who are not terribly sensitive to racial issues. It was a very dumb thing to do. He deserves suspension; he deserves mandatory sensitivity training; he certainly deserves a lesson in this country's racial history. What he does not deserve is for his entire future to be compromised because of this one ignorant act. Got help us ALL if we were forever branded because of one stupid, ignorant, repugnant act!

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Here is an issue that needs to be addressed, for #1 everyone who has written comments wasn't even alive back in the slavery days.# 2, to read the majority of these comments its like people are talking about shit as though they lived it......I have already posted my comment on how I felt about this deal, which was absolutely, no doubt about it, flat out wrong and very raw. All this racist shit needs to stop!! I mean come on, like I said before none of us were even alive during those days and its about damn time for us to stop slamming one another because the color of our skin. To the white people who glorify slavery, it just goes to show your ignorance and your up bringing, and to the blacks who hate all white people, I say the same thing to you. I'm not saying we have to LOVE or AGREE on everything, but cant we make a comment with out all the violence about one race or another? Like I said before the white kid definately needs to reap the consequences of his actions, and I think the black young man is a CLASS ACT by even accepting the white kid apology. He is a prime example of how he realized how ignorant the white boy is and how he could handle the situation without being violent, unlike alot of you who have posted violent comments.......

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There are times when I think we are all too sensitive about jokes making fun of a particular ethnic group--I am of Irish descent and hear and laugh at a lot of jokes referring to Irish drinking or fighting or relationship with the English, or some jokes about Catholics, etc., and my black friends do send me jokes which make gentle fun of blacks, but this is an entirely different issue--LYNCHING is a shameful, horrible part of our history--I become physically ill when pictures of lynch victims and their so-called "crimes" are published--whistling at a white woman, for example. We should certainly all be able to laugh at ourselves, but something as terrible as this can never be a subject of jokes!!! All I can say is that I hope this white student just did not realize what a horrendous thing lynching is.

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ssz, you make me sick. I will never cop to being a "racist" because I am not one. I am, on the other hand, an "intellectualist"; I appreciate a good argument backed by intelligent research. You, buddy, are one stupid person. If you hate where you are living, get out. I am pretty sure there is a community of like-thinkers out there somewhere who would be happy to have you. You might even be voted the new valedictorian.

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Great post, Lucie!! You sound like a really sensible and understanding person and I think you have appraised the situation really accurately and with intelligence.

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Big deal. I was called a cracker, white boy, and subjected to many other racist insults, threats, and teasing all throughout middle school and high school. Right in front of teachers and a peep was never made about it.

In this country everyone is allowed to whine except for white people. In this country's eyes, I deserve everything I get and it's apparently small price to pay for all of the slavery that I'm apparently responsible for.

FYI my family roots don't even go back in the US that far so I'm paying for something that not even my ancestors committed, much less me.

Read up a bit on what is allowed to go on to whites in prisons. Most appalling, is if the things that happen to whites in prisons happened exclusively to any other race group, or all other race groups, then the public, celebrities, and organizations would be in outrage. things would be changed inside of a month.

So before you feel too sorry about someone because something happened, think about what's happening to the people that have no one to feel sorry for them, because no one even cares.

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When are "white" Americans going to have their own ethnic identity before the word American? We can no longer call "black" Americans a color to identify them...because it is NOT politically correct....Well you know what, I am so frick'n tried of being a color too!!!! Just call me Euro-American!!!

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It's funny how a black comedian can get on stage and talk about white people, and the whole BLACK audience, as well as anyone white watching, it's taken as a joke, and is funny as hell. But...as soon as a black person is "offfended" by a black joke, or comment, it makes the news. I dont believe in mistreating ANYONE or intentionally offending anyone, but come the hell on, people. we are all AMERICANS,not African Americans, or Irish Americans, or German Americans, etc. As soon as we ALL call ourselves "Americans", we may be able to get past all the BS. The black people want to be "equal", and I am 100% all for that. But, until they stop sepereting themselves from the reat of us, they will be treated us such. I dont think discrimination goes on so much today, as it has in the past, and I think blacks have come along way. I really dont think Oprah's doin too bad for herself(although the only charity she seems to be into are black ones, and whites dont bitch). We dont have a white kid college fund for only white students, because if we did,Al Sharpton would be all over that. but, a white student would be laughed at if he/she would apply for a grant from UNCF. So...where does it end? I will end by saying that the message to the black kid in Minn. may have been out of line, but not that serious. I have a black friend that amkes white jokes about me and i make black one toward him. We know they are jokes, and only jokes. He is my buddy, and I love him to death. My point...stop taking everything so damn serious!! And lets all just learn to love one another, and stop making everything about race, and you black people...quit calling each other names that you dont want other peopel to call you!

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I have to say when I first saw this article, I was horrified and at first, I didn't want to even read it. I couldn't understand how this boy could have sent his friend such an offensive "joke". But now that I've thought about it, I think I know what may have happened. A lot of humor on comedy shows and the internet is very edgy and offensive to most mainstream audiences. He probably watched such shows and thought "hey, I can tell jokes like this. my friend will understand, I've known him for years, he'll know I don't really mean it." What he didn't understand was that there's a fine line between funny and offensive. Unfortunately, his "joke" was the unfunny kind.

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HAVE any of you people whining about how bad the porch monkeys have it ever been to the south,have you ever heard of mandatory hiring quotas or racist groups like the naacp or united negro college fund? or how bout affirmative action? it breaks downlike this:in the south, blacks target whites in reverse discrimination, blacks are hired in place of whites not because of skill, but because of mandatory quotas, naacp helps blacks get their way no matter what the situation. nncf gives blacks only money for college, and affirmative actionensures that blacks get whatever they want. if there was a white college fund, whites hired oved blacks, etc, you people would scream racism and lawsuits would follow. in comclusion, what do you call a busload of blacks going over a cliff? A DAMN GOOD START
14/88 DOING MY PART TO PROTECT AND RESTORE WHITE AMERICA!!!!

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if your black your black...and the n word is used by many...just not to their face....(political correctness you know) but doesnt change the way people feel...i have to say black, but am thinking n....... so what can they do about it...live with it...i hope the white teammate has a good life without bull..... and i am sure that the suspention will now never change his mind....the pendulum swings both way...and i think its on the way back...

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As a Human being I think that unless you are black and have had your's or your family - friends with their cival rights violated; you will never undertand the difficulty they have and will face. The rest of it is just simple hatred, racism along with stupidity.

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