DeLaSalle Shame

**swingline** · March-13-12, 08:44 AM

And the white folks will continue to claim that black folks should stop worrying so much about racism. As one of the Detnews commenters said, this kind of thing is learned behavior.

A shameful display from a highly regarded Catholic school. It will be interesting to see if there is a public response.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120313/OPINION03/203130328/Detroit-King-s-comfortable-win-turns-uncomfortable?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

**eno** · March-13-12, 10:09 AM

Wasn't there a similar expression of poor sportsmanship by Catholic Central alumni this past football season when they were upset by a Detroit team? You would think a Catholic school would have a higher moral code than these expressions.

**ResurgetCineribus** · March-13-12, 10:15 AM

As a De La Salle graduate I'm not surprised by this and think it is definitely poor spirited and is a sad byproduct of the school's culture. It's really more of a public versus private school chant than it is racist. Still terrible in any regard...

**rjk** · March-13-12, 10:32 AM

"We've got futures. We've got futures."Later they chanted: "Flip our burgers. And you are stupid."

Call them elitists, but I don't get the racism angle.
Is it inconceivable that those chants could be made at a game against a team from Hazel Park or Hamtramck? Just because King is a overwelmingly black school a charge of racism is tossed around?

Years ago I read about the chants that Northwesten college used when they were getting blown out in Big Ten games. Things such as 'You'll being working for us some day' and other similiar chants.

**poobert** · March-13-12, 10:33 AM

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

**kenp** · March-13-12, 11:20 AM

What a misleading and pathetic article, both sides were doing the same thing. It happens at all games between rival students.
After the game this pic was taken, show me tha hate. Name: del.jpg
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Size: 50.4 KB

**p69rrh51** · March-13-12, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by poobert

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

Actually DLS is a parochial school not a private school and yes its pretty much what you described. GP academy is a grade school not a high school. University Liggett School is the only private high school in GP.

Buy American · March-13-12, 11:41 AM

"a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb"

Quite a statement coming from someone who probably lives in Detroit, a delapidated city where carjackings and the murder of young babies is the norm. Those types of things do not happen in Warren and the graduation rate at DLS is 99.9%, the students normally go on to college and become productive members of the community.

**poobert** · March-13-12, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

"a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb"

Quite a statement coming from someone who probably lives in Detroit, a delapidated city where carjackings and the murder of young babies is the norm. Those types of things do not happen in Warren and the graduation rate at DLS is 99.9%, the students normally go on to college and become productive members of the community.

Chill out. I am Catholic and went to a working class Catholic school myself. I am a firm believer in Catholic education and my kids will be subjected to it as I was. Detroit [[where I live) and DPS are completely and utterly fucked, you are also correct. But for DLS to shout such demeaning classist [[and probably backhandedly racist) garbage is not only dispicable, but there are a lot of schools in the region better than them from better-off communities who could just as easily put them down as well. Point being, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, especially totally unprovoked and counter to any idea of sportsmanship [[not to mention the religion their school professes).

Nothing against Warren, but as I have said before the inner ring burbs, while not nearly as bad as much of Detroit, are facing many similar issues on a smaller scale [[forclosure, abandonment, blight, increased crime, municipal deficits, loss of tax base and employment centers) so I wouldn't be so quick to distance Warren from Detroit, either. We're all in this together, especially city and inner ring. It isn't 1990 anymore. Screaming those derisions as DLS did is not just shameful but very misplaced.

**Johnnny5** · March-13-12, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by swingline

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120313/OPINION03/203130328/Detroit-King-s-comfortable-win-turns-uncomfortable?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE And the white folks will continue to claim that black folks should stop worrying so much about racism. As one of the Detnews commenters said, this kind of thing is learned behavior.

As others have said, I fail to see the racial overtones in the tasteless chants attributed to the crowd. In fact, I vividly remember similar chants from the the audience when I attended high school games and most of those were out in the "exburbs" where 99% of the players on the court were white.

**rjk** · March-13-12, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

It isn't 1990 anymore. Screaming those derisions as DLS did is not just shameful but very misplaced.

Chants at sporting events aren't said to make a logical point, they're said to get under the skin of the opponent or the opponents fans. As mentioned by someone who was there both sides were doing it and it escaladed to classless comments.
They're high school kids, it's going to happen.

**IrishSpartan** · March-13-12, 02:06 PM

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year. I didn't know that's considered realistically affordable for the "working class" even with tuition assistance.

Now, when DLS was still in Detroit on Conner across the street from the airport their was truth in that statement. The school was made up of mostly working class Catholic kids from the east side of Detroit. However, those were the days when tuition was much less expensive even when you account for inflation since the Christian Brothers made up the majority of faculty. However, DLS left Detroit 30 years ago.

For many years now, many of the fathers that send their sons there are professionals or work in well paying white collar occupations. It's not like the 1960's anymore, where a line worker at Dodge Main living at 6 Mile & Van Dyke sends his son there.

Originally Posted by poobert

Wow, disgusting!

I like sports but they seem to bring out the worst in spectators rather than the best, more often than not...

There is a little irony here, too. Okay, DLS is a good private school but it isn't the Grosse Pointe Academy or Roeper School. It's a junky old working class Catholic school in a junky old working class suburb, to be frank. I think their air of superiority is a bit misplaced.

**GPCharles** · March-13-12, 02:20 PM

You should hear what the Harvard and Yale students yell at each other every year at "The Game."

**rjk** · March-13-12, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by IrishSpartan

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year.

Most Catholic HS are now in the $8-9k range.
With inflation added in the HS I went to in the 80's is now more than twice as much to attend. That's why so many Catholic schools have been closing. Even many the ones that are still open are nowhere close to the enrollment they had decades ago.

**IrishSpartan** · March-13-12, 03:05 PM

Oh, I certainly believe that statement. For the 1965-66 school year the cost for tuition at De La Salle was either $225 or $250. Granted, their has been inflation over the years. However, with inflation that is nowhere near $8-9k.

Actually, I decided to use one of those inflation calculators out of curiousity. I plugged in $250 for 1965 and then picked the year of 2005 to see what that translates to in terms of amount. According to the purchasing power calculator the amount is $1,550.00

The big difference between today and back then is that in those days they had enough Christian Brothers and Nuns to teach. Basically, they were a cheap source of labor. In the 1960's, the Catholic schools were a reason for some Catholics to stay in the city. When the costs starting increasing substanstially they were a reason for some working class Catholics to get out and put their kids in suburban public schools.

Originally Posted by rjk

Most Catholic HS are now in the $8-9k range.
With inflation added in the HS I went to in the 80's is now more than twice as much to attend. That's why so many Catholic schools have been closing. Even many the ones that are still open are nowhere close to the enrollment they had decades ago.

**rjk** · March-13-12, 03:33 PM

I looked up the cost of DLS. $8,700 per year. 30% of the students receive financial aid at an average of $3,000 per student.

Catholic Central is $9,800 and Brother Rice is $10,350.

**iheartthed** · March-13-12, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by rjk

"We've got futures. We've got futures."Later they chanted: "Flip our burgers. And you are stupid."

Call them elitists, but I don't get the racism angle.
Is it inconceivable that those chants could be made at a game against a team from Hazel Park or Hamtramck? Just because King is a overwelmingly black school a charge of racism is tossed around?

Years ago I read about the chants that Northwesten college used when they were getting blown out in Big Ten games. Things such as 'You'll being working for us some day' and other similiar chants.

The difference is that Northwestern is generally renowned for its top rated academics and high achieving alumni when compared to most other Big 10 schools. Is DeLaSalle known for producing above average graduates? King HS is...

If DLS doesn't have the reputation of being an elite institution then on what basis would the students start making elitist chants? It being a predominantly white and suburban high school playing a predominantly black inner city high school, it's not hard to infer what basis the elitism was built on...

**1953** · March-13-12, 03:51 PM

This was a class-based assault, not race-based.

Anyway, why would someone say, "Flip our burgers. And you are stupid." That's not even syntactically correct. I think they were misquoted.

**kenp** · March-13-12, 03:54 PM

Terry Foster was quoted in the News online comment section stating that the story wasnt racist. So would that make it bullying? Well the bully got his butt wiped good. Was it immature high school kids being stupid? Maybe.
I think it was merely Terry hyping his radio show. Ratings, isnt this what it is all about.

**antongast** · March-13-12, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by swingline

And the white folks will continue to claim that black folks should stop worrying so much about racism.

This prediction turned out to be accurate, I see.

**IrishSpartan** · March-13-12, 04:07 PM

I've heard it is still good, but yes, De La Salle was considered was one of the very best Catholic schools when it was in Detroit. It was one of the schools U of M actually gave bonus G.P.A. points for attending.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

The difference is that Northwestern is generally renowned for its top rated academics and high achieving alumni when compared to most other Big 10 schools. Is DeLaSalle known for producing above average graduates? King HS is...

If DLS doesn't have the reputation of being an elite institution then on what basis would the students start making elitist chants? It being a predominantly white and suburban high school playing a predominantly black inner city high school, it's not hard to infer what basis the elitism was built on...

**detroitsgwenivere** · March-13-12, 04:42 PM

When I went to catholic school, there was no way in hell our student cheering section would get away with chants like the ones at this b-ball game. Our asses would've spent the next month doing tray and trash duty in the cafeteria. Failure falls into the lap of school administration, who otherwise seem to have no problem policing what their students do outside of school, on social networking sites, etc.

**Bham1982** · March-13-12, 06:24 PM

Originally Posted by IrishSpartan

Really ? Last I checked tuition is well over $7k per year. I didn't know that's considered realistically affordable for the "working class" even with tuition assistance.

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

The tuition could be 70k per year, doesn't mean the demographics aren't largely working class.

**IrishSpartan** · March-13-12, 06:58 PM

De La Salle hasn't been a working class school in years, especially since they left Detroit. A large number of the kids are from more affluent areas of Macomb County.

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Most Catholic school kids nationally don't pay full tuition. Many pay almost nothing.

The tuition could be 70k per year, doesn't mean the demographics aren't largely working class.

**Bham1982** · March-13-12, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by IrishSpartan

De La Salle hasn't been a working class school in years, especially since they left Detroit. A large number of the kids are from more affluent areas of Macomb County.

I'll take your word for it, but I'll admit I'm surprised. Catholic schools were always known for educating working class kids, and Warren nowadays is very, very blue collar.

Maybe they all live in Rochester Hills or in those new subdivisions going up north of Hall Road.