Baraboo and You

By: Roberto Ruiz, Opinion Reporter

Recently, a controversial photo passed around social media. It shows male students from Baraboo High School in Baraboo, Wisconsin, doing a Nazi salute. Debate rages about whether this is a sign of racism or a joke gone awry. Yet, I’m here to talk about something else: the effects of your actions.

Almost everyone is branding these students as the guys who did the Nazi salute in high school. Employers many deny them jobs and colleges may deny them schooling. They may not have a chance at a decent and normal life. The ethics of this joke is not the issue.

What I seek to point out is that it shows that playing foolish games will only gain one foolish prizes. We also saw this not long ago with Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh had his nomination put in jeopardy. He was accused of assaulting various women as a young man.

This isn’t all about being normal. These students were all following the crowd. However, one student, Jordan Blue, who decided to go against the grain, thought that doing this was wrong.  Many are lauding Blue for his moral integrity. There are even calls for him to have his college funded by various people on Twitter. I’ll let you decide which seems to be the better route.

In more simple terms, don’t be these kids. These kids are never going have the same opportunities because of a high school stunt. These students could have avoided it all. Be a Jordan, not one the countless faces in the pictured crowd.