The father of a Baraboo High School graduate blocked his daughter from shaking the hand of the Black superintendent as she graduated, video of the incident shows.

The school district, which has had repeated problems with racism and antisemitism, held its graduation Friday. The father was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, Wisconsin News reported.

The father, who has been identified as 49-year-old Matt Eddy, jumped on stage, grabbed the superintendent and began dragging him to the back of the stage.

  • kandoh@reddthat.com
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    5 months ago

    From a scientific standpoint I’d love to know what was going through the racist dad’s head in that moment

    • UnpluggedFridge@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      From someone who grew up with a racist father, it was likely a juxtaposition of the handshake with stereotypes of hypersexuality and uncleanliness among black men mixed with sexist ideals of young women and their purity.

      • calamity_joe@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        This is my opinion too. I dont have racist parents (anymore than anyone can be said to have some degree of inherent racism we try hard to be mindful of and eliminate as we become more aware), but I did grow up around a lot of racists. I was always surprised that people I knew, even ones who had black friends and were otherwise fine towards other races, would get really weird about a white woman and a black man having some sexual relationship.

        Then the guns came out and it was all kinds of horrific slurs towards the black man and the white woman both. I specifically remember the common understanding for these people was that a white woman was “ruined” beyond repair after being with a black man. Even when I was young, it just screams of an outrageous level of insecurity