Is Penis Envy A Tolerance Issue

I can make disparaging remarks about someone who has more than I do but the bottom line is that I don't blame society or my skin colour or religious affliation, etc. etc. The following is an example of tolerance.org sustains their existance by placing people's failures on those segments I list. To Jon all I have to say is get a life........

ESSAY: Does a 16-Year-Old Really Need an SUV?

Sept. 21, 2006 -- A sophomore explains how divisions along the lines of race and class create deep social boundaries at his school.

by Jon D'Errico

There is no doubt I come from a well-off family in an extremely wealthy town. Recently, I have been wondering about how all this wealth affects my school community. Here, it's rare to see a Hummer driving around. But it's especially odd when you see a junior driving a Hummer and pulling into the local high school parking lot! Does a 16-year-old really need a Hummer? Does a Hummer make you a better driver? I doubt it. In essence, I think this junior is simply showing off his wealth. Knowing my classmates, I can also be sure that this junior will probably exclude others socially if they have a different economic status. At my school, a student's family income can affect who gets selected for the sports teams. For example, it can determine who gets bench time and who doesn't. I think politics also play a huge role in these athletic decisions. For example, a student with a parent who is a business owner will have a far greater chance of making a school team than "that new kid" who recently moved here, regardless of actual athletic talent. Recreational drug use is also a large problem in our school. It seems to me that some people think that if they can afford a certain drug, then they should buy it and abuse it. For some reason, our teachers and our parents have turned somewhat of a blind eye to the drug abuse. A few years ago, in a drunken driving incident, a junior killed a father of two. Not only did the junior have a very high blood alcohol level, he was driving a BMW, a vehicle that quickly accelerates. It seems we have all forgotten about this shocking incident. Since our town is so affluent, every year we all donate to A Better Chance (ABC), a program that places academically talented minority students in better schools. These students move from a large, "dangerous" city to go to our school. Unfortunately, they are sometimes excluded. For one reason, they are in an economic class by themselves because they are not as lucky as the rest of us born into families with higher incomes. Secondly, nearly all of these kids are black. I personally could not care less about this; I do not think it is right to judge based on skin color. However, I live in a predominantly white town. and, based on the color of their skin, these students are intermittently harassed. Should you choose your friends because of the color of their skin or by what type of car they drive? In some of the cliques at my high school, it seems that money dictates who your friends are. I do not think someone's wealth is important at all. One of my closest friends is not nearly as rich as the person with the Hummer. I really do not see what difference this makes. On the other hand, there are many people like me in my high school who have friends from all different "social classes" because we do judge by character. Apparently, our little town is not as perfect as it appears to be on the outside. Jon D'Errico lives in Connecticut.