Larry Davidson, who teaches at Weston High School, recounts a couple of student discussions he overheard recently, including two kids discussing life in Compton:
... Why do the people in Compton think they have it so tough? Life is actually much harder for us in Weston. We have all this pressure to get good grades and get into the top colleges; they don't have that kind of stress in Compton! ...
Free tagging:
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Comments
how could you miss the opportunity?
By Andrew
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 10:17am
Good post, wrong subject line. The line we were looking for was "Straight Outta Weston."
Arrgh!
By adamg
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 10:20am
Indeed! I should have this taped to my monitor: Never blog before coffee! I have, of course, changed the headline because that sums it up much better; thanks!
I say, Charles,
By Gareth
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 10:45am
Deuce it, old chap, when do I ever get to kick back with a Forty Ouncer? Where could one even buy a Forty Ouncer in Weston, I ask you? And what is a Forty Ouncer, anyway? I'd drink one, I really would! But I'm certain the folks would hold up my trust fund somehow.
Sounds fishy to me. Do kids
By Mark
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 11:43am
Sounds fishy to me. Do kids - even Weston kids - really say "Certainly not"? It sounds like a line from a movie. And the quote from "a girl" in his class. If it just happened recently, then the kids themselves would immediately know who she was. And kids today are internet-savvy, no? And quoting her publicly would come back to bite him in the ass, with her Weston parents pissed that he put her up to ridicule, no?
When the unverifiable story sounds too good, it usually is.
Or...
By tblade
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 12:15pm
...the meat of the story is true but it is paraphrased. Plus, kids say what their parents say. I'm in my 20s and I still use some phrases I remember my grandparents using,
tblade is correct
By ljd
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 2:05pm
Yes, indeed, the meat of the story is true but paraphrased. However, while I don't remember for sure, I think that "certainly not" might have actually been her exact words, since that phrase sticks in my head. Although some Weston kids do talk like illiterate teenagers, a remarkable number can talk like the Ivy Leaguers they hope to become -- or even more pretentiously. For an extreme case, consider this email message (with all personal identifying material removed):
If Gareth wants "bizarre, archaic elocution," this is certainly it!
Hilarity
By stephencaldwell
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 2:07pm
ensues.
That's fantastic
By tblade
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 6:06pm
Too bad it doesn't close with a "dictated, not read" and a cc distribution list, lol.
Absurd argument
By Gareth
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 1:14pm
Because somebody can't tell us who it was and provide a sound recording, it didn't happen? And this is suspected because of the bizarre, archaic elocution "Certainly not." Ooookay...
Publicity? Universal Hub, yeah, that's publicity off the charts. Repeating some random person's comments here is outing them - it's just like being on TV... except without the people watching. It's like shouting it through a megaphone ... except without the sound.
Man, you must have taken two ridiculous pills this morning instead of just one. You should wait until you have your coffee.
Compton is a city, not a
By MT
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 11:32pm
Compton is a city, not a neighborhood in Los Angeles.
correct
By Ron Newman
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 11:40pm
as currently written, this is like referring to "Boston's Quincy neighborhood".
I have enough trouble with local geography
By adamg
Mon, 02/11/2008 - 11:46pm
Fixed.