What is it with people wanting to be victims? For the life of me, I’ll never understand this.

We used to be a nation of people who were overcomers and wanted to triumph. Now, we’re a nation of people who seem to be competing to see who is the most oppressed and who can get the most sympathy from others. They want people to feel sorry for them.

Call me old fashioned, but people can take their sympathy and shove it as far as I’m concerned because I’m not going to even let you know if I feel oppressed or a victim. I’m going to do something about it. I’ve been in tough spots in my life, I’ve even been homeless, but I didn’t want everyone to pity me or see how much of a victim of circumstances I was. I wanted to overcome and do something positive with my life.

But the pattern we’ve been seeing over the past few years is one where especially black people want to convince others that they’re being targeted by racist white people. Probably two of the most notable examples of this are Jussie Smollett and Bubba Wallace.

Jussie Smollett flat out lied and staged a hoax, and Bubba Wallace is just an idiot who thought that someone hung a noose in a car garage.

Now, in St. Louis, a whole school staged a walk out in order to show solidarity to students who were apparently targeted by racist white people who wrote racist graffiti on a school bathroom.

As a @ParkwayAlumni Class of 2012 Parkway West, I stand with the students and parents at Parkway Central who walked out today and said no to racism in school. pic.twitter.com/KumOyvQlfZ

— Rep Rasheen Aldridge. Jr (He/Him) (@RepSheenBean) September 23, 2021

Proud to speak at Parkway Central High School today. These young people are fed up and showing amazing leadership. They are the future! Let's go!!! pic.twitter.com/bdYLMTP7yY

— Spencer Toder for Senate (@SpencerToder) September 23, 2021

Well, wouldn’t you know it…it was a hoax…again.

The school wrote a letter explaining the situation:

Dear Parkway Community,

I wanted to follow up regarding racist graffiti in our bathrooms last week. The investigation at North High is still ongoing. The investigation has concluded at Central High School related to this incident. The evidence led to a single student and the student admitted writing the messages.

The student responsible is not white, however this does not diminish the hurt it caused or the negative impact it has had on our entire community.

Our student discipline policy is clear. Regardless of the reason or the individual responsible, these acts are a significant violation of multiple codes of conduct outlined in our policies. The student is facing severe disciplinary consequences and referral to law enforcement for investigation. Parkway will continue to hold students responsible for any behavior that threatens or degrades others in our school community.

We remain hurt by the actions of the student, as it does not represent the values of our community. We cannot presume the reasons a student would do this and it will be important to understand why this happened as we move forward.

Last week was difficult for many of our students and staff. We also saw many positive outcomes. I want to acknowledge the actions our students took as a result of these incidents. Students proactively led walkouts at multiple Parkway high schools and in these moments, many students shared personal experiences of racism throughout their lives and at school. Their voice was a clear indication that more work is needed to ensure our school cultures and communities are safe for each student regardless of their race. I want to tell the thousands of students who participated on behalf of themselves and their fellow classmates: I am proud of you for supporting one another and we heard you loud and clear.

We will also continue to take action to ensure our schools are places where all students feel they belong. Let us use this opportunity to continue to grow as a community to be more compassionate, peaceful and loving individuals with care for all.

Thank you all for your support,

Dr. Marty