The Three - Wait Two - Nooses of Jena: An Outrage - Apparently Not

As reported by the Associated Press, the two nooses that were hung from the fabled oak tree in Jena, Louisiana were not taken down out of any sort of outrage felt. This had long appeared to be the case, but with a proverbial Spanish Inquisition bearing down on every hint of dissent towards the Jena story the reports were few and far between. Many persons have recently called into question the validity of the racial statement attributed to these pieces of rope however - as some Jena residents have reported that the "white tree" inquiry may very well have had nothing to do with the nooses.

One Paul of Jena, Louisiana explains that he did not believe the nooses to have anything to do with racism - but rather that it was a part of the "beat the Cowboys" football theme that had been going on that week. Indeed the entire week had seen persons wearing anti-cowboy apparel, and he reports that the oak tree had been the site of many a school prank designated for cross-school rivalries. In this case, Paul says, it was seen more of the "hang 'em high" look - inappropriate yes, threatening no, ill-timed, obviously.

But perhaps the most important part of the Associated Press's revelations is that there was no initial student outrage about the nooses. While one were to listen to any of the Jena Six defenders on the incident, one would imagine that the town immediately exploded into a feeling that the struggling black man is being forced into the poll tax and lynchings of yore.

Rather, the school reports, the nooses were taken down because of the health risk and distraction they caused. Students, the school says, were literally swinging on them as they would rings on a playground, or even putting their necks through them in jocular fashions (much the same way the white tree inquiry was made).

To further add fuel to this fire, it has been reported that the students involved in the noose hanging were only suspended for three days - for a hate crime allegation this would seem decidedly soft, some would report (as they have). What is never pointed out, however, is that the students had spent a month in an alternative school as their fates were decided. Some readers may see this as lenient - but as someone who was forced to endure an alternative school it can safely be stated that this is no light punishment.

This transforms the initial ire felt towards the seemingly weak punishment into a sudden burst of clarity: the light punishment was the final stage of an already ongoing consequence.

This is often, of course, neglected or added upon to in the zeal to transform Jena, Louisiana into the next Birmingham - fortunately, however, reasonability still seems to have a hold on some people of the United States, who won't allow "trivial" details like student backgrounds, facts, and numbers (such as there only being two nooses instead of three) get thrown away as easily as those who see this as their chance to live in the glory days of Martin Luther King.