An entire high school class just got busted doing Nazi salute during prom picture

The reemergence of casual racism as a commonplace behavior —after decades during which open displays of bigotry were considered not only socially unacceptable but actually led to serious consequences like ostracism and reduced employability — is one of the most disturbing symptoms of the societal virus that infected our country with the election of Donald Trump.

Those symptoms were on full display at Wisconsin’s Baraboo High School this weekend, when a bunch of seniors from the school posed for a group photo while giving a Nazi salute, which one of them then posted on Twitter to share their offensive gesture with the world.

 

The tweet has since been deleted after the post gained attention for its racist display of both the “Sieg Heil” salute and the white-power “OK” hand gesture a senior in the front row of the photo portrays but was apparently taken by a parent of one of the boys in the photo at a prom.

Jules Suzdaltsev of The Young Turks investigated the background behind the photo and found some disturbing news about the environment at the school. After requesting that someone at the school explain how such a shot could eve be taken he was deluged with tweets from Baraboo students who described a culture where racism was openly displayed and rarely punished.

Not every boy in the photo willingly participated in the heinous salute. Suzdaltsev heard from Jordan Blue, a student who refused to raise his hand for the photo.

Blue may wind up being the only one of those students who doesn’t have trouble finding a job or getting into college as a result of the negative publicity around the incident.

School officials condemned the photo with this statement:

Emphasizing how seriously they take the matter, the school has enlisted the local police to help investigate the circumstances around the taking of the picture.

While the entire incident is symptomatic of the Trump-inspired rebirth of racism, it is good to know that at least a majority of the population is still horrified and disgusted by actions such as these. Let’s make sure not to lose our sense of outrage at situations like this and make sure that we roundly condemn them when they occur, otherwise we risk slipping back into the dark ages without a fight.

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Original reporting by Jules Suzdaltsev at The Young Turks.

Vinnie Longobardo

is the Managing Editor of Washington Press and a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile, & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art.