Stupid Coloring Book in Manassas
A local news station is trying to stir up some racial tension in one of the outlying burbs around Washington DC by this story about a coloring book that was designed for 4th and 5th graders at Manassas Park, Va.
The book is supposed to say what is needed in the community to be a good neighbor and citizen, but the city chose the stupidest way to get this message across, and it came out sounding racist against… well, Latinos, or maybe Rednecks, or maybe just poor black people… Heck, I dunno.
From NBC4 here: Be sure to watch the video.
MANASSAS, Va. — A coloring book is sparking controversy in northern Virginia. The book is about being a good citizen, but some said it is a veiled attempt to target new immigrants.
City officials in Manassas put the coloring book together. They said the book is to let families know what’s expected of a good citizen and a change in attitude will go along way toward eliminating nuisance complaints.
The coloring book is called “Being a Good Neighbor” and was put together by the city’s housing and overcrowded task force. It is being sent home with 9- and 10-year-olds at Manassas Park Elementary School.
Officials said they want to send the message that some of the neighborhoods in and around Manassas Park need to be cleaned up.
The coloring book features a word search with words like inspections, zoning and overcrowding. It points out that a good neighbor does not park on the front lawn and keeps indoor furniture indoors.
The effort comes as officials recently overturned an overcrowding ordinance many claim was aimed at new immigrants.
Manassas Park officials said the problem is not overcrowding, it is behavior and many of the calls they receive have to do with cars on lawns, trash in yards and uncut grass. They said they want to keep their communities clean and respectable.
Ever since I moved to the area in the mid-Nineties, it has been common knowledge that Manassas is where you had to move if you couldn’t afford to live closer into the city of Washington DC, like Fairfax, Alexandria and Arlington. As such, Manassas is a little less cultured, more country… its the only place you can go in the region to eat at Old Country Buffet or Cracker Barrel. It has a Waffle House near an offramp of I-66. I guess I’m trying to say, the town is kinda Redneck compared to the rest of the region.
And because of the lower cost of living (which is quickly rising due to sprawl), many of the region’s Latino immigrants have moved into the area. Now, I’m not Carlos Mencia, so I can’t speak for the Latinos, but I come from a rich Redneck Heritage. I know that rednecks like to park their cars on the grass and put the old couch on the front porch. And I’ve seen Latinos do it too. It’s called wanting to be comfortable while you drink your beer and watch your kids play in the yard!
Manassas Park spent way too much time planning and making this stupid coloring book. And then, they picked the stupidest method of communication- sending the book home with little kids, in the hopes that little Mary or little Maria would tell Mom and Dad that its not cool to park the car on the lawn. Sheesh.
They should work out a deal with the local cable company, or direct-mail flyers to homes, detailing any regulations that residents may be violating- if there is such an ordinance. Or, neighborhood communities can get together and form Homeowners’ Associations and can govern and enforce rules among themselves. But it is not the business of the local school system to try to get neighborhoods to clean up their act.
