Two white Gainesville, Florida high school students who recorded a disturbing, nearly 14-minute long video filled with racist remarks and derogatory slurs toward fellow classmates have ignited outrage and shock online.
Now, another video featuring second pair of white Florida students making fun of black students at their school and other racist remarks has gone viral.
The incidents are shining a light on the uncomfortable topic of racism and raising serious questions about the pervasive stereotypes and discrimination that are alive and well today.
In the first incident, two girls posted a video in which they discuss how black people in their community choose welfare and food stamps and use the money to buy themselves clothes and other material goods.
The video appears to be a response to an earlier one posted by the pair, and they answer questions from online commenters who have taken issue with their racist remarks.
"If you lived here you would... not like these black people," one girl says. "There's black people, they're fine, they're educated, they go to school, they do what they have to do. Then there's n------ who can't talk right, they keep having kids, they can't get jobs. There's a difference."
Media reports say the girls have been kicked out of school and continue to receive death threats. The girls have apologized and the families have asked for forgiveness.
Now, two more high school students from the Palm Beach County area of Florida are under fire for their four-minute racist rant that went viral online, equally as disturbing. The video, which has been removed and reposted online several times, features the girls giggling as they make fun of black students.
The girls' high school says it will take appropriate action.
But the incidents raise troubling questions about the existence of racist attitudes and discriminatory beliefs in an era where everyone seems to preach acceptance and tolerance. While the families involved have apologized, the girls in the first video seemed to be very aware of what they were saying, as they were responding to online critics who decried their racist views.
Carly Weeks