Earlier this month, 17-year-old high school student Austin Metcalf was stabbed to death at a track meet in Frisco, Texas. Metcalf died in his twin brother’s arms.
As an educator who lives just down the road, I know too well how our system failed to keep Metcalf out of harm’s way.
Karmelo Anthony, also 17, has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing. They had never met before the track meet, according a witness. Anthony brought a knife to the track meet and sat under another team’s tent. When asked to move, he reportedly refused and became aggressive. Metcalf stepped in to ask him to move again, to which Anthony responded, “Make me move,” according to Metcalf’s twin, who watched the events. Then Austin Metcalf grabbed Anthony’s backpack and Anthony stabbed him in the chest, his brother said.
Some have tried to make this about race — Metcalf was white, Anthony was black. But let’s not make this about race. This is about human decency and the culture that has eroded it.
A dangerous mindset has won over many young men today. It tells them that nothing really matters — burn it all down and take what you can. It demands respect while offering none in return. It scoffs at authority, mocks standards, and justifies any action that serves one’s immediate desires. I have seen this mindset spread in my years working at a relatively well-off suburban high school down the road from Metcalf’s school. Countless examples come to mind.
Hellbound and Down 