The ABCs of Fight Club

Cages at Dallas High School Where Fights Were Held

What the hell is going on in Texas these days?

Earlier this month reports surfaced that 'caregivers' at a Corpus Christi institution forced mentally disabled residents to fight each other, recording the brawls for their amusement.

Now we hear that an inner city high school in Dallas has been locking students in cages in the locker room (no, that's not what locker rooms are for) and having them 'duke out' their differences for years.

In an interview with the (Dallas) Morning News, Donald Moten, who retired as principal last year, denied any fights were held.

"That's barbaric. You can't do that at a high school. You can't do that anywhere," Moten said. "Ain't nothing to comment on. It never did happen. I never put a stop to anything because it never happened."

Why don't I believe him? Is it because he's an educator using the word 'ain't'?

Or is it because he's a former Dallas police officer who once lied about being kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint to get out of work, for which he was placed on administrative leave?

South Oak Cliff High is not a tabernacle of academia. The allegations about Fight Club came to light while the school was being investigated for altering students' grades so they could remain eligible to compete on the basketball team. Eventually the grade tampering practice cost the high school its 2005 and 2006 state basketball titles.