A Chicago Tribunepiece on why the Fenger High School students fight. It doesn’t really answer the question. But then again it’s not like there is a good answer. What it comes down to seems to be the belief that kids from the projects are “invading” another neighborhood (with seemingly very similar socioeconomic characteristics) where the high school is.
“As far as I know, they don’t like us,” said Young, who dreams of playing professional football even though he’s not on the school team, “and the way I feel, we don’t like them.”
The reporter can’t actually determine any real difference between the groups (though I love dig “even though he’s not on the school team”). Perhaps the only thing that might be considered profound is this line: “I’m not gonna run from it…. Why should I have to run from where I live? If I have to run from where I live, where else do I go?”
I guess no different than East Side versus West Side (Baltimore), Bloods versus Crips (LA), Jets versus Sharks (Broadway), or East Platform versus West Platform (L-going Cubs fans).