Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

piercehawkeye45 · 05-07-2010, 09:48 AM

These kids were looking for attention and they got it. It was an act of defiance and they are using "American pride" as their defense. Typical.

Puts the school district in a catch 22 as well. Its probably a very touchy issue there and any action, or lack of action, taken by the school would most likely blow back up in their face.

xoxoxoBruce · 05-07-2010, 10:09 AM

I doubt that, the article didn't mention anything about the Mexicans protesting or even being offended. This is just the school administration flexing their muscles, in the name of politically correct.

piercehawkeye45 · 05-07-2010, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I doubt that, the article didn't mention anything about the Mexicans protesting or even being offended. This is just the school administration flexing their muscles, in the name of politically correct.

Yes it did.

Quote:

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercanry

So what? The action they did take was inappropriate. I hope the kids sue the school for kicking them off campus.

This is only the latest of political correctness gone wrong in the US..

Depends on the situation. We have no idea who these kids are or how they act. I am probably biased, but I have a feeling these kids are like the kids at my school who drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day.....in Wisconsin.

If these kids just happened to wear a shirt or bandanna with the American flag on it, then the school should have handled it better.

If the kids wore it as a big fuck you to the Mexican American population, which I am assuming it was, then I completely agree with the school's decision. It isn't ideal, but putting myself in their place, I would rather force someone to change their shirt then deal with some race related fights, which I know happen at other places.

Flint · 05-07-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Yes it did.

Depends on the situation. We have no idea who these kids are or how they act. I am probably biased, but I have a feeling these kids are like the kids at my school who drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day.....in Wisconsin.

If these kids just happened to wear a shirt or bandanna with the American flag on it, then the school should have handled it better.

If the kids wore it as a big fuck you to the Mexican American population, which I am assuming it was, then I completely agree with the school's decision. It isn't ideal, but putting myself in their place, I would rather force someone to change their shirt then deal with some race related fights, which I know happen at other places.

Even when people are dicks, you can't take action against them unless they actually do something wrong. This is a cornerstone of a free, law-abiding society. Once you open things up to the vagaries of spur-of-the-moment "feelings" and opinions, you accept that next time they could be coming for YOU if they don't like your attitude about something. That's not America.

piercehawkeye45 · 05-07-2010, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flint

Even when people are dicks, you can't take action against them unless they actually do something wrong. This is a cornerstone of a free, law-abiding society. Once you open things up to the vagaries of spur-of-the-moment "feelings" and opinions, you accept that next time they could be coming for YOU if they don't like your attitude about something. That's not America.

This is where we disagree. I am not defending the school just because I disagree with the actions of those students. I am not offended by their actions just as I was not offended when students from my school drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day. It is about preventing something bigger from happening.

I do know places where an act such of this would have resorted in violence and could have brought other students into this as well. There are stupid racist who will do something to "make a statement" and there are stupid people who will use violence to "shut them up". If school's can avoid those situations, within reason, then I agree with the avoidance strategy.

I don't know if this school is such a place. If it is not, then yes, it is a stretch of political correctness. If it is, then I back the school's decision to attempt to avoid violence from breaking out in their school.

Flint · 05-07-2010, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

...an act such of this...

Quick reality check: an "act such as this" refers to what?

piercehawkeye45 · 05-07-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flint

Quick reality check: an "act such as this" refers to what?

How is that a reality check? I am fully aware how stupid it is to resort to violence if you are offended that someone wore an American flag during Cinco de Mayo or if someone wore a Mexican flag during the 4th of July. But, unfortunately, it happens.

As Classicman's post states, that decision was about safety, not about political correctness. Obviously it could still be an overreaction from the school district, but my gut feeling says it is not.

Once again, we don't anything about these students besides that they wear American flags on their clothes every once in a while. They could be legitimate patriotic people, or they could full out white supremacist. We don't know. But from my personal experience, the only people that would think about wearing an American flag during Cinco de Mayo, in a school with a large Hispanic population, then get all defensive about it, are more towards the racist side.

TheMercenary · 05-07-2010, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

Yes it did.

Depends on the situation. We have no idea who these kids are or how they act. I am probably biased, but I have a feeling these kids are like the kids at my school who drove around with a Confederate flag on their car during Martin Luther King Day.....in Wisconsin.

If these kids just happened to wear a shirt or bandanna with the American flag on it, then the school should have handled it better.

If the kids wore it as a big fuck you to the Mexican American population, which I am assuming it was, then I completely agree with the school's decision. It isn't ideal, but putting myself in their place, I would rather force someone to change their shirt then deal with some race related fights, which I know happen at other places.

None of that matters and none of that should have played into a decision by the powers that be to ban students of their First Amendment Rights. Fuck who ever disagrees with them. Isn't that the new norm?

05-07-2010, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

None of that matters and none of that should have played into a decision by the powers that be to ban students of their First Amendment Rights. Fuck who ever disagrees with them. Isn't that the new norm?

First Amendment rights?

Another over reaction, IMO.

Minors have never had absolute First Amendment rights, particularly in a school environment.

TheMercenary · 05-07-2010, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redux

First Amendment rights?

Another over reaction, IMO.

Minors have never had absolute First Amendment rights, particularly in a school environment.

Why would you prevent minors from having the same rights as illegal aliens?

05-07-2010, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Why would you prevent minors from having the same rights as illegal aliens?

This is not a First Amendment issue. You can find school policies and practices in any school in the country that limit the "rights" of students.

Minors do not have an absolute right to freedom of expression. They cant legally express themselves by smoking, driving, etc.......

classicman · 05-07-2010, 05:33 PM

Since thats the new rule, I pronounce on the 4th of July all "hyphenated-Americans" cannot wear, nor show the pride of the country from which they came... All flags must be taken down and all apparel, toilet paper, buttons bumper stickers ect. must be removed or covered for the entire day. But remember thats racist.
Yes I am taking this point to an extreme, but is there really a difference?

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Well it's high time these fuckers decide whether they are mexicans or Americans.
Oh, and no hyphenated bullshit, get off the fucking fence.

Bravo!

glatt · 05-07-2010, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

they are using "American pride" as their defense.

And yet they are disrespecting the flag by wearing it as clothing.

TheMercenary · 05-07-2010, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

And yet they are disrespecting the flag by wearing it as clothing.

The bandanas may have been a violation of the National Flag Act, but I have not seen pictures of them so until we do we can't really say if that was "disrespecting" of the flag in a more legal sense.

TheMercenary · 05-07-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piercehawkeye45

These kids were looking for attention and they got it. It was an act of defiance and they are using "American pride" as their defense. Typical.

Puts the school district in a catch 22 as well. Its probably a very touchy issue there and any action, or lack of action, taken by the school would most likely blow back up in their face.

So what? The action they did take was inappropriate. I hope the kids sue the school for kicking them off campus.

This is only the latest of political correctness gone wrong in the US...

05-07-2010, 09:48 AM	#1
piercehawkeye45 Franklin Pierce Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,695	These kids were looking for attention and they got it. It was an act of defiance and they are using "American pride" as their defense. Typical. Puts the school district in a catch 22 as well. Its probably a very touchy issue there and any action, or lack of action, taken by the school would most likely blow back up in their face. __________________ I like my perspectives like I like my baseball caps: one size fits all.

05-07-2010, 10:09 AM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	I doubt that, the article didn't mention anything about the Mexicans protesting or even being offended. This is just the school administration flexing their muscles, in the name of politically correct. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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