Normally, I’d just put this one up on The Reader but this one is just too crazy.
This is where we’re at now huh? Can’t say I’m surprised.
Zombie writes:
Five students at a California high school were forced to leave school and then face disciplinary action yesterday for the crime of wearing clothing printed with American flag designs.
If you’re wondering how being patriotic could possibly merit punishment, it’s because the kids displayed the American flags on May 5. And as everyone knows, American flags are absolutely verboten on May 5.
May 6, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Time to sue. The school district is defying established precedent regarding freedom of expression in dress.
May 6, 2010 at 7:07 pm
UGH. Sickening.
Sometimes I wonder if school supervisors are the last bastion of perverts and ideologues.
May 6, 2010 at 7:21 pm
I read the article. This is the dumbest thing I have run across. The kids were being wisea**es, but the school officials are completely stupid. Not to mention, does anyone know what 5 de mayo is? It is the anniversary of the battle of Puebla, when the Mexicans kicked the French out of their country. And, except in Puebla, it isn't even a holiday in Mexico. This has got to stop. Mexican Independence Day is 16 de septiembre, celebrated with the Grito de Dolores from the Mexican National Palace where the President says a bunch of stuff ending with "Viva la Revolución!"
May 6, 2010 at 7:24 pm
So are the Mexican students at the school *not* Americans? Are they illegal immigrants then?
May 6, 2010 at 7:52 pm
An old professor once said, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach become administrators."
Don't know why that comes to mind.
May 6, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Thought you'd also be interested in this one: Ann Arbor elementary school bans white students from field trip, principal defends discrimination http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2010/05/ann-arbor-elementary-school-bans-white.html
May 6, 2010 at 8:22 pm
HA! Nevermind – it's already in your reader…
May 6, 2010 at 9:58 pm
This may be only tangentially relevant, but back in the sixties it was the hippies wearing American flags as clothing and the conservatives who were furious about it. It isn't considered respect for the flag to wear it as clothing. You can wear a flag pin, or a hat with a little flag in it, but not flag clothing. That's what was in all the indignant columns back in the late sixites, anyway.
Susan Peterson
May 7, 2010 at 12:20 am
Susan – yeah, times have definitely changed. I believe it became not only cool, but patriotic to wear flags around the Reagan era, when the "live free or die" T-shirts and jackets were being produced. Since then, as long as it's not on a diaper it's OK.
May 7, 2010 at 4:05 am
Jerk kids tell other kids of Mexican descent that they're not real Americans for celebrating Cinco de Mayo. That's okay though.
Furthermore, "Americans" of Mexican descent are stupid because they're not celebrating the Holiday I say they should be celebrating.
Cinco de Mayo is a uniquely American phenomena. I mean, what's more American than celebrating a French defeat? /s
May 7, 2010 at 2:41 pm
How about this?
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/36305_Outrageous_Outrage_of_the_Day
May 7, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Brian – Don't you have any thoughts of your own?
Seems to me that it is disrespectful to wear the flag as clothing, but that a picture of the full flag on your shirt is ok. Kids being jerks – not cool at all, and it is certainly inappropriate to use the U.S. Flag to taunt or harass someone.
However, I heard that this boy in question had worn that shirt before.
May 9, 2010 at 10:06 pm
A sad state of affairs when you can't wear a t-shirt with the flag of your country on it. Politcal correctness no, plain stupidity.