Kids Sent Home for Wearing USA Stuff on Cinco de Mayo

[AdminAssistant]

So their not allowed to express their patriotism because all patriotism is inherently racist and intended only to demean others?

Wearing a t-shirt makes you a patriot? Cool! That's easy!

Except, wait, it doesn't.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Wearing a t-shirt makes you a patriot? Cool! That's easy!

Except, wait, it doesn't.

Because what you wear isn't a form of expression!

Only, it is!

If you're going to be sarcastic, at least try to be correct.

[NodmiTheSellout]

So their not allowed to express their patriotism because all patriotism is inherently racist and intended only to demean others?

It is when you specifically choose to express it on a day where Mexican patriotism is normally at the forefront. There are plenty of other days on which it's appropriate to be patriotic. Consciously choosing that day to express your patriotism is, sorry, an asshole gesture. Now, if they were kids who wore those shirts frequently, and just happened to be wearing them that day, fair enough. . .but if that was the case, I very much doubt it would've been an issue.

[Fryk]

So I guess the only way to be "fair" is for everyone to have a list of every holiday celebrated anywhere on Earth, so that we can all try and dress so as not to offend anyone. That's just plain silly. I think if you're so easily offended- to the point that a shirt with nothing overtly racist printed on it, just a FLAG, for god's sakes- maybe you should invest in some therapy to help you deal with the anger that life has caused you to harbor. Forcing everyone to dress a certain way to this extent infringes on the right to free expression.

[Nyoibo]

No, the only way to be fair is to outright ban all celebrations, that way no one can be offended by anyone elses celebration.

[Rebel]

If anything, I would have seen it as a peaceful protest.
While everyone has the right to celebrate their holidays, they also have the right to protest the enforcement of holidays in their lives.
None of the people involved in the American flag incident were reported as being verbally or physically offensive to those people celebrating. They protested silently through their choice of apparel, of which had nothing on it that would seen as being offensive or any other day.
I think if anything, the punishment they received let them know that if they protest, they will be punished, regardless of the method. What would be the incentive to stay as peaceful next time?

[Ghel]

I think the school was wrong to send them home, but what other reason could the students have had to decide, as a group, to all wear American flag tshirts on Cinco de Mayo than to cause a commotion?

What exactly were they protesting? Cultural diversity? The fact that hispanic students are proud of their heritage? What a bunch of douche bags.

[AdminAssistant]

Because what you wear isn't a form of expression!

Only, it is!

Freedom of expression....maybe. However, I was just saying that wearing a t-shirt doesn't mean you're a patriot, a good citizen, or a good American. It means you're wearing a t-shirt. I would consider myself a patriot - I like my country, I pay attention (usually) to what my government is doing, I vote according to what I feel is best, and I have an admiration for how this country was founded and believe in the ideals of the Constitution.

Patriotism is not an Old Navy t-shirt (made in Taiwan!), it is not a bumper sticker, it is not the American flag, and it is not the piece of paper sitting in the US Archives. It is the belief in the ideals that this country was founded on, that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It has already been established that a school can institute a dress code, overriding a student's freedom to certain kinds of expression. Whether that is right or wrong is not the issue here. (However, if you wish to contest the decision on the grounds of the Constitutionality of dress codes, then you might have something.) An administrative figure saw a potentially dangerous situation and defused it. If a group of high school gang members walked into school wearing their colors, would you have a problem with them being sent home? If a group of guys are standing around with sagging jeans, would you want them to change?

[daleduke17]

There are plenty of other days on which it's appropriate to be patriotic.

May 5th is as good of a day as any other to be patriotic.

[Nyoibo]

It's perfectly fine for me, given it's my birthday.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I never said that wearing the shirts is what made them patriots; however, provided you are a patriot, you would no doubt wish to express that patriotism. That expression can come in many forms including passive things like physical flags or flags printed on clothing.

If it's a schools policy to allow and even go so far as to encourage the expression heritage pride how is it not hypocritical, discriminatory and therefore wrong to suppress the expression of pride in one's home country that just so happens to be their current location?

I don't think a school should prohibit any form of speech (provided that said speech doesn't break the law as in threats of bodily harm etc.) and if they choose to encourage speech, given their public nature, should encourage all speech and not only what the school agrees with. Especially since the employees are technically government employees and students are required by law to attend.

[AdminAssistant]

I never said that wearing the shirts is what made them patriots; however, provided you are a patriot, you would no doubt wish to express that patriotism.

Not necessarily. I don't wear stuff with the flag on it and refused to adorn my car with a magnetic ribbon thing in the post-9/11 craze to do so. I don't feel that every politician has to wear an American flag on their lapel. These are trifles and have nothing to do with what one is feeling inside. Just because I do not go around with the American flag up my ass screaming about how awesome my country is doesn't mean that I am not a patriot. (Wow, that's some icky sentence structure, oh well.)

ALSO, I don't believe that patriotism is the belief that your country is better than all other countries. America is great, but it's not better than Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, etc. I find that many people who practice overt patriotism (re: above comment about flag up one's ass), often believe that America is superior to all other countries on Earth. That's simply not true. There is no one greatest country.

Finally, since I'm on this issue, it should be "God Bless Us ALL" not just America. I feel so insulted every time I hear someone utter, "God Bless America!" If there is a God that you believe in, shouldn't he be blessing the entire world?

[Wingates_Hellsing]

Could you please not argue against points I'm not making?

I never said that all patriots always want to express their patriotism with those things, only that many want to express themselves and that they may choose to do so in those ways. While some may do so as a substitute, that doesn't detract from the value of symbolize as a valid medium to express a feeling or opinion for those that actually do have patriotic beliefs.

[NodmiTheSellout]

I just don't understand how you people are acting like there was no ulterior motive behind all those kids wearing the shirts at once. You're acting like the argument is "no one should wear a shirt with a flag on it in a school with Mexican students ever", or even "there shall be no American flag-wearing on May 5th ever", which is NOT the argument that's being made. My argument, at least, is that it's inappropriate and, yeah, racist, to decide, with your friends, "Hey, it's CINCO DE MAYO soon, let's remind those Mexicans where they are!" Which is more or less what the message is. "Fuck your patriotism, you're in AMERICA, AMERICAN patriotism is all that matters!" It's an ugly sentiment and one that the school was right to try and break up, because it was clearly meant to, at the very least, make Mexican students uncomfortable.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

And if the Mexican students are making the Americans uncomfortable?

Their motive isn't necessarily the ultimate of nefarious hate-mongering either, it's not necessarily anything. It could just as easily be anything else, so why assume the worst?

The fact of the matter is that, for whatever reasons of their own which we are not privy to they chose to celebrate their American citizenship on May the 5th, a day on which Mexicans in the US celebrate their Mexican heritage. Even if their point was to say 'we're just proud to be here' that's a fine arguable point IMO and unless it was done in a malicious way (which it wasn't) there shouldn't be a problem with that.