Don't Dare Mention Your Faith!

[Jedidiah]

Opened your mouth and inserted your foot yet again, eh PM?

Yeah. Forgot to think first.

[Carrikature]

Hey CP, PM never said he thought the kid was proselytizing.

I don't think it's right for a student to use their graduation speech to proselytize to or condemn a captive audience,

This is a statement about whether or not proselytizing is ok. It's not a claim that the student was doing so. You assumed it was also a claim that the student was doing so, but PM has repeatedly stated that he doesn't think it was. He made it pretty clear that he thinks the school was in the wrong here.

[Cow Poke]

Hey CP, PM never said he thought the kid was proselytizing.

Yeah, I know --- it was just a goofy "tossed in" part that he later claimed he thought the school was concerned about --- no support for that whatsoever.

This is a statement about whether or not proselytizing is ok. It's not a claim that the student was doing so. You assumed it was also a claim that the student was doing so, but PM has repeatedly stated that he doesn't think it was.

It had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with what the kid was doing. That was my point.

He made it pretty clear that he thinks the school was in the wrong here.

Well, eventually, he got around to that, yes.

[Carrikature]

Yeah, I know --- it was just a goofy "tossed in" part that he later claimed he thought the school was concerned about --- no support for that whatsoever.

It does seem like that's what the school was worried about to me. Schools are catching a lot of fire lately, but the effect seems to be making the people in charge even dumber. People are scrambling to clear themselves of any possible indemnification. I'd much rather we (as a nation if not world) learn to accept the consequences of our actions no matter what they are.

It had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with what the kid was doing. That was my point.

Right, I understand that. So did PM, afaict.

Well, eventually, he got around to that, yes.

It was in the first sentence. That's what I was trying to clarify.

I don't think it's right for a student to use their graduation speech to proselytize to or condemn a captive audience, and I think they were just covering themselves rather than examine each speech and use their brains. I'd rather they use their brains. A lot of the trouble we see with schools doing ridiculous things to protect themselves come about because they don't trust their own judgment. When these things come to light, we see that we shouldn't trust their judgment either.

"they" here is referring to the schools.

[Cow Poke]

It does seem like that's what the school was worried about to me.

Proselytizing is the RECRUITMENT of somebody to your own religion or cause -- I don't think that's what the school was worried about at all. I think it's silly to assume that.

I think it's more logical to assume they were worried that somebody would scream "Separation of Church and State", and were too wussy to say "the kid has a right to say what's on his mind -- he earned that by attaining the position of Valedictorian".

My opposition all along throughout this thread has been to the goofy notion that ANYBODY was worried he was "proselytizing". I think that word gets misused a lot.

[RumTumTugger]

Good for this Student he did not let the Intolerant Bullies win despite the lack of courage the school administration showed.

[Jedidiah]

Good for this Student he did not let the Intolorant Bullies win despite the lack of courage the school administration showed.

Agree 100%.