Don't You Dare Wear That American Flag T-shirt!

[rogue06]

Because I remember it being mentioned when the original story came out.
They weren't wearing the shirts as a show of patriotism, or by accident. They were hoping to cause a scene.
That goes some way to explain the reaction of the assistant principal.

As I said it shouldn't have caused a scene, but it did and that's what they were wanting. So really a case of mission accomplished.

So they were essentially exercising an expression of political speech?

[seer]

Schools have had the right for ages to censor free speech when it might cause disruption. Do you disagree with the Supreme Court's ruling on the Tinker case?

So a school could stop kids from wearing gay pride t-shirts, or any other shirt that might happen to offend...

[Psychic Missile]

So a school could stop kids from wearing gay pride t-shirts, or any other shirt that might happen to offend...

I disagree with the Tinker decision. I think students should be extended the exact same rights in school as they have outside of school. I do not believe in in loco parentis for schools.

Edit: I just found it strange that you made mention of "coming back" and asked "since when do we curtail freedom of speech because someone might get offended" since this has been policy as solidified in 1969 but beginning earlier than that.

[Jedidiah]

I agree, they should receive commendations for identifying foreign loyalists for immediate deportation.

You have my sympathy on this one, Darth.

[Jedidiah]

If you are going to ban flags, ban all flags.

[fm93]

So the American flag is incendiary in an American school? If the Latino students don't like it send them home!

This sort of reasoning would be nice when extended to other issues. Same-sex marriage is now personally approved of by the majority of America. The conservative minority doesn't like it? Send them home!

But on a serious note, no. As Raphael has pointed out, the students wore the flag shirts with the intention of causing a scene. It's essentially like uttering fighting words, and that isn't protected by the Constitution. They were trying to provoke and hurt people, and we never respond to that by sending the hurt party home.

Besides, I'd hold out hope that the disapproving conservatives could be taught to see the error of their ways and come to embrace equality, rather than make them leave.

[Darth Executor]

This sort of reasoning would be nice when extended to other issues. Same-sex marriage is now personally approved of by the majority of America.

Which is why it loses nearly every time people get a chance to vote.

The conservative minority doesn't like it? Send them home!

They are home.

But on a serious note, no. As Raphael has pointed out, the students wore the flag shirts with the intention of causing a scene. It's essentially like uttering fighting words, and that isn't protected by the Constitution.

By this dumb standard the US government can ban any speech that might make someone somewhere start a fight. It's precisely these kinds of things that the Constitution protects. Popular speech does not need protection.

They were trying to provoke and hurt people, and we never respond to that by sending the hurt party home.

The only people who were provoked and hurt were the ones who are loyal to a foreign country. In other words, traitors. There's nothing inherently wrong with offending people and there is especially nothing wrong with offending hypocrites who scream about how great the country they fled and left to its fate is.

[RumTumTugger]

If you are going to ban flags, ban all flags.

new amen button

[Raphael]

But why should wearing the American flag cause a scene?

In America, it shouldn't.
To be clear I do not think that wearing a t-shirt with the American flag on it to an American school should cause any conflict regardless of whether or not it a neighbouring country was celebrating their National Day. I get that the school may want to acknowledge the National day of another country where they have a high number of students who have that nationality, but it should not be a cause for any conflict. (I think we agree on that)

BUT in this particular situation the boys did it knowing that it would cause a scene.

Shouldn't those who were offended by the flag be the ones sent home?

From what I understand that would have been most of the rest of the school.

And since when do we curtail freedom of speech because someone might get offended?

All the time. For example, there on TWeb we curtail free speech, banning people from using profanity of blasphemy, because we Christians find it offensive.

This is why I said in this situation we need to look at the intent of the boys. When I first heard the story I to thought that the reaction was completely ridiculous. But then when I found out that it wasn't a case of the boys by chance happening to wear t-shirts with the US flag on the, but that they were deliberately trying to cause a scene, they were deliberately trying to be offensive (yes yes, something that shouldn't be offensive in the US, but in this case was). They were looking for a fight.
I can see that the assistant Principal was trying to make sure that there wasn't a scene. I can understand his actions and his reasons behind them.

Yes, he shouldn't have had to do that, I agree.But would you rather be explaining that you told four boys to turn their shirts inside out, or would you be wanting to face up to the press asking how you let four boys have the snot beaten out of them?

[KingsGambit]

This is why I said in this situation we need to look at the intent of the boys. When I first heard the story I to thought that the reaction was completely ridiculous. But then when I found out that it wasn't a case of the boys by chance happening to wear t-shirts with the US flag on the, but that they were deliberately trying to cause a scene, they were deliberately trying to be offensive (yes yes, something that shouldn't be offensive in the US, but in this case was). They were looking for a fight.
I can see that the assistant Principal was trying to make sure that there wasn't a scene. I can understand his actions and his reasons behind them.

This reminds me of an incident a few years ago in my state where a boy was suspended from school for drawing a Confederate flag. People jumped on this as a curtailing of his free speech, but what didn't go as widely reported was that he was drawing it as a gang symbol.

[rogue06]

In America, it shouldn't.
To be clear I do not think that wearing a t-shirt with the American flag on it to an American school should cause any conflict regardless of whether or not it a neighbouring country was celebrating their National Day. I get that the school may want to acknowledge the National day of another country where they have a high number of students who have that nationality, but it should not be a cause for any conflict. (I think we agree on that)

This sort of brings up the situation of how on a number of colleges students have been forced to remove American flags from balconies of their on-campus apartments because the officials say that a student from another country might see them and be offended.

[Raphael]

This sort of brings up the situation of how on a number of colleges students have been forced to remove American flags from balconies of their on-campus apartments because the officials say that a student from another country might see them and be offended.

Yeah, that is being daft. It's like the councils in Blighty stopping any mention of Christmas to keep from offending Muslims. And the Muslim's reacted with a "why are you being offended for us, we don't mind if the Christians have Merry Christmas signs up"

[lilpixieofterror]

Yeah, that is being daft. It's like the councils in Blighty stopping any mention of Christmas to keep from offending Muslims. And the Muslim's reacted with a "why are you being offended for us, we don't mind if the Christians have Merry Christmas signs up"

Welcome to political correctness, where free thought and original thinking are forbidden.

[Jedidiah]

Fify

welcome to political correctness, where any thought and any thinking are forbidden.

[seer]

But on a serious note, no. As Raphael has pointed out, the students wore the flag shirts with the intention of causing a scene. It's essentially like uttering fighting words, and that isn't protected by the Constitution. They were trying to provoke and hurt people, and we never respond to that by sending the hurt party home.

That is absolutely false. Intention does not matter. Fighting words are clearly protected. Like when the Nazi party of the US marched through Skokie, Illinois. Which was largely Jewish. They did that for one reason - to provoke and hurt. And the Nazis won the case in court.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...lage_of_Skokie