Don't wear the American Flag on your shirt in California schools, you might offend the Mexicans.
- Thread starter Frost27
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The students were clearly wearing the flag in order to stir up trouble. I highly doubt they woke up and said, "What a great day to celebrate the beloved symbol of my country, and what's that? It just so happens to be Cinco de Mayo, what an enormous coincidence!". This is especially true considering a similar stunt was pulled in the year before (according to the article).
Frost27 said:
that's where things have gone though. This is the age of offensiveness. If it could be offensive, it must be censored! gods forbid someone that's part of the protected minorities EVER feel they're not actually the majority instead! Regardless of actual ancestry you're not black your "african american" American Flags are considered offensive to mexicans on cinco de mayo as you've said. Also I don't know if it's only down south out here or not but apparently the use of the word "retard" or really even the word "retarded" which I'd remind you the word retardation is a scientific term similar to deterioration but less severe . . . is considered a HIGH insult to anyone who's even slightly autistic.
I'ts the way the world we live in has gone. Some day it'll stop don't worry . . . every age is most noted by the revolution that ends it and starts the next one.
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I am all for reducing the gap between racial and gender groups...
But when people do things like this...
IT HELPS NO ONE!!
I always get mad at the lengths that people will go to in the name of equality:
"Woman sues construction company for job title being "Foreman"
"School forces students to turn shirts inside out to not show American flag"
...
*cant think of any others, but know they exist*
I am all for reducing the gap between racial and gender groups...
But when people do things like this...
IT HELPS NO ONE!!
I always get mad at the lengths that people will go to in the name of equality:
"Woman sues construction company for job title being "Foreman"
"School forces students to turn shirts inside out to not show American flag"
...
*cant think of any others, but know they exist*
Why are we referring to these students as Mexicans? Are they Mexican nationals attending our public schools? No? Then they are not Mexicans, but Americans. Nationalism is not a culture. The Latin American dialect of Spanish and holidays/celebrations are culture. The Mexican flag is no part of any Hispanic American's culture. Freedom of speech allows you to display whichever flag you choose in whatever manner you which to display it no matter what the intentions may be.
A public school is not the best place to express freedom of speech. The school was correct in discouraging the display of the American flag on that holiday, as the students were simply stirring up trouble. You'd better believe that on the 4th of July a Mexican flag waved around provocatively is just as offensive.
A public school is not the best place to express freedom of speech. The school was correct in discouraging the display of the American flag on that holiday, as the students were simply stirring up trouble. You'd better believe that on the 4th of July a Mexican flag waved around provocatively is just as offensive.
They are just shirts, what is really offensive is what America has done over the years to the South American countries.
The day when Americans are offended by the bearing of the flag of the United States of America...
It was a sad day indeed, I'd imagine.
Fagotto, you can not assume that someone is intending harm. "Probable cause" is not simply having the means, rather it is having the means and having motive which tangible actions have shown will lead to a future action which is unlawful or highly unacceptable.
We have the former, but we do not have the latter. Unless we have evidence that shows that those kids were going to intentionally instigate a fight with Americans of Mexican descent simply with the wearing of a United States Flag (we don't), then we cannot take action. To do so is akin to arresting a man for using a sharp knife to cut bread. After all, he may have been going to kill his waiter soon after!
It was a sad day indeed, I'd imagine.
Fagotto, you can not assume that someone is intending harm. "Probable cause" is not simply having the means, rather it is having the means and having motive which tangible actions have shown will lead to a future action which is unlawful or highly unacceptable.
We have the former, but we do not have the latter. Unless we have evidence that shows that those kids were going to intentionally instigate a fight with Americans of Mexican descent simply with the wearing of a United States Flag (we don't), then we cannot take action. To do so is akin to arresting a man for using a sharp knife to cut bread. After all, he may have been going to kill his waiter soon after!
Exactly. But I am not sure than wearing your flag at school on the national day of a foreign country, while you have in the same schools people from the said country is really about loving and supporting your country.SilentCom said:
In this specific case, in the light of what happened the previous year, it's more about "Let's be a bunch of dickheads, let's try to show the mexicans that we don't like them, nor their national holiday". It is not about supporting your country or loving it in any meaningfull way. The problem is not the flag anyway (I think that what the school did was just pointless. It was simply a way to try to hide the dust under the carpet), it was the kids who where obviously xenophobic morons judging by their actions the previous year and their lame attempt at trying to offend the mexicans. The better thing was probably to wait, watch and act accordingly to anything really problematic that might have happened.
I must also say that what the mexicans did for their national day the previous year wasn't the smartest thing ever. I mean, I've been in the US for the 14th of July this year (the French national day), and I didn't feel the need to be waiving around a french flag. Being patriotic is not about doing a competition of who has the biggest stick, who has the better country or anything (that's called being a nationalist with a small brain). It's about trying to serve your country and its citizens to the best of your abilities, and with foreigners it's about showing to people what you country is like without doing it too much. It's like telling to people "Hey, you know, we have a great healthcare system that works great. You guys may want to build something similar, it's really useful for everyone" and not "My country has got bigger guns than yours", nor "I don't care about your national holiday and your flag, mine is better".
Did the article say anyone was offended by people wearing the flag? No, it said the administrator decided to ask the students not to wear it because he was afraid it might offend people. No one actually came to complain about people wearing those shirts unless the article decided to leave out that bit of detail.Fagotto said:
Also, xenophobia or perhaps in this case the fear of someone different, can go both ways. You can view the flag wearing as being fear of a foreign culture but you could also view the celebration of May 5th as being a way to rebel against domestic culture and elevate hispanic culture over American. Maybe this is why some students wore American flags on that day and not everyday. They aren't protesting hispanic culture so much as feeling that their own culture is being threatened because another culture is coming in.
What the flag wearing kids did was immature and stupid but it does not give grounds to banning the symbol of our country.
Here is another way of looking at it. If a small group of American kids and their families move to Mexico and become citizens and when July 4th comes around, would they have the right to have the Mexican flag banned? No, because it is in Mexico and the kids have become Mexican citizens.