Kid expelled for saying "Cause that damn Obama" in class

[Berethond]

I don't care if you like him or not. He IS our president.

This kind of sentiment I find a bit concerning - in a democratic society with free speech it should not be considered 'unpatriotic' to question authority and it's figurehead(s). I like Obama, but I find it disquieting when politicians become inspirational figures instead of functional bureaucrats.

I'm not calling you out on anything personally, Random - nothing you said was untrue and he WAS voted in, like it or lump it. However, your statement was a good example of a mindset I find concerning, although you may have meant it as I described it.

Ahhh. But the problem is, he's not MY president. I was not extended the opportunity to vote for or against him, meaning that I have no say, and when I turn eighteen, (during his term) I will have to pay for the mistakes that others have made. When I had no representation.

 

[oliveira8]

Swearing in school? WHOAH! Gotta draw the line somewhere! I think suspension would be a better case in this situation, but maybe this was the last straw kinda incident?

That's the feeling I'm getting. Otherwise it would be absolutely ridiculous.

Then again, I was suspended for three days when I got in a fight with someone in high school. This kid had been harassing me the entire year, and when I stood up and defended myself (after repeated warnings to the individual), I got suspended. The kid that kicked the crap outta me for standing up for myself? One day.

Gotta love the public school system.

Yup that fails. Do like this: Instead of you starting make him start.

Like the Sniper from TF2 video said "Have a plan to kill everyone you meet." ^^(maybe not kill...but always have a plan!)

 

[McClaud]

Its things like these that are hard for me. I mean, Freedom of speech is good, but I strongly disagree freedom of speech when its used for hatred.

Freedom of speech is meant to protect speech you disagree with. No one is going to fight for speech that everyone agrees with.


Even the most vile racist hate speech should be allowed.

It has it's proper place, though.

Swearing about Presidents and disrupting class is not exactly the best place to speak your mind about your dislike for Obama. You go to school to learn.

 

[fletch_talon]

I'm sorry but where the hell do people get this idea that "I can't say this" = "I'm not free"?
Freedom has limits, it has to, or do you really think our inability to legally rape/murder/steal means we have no freedom?

People should not be free to spout racially motivated hatred towards others, its just not justified in any way. You might claim that spoken racism doesn't inhibit other people's freedom but quite honestly you don't get to say that until you've had to deal with it, and even if you have, you're clearly to blind to see how some people might resent being told that they're a useless nigga/er/ah. The fact is that whilst physically no harm is done, its hard to feel safe when people are directing vocal hatred towards you, its restricting people's freedom to feel safe.

However this didn't seem to involve racism so I don't know what the big deal is.

 

[Pyre00]

I hope the skinhead wins. Not because I like him, but because the school's administrators are apparently retarded for expelling someone for voicing their political opinion.

 

[GyroCaptain]

There is a reason that the ACLU supports the NeoNazi's and the KKK's right to speak publicly even if they thoroughly disagree with their beliefs.

Exactly, I know a member of the ACLU who specializes in people hard to defend. Of course, he gets tarred with the same brush by ignorants far too often, because guilt by association is alive and well. Confederate flag cases and the occasional Revolutionary war reenacting are as subversive as he ever gets, but he's clearly a dangerous racist...

Those who consider themselves far on the right and the ACLU to exist as a nebulous leftist evil might suffer cranial implosion to know it, of course.

 

[Aries_Split]

Come on guys...

I know the majority of you aren't that stupid.

The OP's obviously missing some piece of information. I seriously doubt the SH would be expelled for saying that.

 

[Pyre00]

The OP's obviously missing some piece of information. I seriously doubt the SH would be expelled for saying that.

Public schools have done far stupider things than that.

 

[rainman2203]

This doesn't especially surprise me. People are so eager now to show their progressiveness that anything said against Obama is taken as a blasphemy. I voted for the guy, but we should still criticize him, as we should any figure in government. America doesn't need more bleating lambs following a shepard off a cliff (NOT a bible reference, just a metaphor). Granted, this was the wrong place for the kid to get ballzy, and yeah, if he truly within his heart is racist, then his comment should be taken as ignorant rather than offensive. It's a tough call for the administrators to make.

 

[Berethond]

I don't care if you like him or not. He IS our president.

This kind of sentiment I find a bit concerning - in a democratic society with free speech it should not be considered 'unpatriotic' to question authority and it's figurehead(s). I like Obama, but I find it disquieting when politicians become inspirational figures instead of functional bureaucrats.

I'm not calling you out on anything personally, Random - nothing you said was untrue and he WAS voted in, like it or lump it. However, your statement was a good example of a mindset I find concerning, although you may have meant it as I described it.

Ahhh. But the problem is, he's not MY president. I was not extended the opportunity to vote for or against him, meaning that I have no say, and when I turn eighteen, (during his term) I will have to pay for the mistakes that others have made. When I had no representation.

Ok, that's fair - he's your country's president, not yours, personally. However, that isn't really the issue I was bringing up.

Actually, my issue is that I don't like him, I didn't get to vote for him, but I will turn eighteen during his presidency. I have to live with him even though I didn't get to vote.

 

[Firia]

More than likely, something happened while in the admin office. Perhaps, he got violent and started shoving papers and books around. Being vocal and disruptive is not cause for expelling. Threatening and being violent is. Sounds like this kid is the overt type. Probably told the principle to fek off.

 

[TheTygerfire]

He was probably expelled for something he did/said in the office, not the Obama comment.