How pathetic is this???

[Eric Perry]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wash...g-tshirts.html

Sure, it all makes sense.
Why should American kids be allowed to wear T-shirts with the American flag printed on them in America?

Thankfully one high school administrator was equally outraged and sent the offenders home for it.

Five kids attending Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Calif., decided to wear patriotic clothing (T-shirts and bandannas with the American flag on them) on Cinco de Mayo. Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez told them that the clothing was inappropriate for the holiday and to ditch the bandannas and turn their shirts inside out or go home.

The kids chose option B. And now the town of Morgan Hill finds itself in the middle of a controversy.

One of the students, Daniel Galli, said school officials told him they could wear their patriotic garb any other day, but "but today is sensitive to Mexican Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

That's what Annicia Nunez, another Live Oak High student, thinks: "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

The school district seems to be wincing at the whole affair releasing a statement Thursday explaining that they "don't prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing."

"The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate," the statement reads. "While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken."

Meanwhile, the issue has erupted in the blogosphere.

"What country is Morgan Hill in again?" asks conservative blogger Conn Carroll. "When Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day or Columbus Day, don’t we always see American flags flying right along side Irish and Italian ones? Why are the Mexican Americans at Live Oak High so insulted by the flag of the country that they live in? Do they not consider themselves Americans first?

Progressives might disagree with Carroll. They may argue that the students' actions fly in the face of all President Obama has done to apologize to the rest of the world for our country.

Like film critic Roger Ebert. He has a solution.
"Kids who wear American Flag T-shirts on 5 May should have to share a lunchroom table with those who wear a hammer and sickle on 4 July," he tweeted.

[DerHoggz]

Idiotic.

[Komakino]

Does seem a bit crazy. You see Union Flag (United Kingdom, not US Civil War Union!) shirts all over the place here, though they're usually worn by tourists!

[Edit: I've just caught on to the whole Cinco de Mayo thing... it's not that obvious for us this side of the pond]

So, by the same token, should I be offended if I see an American in a US flag T-shirt over here on 4th of July? Or would Americans be offended by me wearing a Union Flag shirt on the same data if I were in the US? People like this are just determined to take offense at something. I think it makes them happy.

[Dr. Cheese]

I don't think you had to highlight the name of principal, you are implying things that I don't think you would want implyed about you if you made a decision that someone else did not like.

That said, I think the school handled the situation poorly. If it had been me, I would have told students who were complaining that they have no right to complain about what other students wear unless the clothes either do not cover the body in a socially acceptable way, or unless the clothes have some sort of offensive language or picture on them.

I think the kids who wore the US flag were trying to get a rise out of the other kids on Cinco De Mayo, but the kids celebrating Cinco De Mayo need to learn that others have the right to express themselves even if that expression can be seen as a criticism of the kids complaining.

[jp58]

That's ridiculous on 2 levels. On the kids levels, IF they did that as a shot at Hispanics, or IF they did it in response to the holiday or immigration bill, it then becomes inappropriate. I can completely see how it could cause an issue, especially if they live in an area with a high population of immigrants. And bandannas aren't proper school garb anywhere. They have been deemed "gang" clothing and like hats have been banned from all schools in my area.

On the school administrator/board level, they now have to worry about being sued/voted out/ etc. by people like Carroll. The conservatives (not stereotyping it was the example used in the OP) feel like it is an attack on their rights to get under any other cultures skin. Its insensitivity and intolerance to other cultures that causes a lot of the divisions in the country today.

IMO the kids shouldn't have done what they did. It probably isn't send home worthy; however, the kids picked that punishment themselves. They didn't have to be martyrs, they chose to. Now they have a romantic cause, one that Conservatives and Tea Party activists can jump on and read things into.

[RWP]

I read about that yesterday and in a strange way I am not surprised. I have to listen to a bilingual recorded message when I call my kids school.

[Relic]

You know, I read this incident yesterday and was absolutely livid. I was going to post the story and add my comments, but couldn't think of how to do so without getting it immediately locked.
There's of course more to this story than meets the eye. The kids weren't sent home specifically for being patriotic, they were sent home voluntarily because it was believed that they were instigating trouble. That's probably the case IMO. There was no racism or favoritism involved, it was an ill-thought out attempt to stave off a bigger problem. My real problem with this is the mindset of the folks- the other kids at the school - who would be offended by this. If you really are offended by a show of patriotism in the nation where you now reside and a nation who is in no way shape or form your enemy, then you have a problem, a big big problem that YOU yourself need to address and get the hell over.
If you think I sound a little perturbed you should hear my wife. Being part Hispanic and coming to this country with her family legally years ago and now being an American citizen, she and her family have only abject disdain for this sort of mentality.

[DblG]

"but today is sensitive to Mexican Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

That's what Annicia Nunez, another Live Oak High student, thinks: "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."


I guess I don't understand why wearing a shirt with a picture of an american flag, in America, is disrespectful to Mexican-Americans on a Mexican Holiday.

[jp58]

Originally Posted by DblG

"but today is sensitive to Mexican Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

That's what Annicia Nunez, another Live Oak High student, thinks: "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."


I guess I don't understand why wearing a shirt with a picture of an american flag, in America, is disrespectful to Mexican-Americans on a Mexican Holiday.

The same way the "Sickle and Hammer" t-shirt, or anarchy T would make most Americans angry on the Fourth.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by DblG

I guess I don't understand why wearing a shirt with a picture of an american flag, in America, is disrespectful to Mexican-Americans on a Mexican Holiday.

Well it's because those who were offended CHOSE to be offended. This whole thing is pretty pathetic. The kids who wore the patriotic clothing, were doing so to cause trouble in my opinion. If the other kids who were celebrating Cinco de Mayo decided to put themselves above this, they would have earned a lot more respect all around.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by jp58

The same way the "Sickle and Hammer" t-shirt, or anarchy T would make most Americans angry on the Fourth.

or the cute, trendy Che Guevara t shirts...

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Relic

Well it's because those who were offended CHOSE to be offended. This whole thing is pretty pathetic. The kids who wore the patriotic clothing, were doing so to cause trouble in my opinion. If the other kids who were celebrating Cinco de Mayo decided to put themselves above this, they would have earned a lot more respect all around.

That's my opinion also. Part of growing up is learning when not to take the bait.

[Komakino]

Originally Posted by RWP

I read about that yesterday and in a strange way I am not surprised. I have to listen to a bilingual recorded message when I call my kids school.

I might be wrong, but the USA doesn't have an official language, does it? And if not, then the de facto is whatever is spoken by large amounts of the population. If one of those languages is Spanish then so be it.

You should try it over here where we get forms printed in English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Urdu, Hindi and Chinese. I'm yet to encouter a phone robot that requires me to press a button to hear English though.

We do have Welsh and Gaelic road signs, and during the election declaration in the Montgomery constituency last night I was forced to listen to the list of candidates and their number of received votes in both English and Welsh!

[Thunderscreech]

ugh, Public School Systems....i'm not 3 years out of High School and I still cringe....

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I don't think you had to highlight the name of principal, you are implying things that I don't think you would want implyed about you if you made a decision that someone else did not like.

Apparently you didn't take the time click the link to see that I merely copied and pasted the formatting that was already present. Did you think I also added the active links in the article??

[bassteban]

I am currently looking for a good lawyer to sue everyone involved w/this for violating my civil rights, assaulting my human dignity & making racial, ethnic & religious slurs. I'm pretty sure my sexual orientation was bruised slightly as well.

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by Eric Perry

Apparently you didn't take the time click the link to see that I merely copied and pasted the formatting that was already present. Did you think I also added the active links in the article??

I apologize, but you did not have to highlight his name the way it was in the article. That was your choice. That said, you were likely just doing what you saw done in the original article. No harm, no foul.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by Komakino

I might be wrong, but the USA doesn't have an official language, does it? And if not, then the de facto is whatever is spoken by large amounts of the population. If one of those languages is Spanish then so be it.

You should try it over here where we get forms printed in English, Welsh, Scots Gaelic, Urdu, Hindi and Chinese. I'm yet to encouter a phone robot that requires me to press a button to hear English though.

We do have Welsh and Gaelic road signs, and during the election declaration in the Montgomery constituency last night I was forced to listen to the list of candidates and their number of received votes in both English and Welsh!

In some ways, it;s not about language - that's just a symptom, it's about cultures, integration and such. Funny fact - my dad who could not speak English until he was in his teens, used to recite the American Pledge of Allegiance with his class in Polish.

[Gard]

How pathetic is it? Pretty pathetic.

[jp58]

Originally Posted by bassteban

I am currently looking for a good lawyer to sue everyone involved w/this for violating my civil rights, assaulting my human dignity & making racial, ethnic & religious slurs. I'm pretty sure my sexual orientation was bruised slightly as well.

As well as your (wo)manhood?

Well played