I have no problem with a bit of national pride in the country one hails from as long as it’s not taken to fanatical zeal. However, this story just left me completely bewildered:
Now, I have respect for Mexicans and their heritage, however Cinco De Mayo is a MEXICAN holiday and the students complaining are Americans as well. If a group of people were involved in a St. Paddy’s Day parade wearing an American flag theme would it be considered incendiary?
The only item not mentioned in the article which I’m curious about is how often these particular five students wear their red, white, and blues or if they just singled out this particular day to make a statement.
But for the school administration to threaten these five kids with possible suspension UNLESS they removed their shirts is nothing short of disgraceful.
If I were a high school administration person, I woulda served up shots of tequila for all. I might even do the worm myself. Which is why I’m not a high school admin type.
Depends when the parade was. Right now Mexican-Americnans are getting the same bigoted crap the Irish-Americans did so long ago. Any states recently make any laws to harass the Irish? This day in age is there a racist undercurrent that the decedents of Irish aren’t really American?
Not saying sending the kids home was justified but I am saying this is a bad metaphor.
I’m a pretty liberal guy as well, and I think the school’s actions were indefensibly stupid. Sadly, I’ll be quite surprised if this doesn’t get picked up by conservative pundits as an example of what all liberals secretly want.
You’re absolutely correct. It is a bad metaphor considering Hispanics are being targeted, but try to pull this same crap against an Irishman in Arizona? Something about a snowball in hell strikes me as eerily familiar.
I could sort of understand the concern if May 5th involved a US-Mexican conflict (it’s a celebration of the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle Of Puebla) or had something to do with Mexican independence (it doesn’t) and it was a couple of dopes running around screaming “U-S-A! U-S-A!” and looking for a reaction but that’s not the case.
On top of all that, I understand that it isn’t much of a holiday in Mexico, either. Like St. Patrick’s Day, it is only a big thing among expatriates and those of Mexican descent, a celebration of heritage.
At least the school district has disavowed any support of the administration in this little flap.
Another civil-liberties-lovin’ liberal here disgusted with the school’s response.
Even if the flag-wearing students were trying to annoy the students celebrating Cinco de Mayo, they were still perfectly within their rights to wear what they want. You don’t teach students tolerance and respect for other cultures by overstepping your rightful authority to harass them.
Sure, I can see how wearing a lot of American flag-themed stuff on Cinco de Mayo might be intended as a snub to Hispanics. Just as it would seem like a snub if a group of Mexican-Americans showed up to a Fourth of July event decked out in Mexican flags. The message is “I’m completely indifferent or even hostile to this national holiday that you’re celebrating, and I’ll demonstrate that by parading my nationalistic pride for a different nation.”
But just because somebody’s snubbing you or even being kind of a jerk about it doesn’t mean that you get to tell them what they can and can’t wear. That’s nothing but bullying.
Stories like this never cease to amaze me – does this vice principal live in a fricking underground shelter with no media access? Did he think he could pull something like this and it wouldn’t blow up all over the web?
Oh, fuck no. These assholes (and by assholes I mean the school administrators) are just throwing gasoline on the fire. Political correctness run amok. And the students who are complaining, don’t they realize that they too are Americans? Fuck them also.
Having gotten my humor post out of the way, I should note that if the school can point to some legitimate, credible fear that substantial disruption would occur, then under Tinker they can forbid the T-shirts without violating the First Amendment.
They can’t just say “We think that it might cause trouble,” however. And I have no idea of the state constitution offers greater protection.
I would have worn an Irish or Italian flag shirt, celebrating my own heritage, and totally confusing the few people who noticed that my Mexican flag shirt lacked an eagle.
I’ve always preferred Diez y Seis de Septembre, anyhow.
Little shits were gearing up in their shiniest flag-wear to be provocative. Yeah, that’s an assumption, but fuck it, it’s the Pit. It just seems too coincidental that five kids just happened to be wearing their flag shirts, bandanas, and tighty-redwhiteandbluies all at the same table, all on Cinco de Mayo. Bullshit. Too coordinated. Way too coincidental.
And if the principal didn’t say anything but something happened? They’d be on the phone to the papers just as quickly jingoing for their chance to get interviewed by Hannity (taped version to later be rerun as a Palin interview). “Look at us, getting beaten up just for expressing pride in our country.” Fuckwads. And yeah, that was a cheap shot at Palin, and yeah, it’s another assumption that their reaching out to the papers suggests they were being intentionally provocative and publicity-whoring, but again, fuck it; it’s the Pit.
I’m not saying the principal made the right choice (and can’t without knowing how the above assumptions actually pan out), but I’m not sure there was a right choice. Those little flag-fappers were setting him up. Maybe not directly, maybe they were just hoping to be rude little cocknockers, but the school should do something when it deems a student’s clothing, words, or acts are “incendiary.”
