# I Pit the administration of Live Oak High School **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 6, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521 "2010-05-06T15:55:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/81 "2010-05-07T00:34:29Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > When wearing an American flag to school in America is deemed incendiary, you’re on to a whole new galaxy of stupid. Tell me, are you the Emperor of this distant galaxy? > > Sure there was a right choice, let the kids where the American flag. If the Mexican kids find it so offensive, give them a geography lesson on where Mexico is and a map on how to get there. If you were in another coun— er, galaxy, and the kids there were wearing the flag of their galaxy, do you think you’d have the right to be offended? That’s just douchebaggery. Though, in fairness, maybe in your galaxy douchbaggery is what gets you elected emperor. Actually, we don’t know that anyone was offended by the 5 student’s t-shirts. What we know is that the school admins felt there was sufficient cause to expect disruptions that they told the boys to change their shirts or leave the property. Still, your bigoted little rant was certainly an injection into the discourse of this thread! Perhaps next time you can raise the prospect of sending all the really dark-skinned people back to Africa, or you could showcase your verve and wit by posting “USA! USA! Love it or leave it, you hippies!” ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/82 "2010-05-07T00:46:25Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Bullshit. > > This little fracas isn’t about free speech; it’s about 5 kids wanting to see how far they could push before they got pushed back. It’s about 5 douchebags who wanted to see if they could start a fight but not be the first person to throw a punch. Bullshit. It’s about kids wanting to see just how fucked up their school and country was. They found out. They found out that some liberals (not all, and I’m gratified to see many here stick up for the kids—kudos) really don’t give a shit about culture unless it’s a non-American one. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Except it wasn’t a “normal day”, was it? It was a special day: Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May. What an ass this kid is. I bet he’s tried to use the defense “But I wasn’t actually _touching_ him! And he HIT me!” It was also in the fucking United States of America. You want to fall all over yourself for a Mexican holiday, go to, let’s see—MEXICO. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So while we’re here, let me pit all the fucking asshats who are working to perpetuate this aspect of this stupid petty little story about teenaged bigots who missed part of a school day because of their own actions. Fuck you, douchebags. I’m sure they’d like to say the same thing to you. And have plenty of support around here if they did. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/83 "2010-05-07T00:51:47Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Actually, we don’t know that anyone was offended by the 5 student’s t-shirts. What we know is that the school admins felt there was sufficient cause to expect disruptions that they told the boys to change their shirts or leave the property. There wearing American flag shirts in an American school in America. If there is ANY potential disruption, you quash it by addressing those people who have a problem with it. Those kids were 100% within their rights. Good for them for exposing the douchebag in the school. And for giving you yet another opportunity to demonstrate your own impressive douchbaggery. You’re a Master, you are. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/84 "2010-05-07T00:52:48Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > This would be true if that had actually happened, but the American flag is so ridiculously far from a symbol designed to “mock, demean or denigrate” Mexican-Americans on Cinco de Mayo as to make the comparison ludicrous. > > I’m not at all nationalistic or a flag worshipper by any stretch of the imagination, but if you take offense to someone wearing the American flag on a shirt under pretty much any circumstances I can think of, you are a retard. I highly doubt any of the Mexican-American students in that school are that retarded, but if they are, fuck 'em. Well said. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/85 "2010-05-07T00:53:40Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Actually, we don’t know that anyone was offended by the 5 student’s t-shirts. What we know is that the school admins felt there was sufficient cause to expect disruptions that they told the boys to change their shirts or leave the property. > > Still, your bigoted little rant was certainly an injection into the discourse of this thread! Perhaps next time you can raise the prospect of sending all the really dark-skinned people back to Africa, or you could showcase your verve and wit by posting “USA! USA! Love it or leave it, you hippies!” Ah. The race card. What a way to slam shut a debate. This is used more and more by folks who seem to need a justification to ignore the arguments of others. Disappointing. Enjoy your hate. I will not indulge in it, it gives me indigestion. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/86 "2010-05-07T00:56:17Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > And wearing a USA flag on a day when students had been told that it would be not just May 5th, but also Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of Mexico and it’s people, could be seen by some as a less common and less well-known way of saying “fuck you” to people celebrating Mexico, it’s peoples and cultures. I don’t know where your getting this bit about the students being told that (it’s not in the OP’s link), but so what? What business is it of the school to be telling students what they should be celebrating? We’re talking about High School students here, not kindergarteners. A school that has fear of violence erupting because some students where American Flag symbols has some MAJOR problems. I know enough about Live Oak HS to know it’s not that kind of a school. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/87 "2010-05-07T00:57:54Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Ah. The race card. What a way to slam shut a debate. > > This is used more and more by folks who seem to need a justification to ignore the arguments of others. Disappointing. > > Enjoy your hate. > > I will not indulge in it, it gives me indigestion. You must forgive him. He has a small mind. Just look at the asinine comparisons he’s offered. And while I’m accustomed to my stance on illegal immigration resulting in idiots like him calling me a racist for that, how we moved to Blacks and Africa is a mystery. Yes, his mind works in mysterious ways. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/88 "2010-05-07T00:58:40Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Ah. The race card. What a way to slam shut a debate. > > This is used more and more by folks who seem to need a justification to ignore the arguments of others. Disappointing. > > Enjoy your hate. > > I will not indulge in it, it gives me indigestion. First off, this wasn’t even in response to your ignorant interpretation of my previous post. In fact, it wasn’t to you at all. It was in response to a bigot wanting to send all the Mexicans back to Mexico, even tho most of not all of the students he’s referring to are American citizens. The point I was making, lost on you again, was that **magellon** doesn’t care about their citizenship, only their ancestry. That’s a bigotry you won’t ever find coming from me. **magellon** had no argument to ignore; he never does. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/89 "2010-05-07T01:01:41Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > It was in response to a bigot wanting to send all the Mexicans back to Mexico, even tho most of not all of the students he’s referring to are American citizens. Can you quote the part where he said he wanted to send all Mexicans back to Mexico? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/90 "2010-05-07T01:02:40Z")
I wrote my Congressman a letter of appreciation for opposing the illegalization of flagburning several years ago (different Congressman than I have now, who supported it) in which I remarked the wisdom of the builders of the U.S. Capitol that the [statue of Freedom](http://www2.hum.uu.nl/solis/ams/images/Statue%20of%20Freedom.jpg) on the [dome](http://discoverblackheritage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/statue-of-freedom-uscapitol.jpg) flies higher than the U.S. flag, and how I believe this is one of the most powerful statements made in architecture. At the time I didn’t realize the dome was designed, building begun and the statue chosen by Jefferson Davis (D- MS), but I still like the general analogy. (Davis never saw it completed or the statue erected due to his career change.) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/91 "2010-05-07T01:04:54Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t know where your getting this bit about the students being told that (it’s not in the OP’s link), but so what? What business is it of the school to be telling students what they should be celebrating? We’re talking about High School students here, not kindergarteners. So you support the banning of Homecoming, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day, etc? Or is all of that somehow not a case of the school telling students what they should be celebrating? And even if the school didn’t officially sponsor the day, they knew enough about their student body to know that the students would be participating in the days events, and thus determined that activities contrary would be potentially disruptive, and sought to curtail them. > [@](#): > > A school that has fear of violence erupting because some students where American Flag symbols has some MAJOR problems. I know enough about Live Oak HS to know it’s not that kind of a school. I doesn’t have to be a bench clearing brawl. One fight between 2 students would have been more than enough, and as it was the school had zero brawls. Were you raising these same objections to the pink hair, the Islam t-shirt, or any of the other cases I linked to? Or are you only now concerned because you’ve bought into the line I posted (semi-sarcastically) earlier ( **White Kids Can’t Bring U.S.A. Flags To School Because of Mexicans** )? ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/92 "2010-05-07T01:06:23Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Reminds me of my college, where classes are still scheduled as normal on Presidents Day (a federal holiday) yet we have the day off on _Cesar Chavez Day_. What the fuck? Eh, around here schools and many government offices are closed on [Casimir Pulaski Day.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski_Day) How many people who aren’t a) Polish, or b) living in Cook County, IL even know who the hell he was? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/93 "2010-05-07T01:07:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > First off, this wasn’t even in response to your ignorant interpretation of my previous post. In fact, it wasn’t to you at all. Uh, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that **mlees** probably knew that he didn’t write the words that you quoted when you responded with your cry of racism. He was just taken aback by the depths you so easily sink to. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > It was in response to a bigot wanting to send all the Mexicans back to Mexico, even tho most of not all of the students he’s referring to are American citizens. The point I was making, lost on you again, was that **magellon** doesn’t care about their citizenship, only their ancestry. That’s a bigotry you won’t ever find coming from me. I can see why this would get under your skin. It’s not because I was backhanding them because they were Mexican (which I wasn’t), it’s because they are assholes. Just like you. So that at least makes sense. The sending them to Mexico part just seems like the sensible thing to do for people who are so enamored with Mexican holidays. But you really didn’t get that, did you? What a maroon. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/94 "2010-05-07T01:08:49Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > It was also in the fucking United States of America. You want to fall all over yourself for a Mexican holiday, go to, let’s see—MEXICO. Celebrating your heritage has become a very important part of the American mythos. Land of Immigrants and all that. In fact, I would say it’s a very American thing to do, an especially American thing to do, this celebrating your immigrant history. It’s something we do here that, AIUI, other nations don’t do. For many people, it’s part of what _makes_ you culturally an American, that your people came from somewhere else and made a better life for themselves. There are, of course, the obvious similarities to St. Patrick’s Day (when no one tells me to go back to Ireland), but just looking at a list of ethnic festivals in Nebraska, there’s Swedish Festivals, Danish Festivals, Germanfests, Italian Fests, Greek Fests. I assume this is standard everywhere. It’s part of the American experience, to be from somewhere else and to be proud of where you came from. I think we should take care to not imply that it’s ok for me to be proud of my Irish/English/Swedish/German immigrant history and identity, but it’s not ok for Mexicans to be proud of their Mexican history and immigrant identity. I hope I make myself clear when I say that only in America is celebrating where you came from an important part of assimilating. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/95 "2010-05-07T01:13:07Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > Celebrating your heritage has become a very important part of the American mythos. Land of Immigrants and all that. In fact, I would say it’s a very American thing to do, an especially American thing to do, this celebrating your immigrant history. It’s something we do here that, AIUI, other nations don’t do. For many people, it’s part of what _makes_ you culturally an American, that your people came from somewhere else and made a better life for themselves. > > There are, of course, the obvious similarities to St. Patrick’s Day (when no one tells me to go back to Ireland), but just looking at a list of ethnic festivals in Nebraska, there’s Swedish Festivals, Danish Festivals, Germanfests, Italian Fests, Greek Fests. I assume this is standard everywhere. > > It’s part of the American experience, to be from somewhere else and to be proud of where you came from. I think we should take care to not imply that it’s ok for me to be proud of my Irish/English/Swedish/German immigrant history and identity, but it’s not ok for Mexicans to be proud of their Mexican history and immigrant identity. I hope I make myself clear when I say that only in America is celebrating where you came from an important part of assimilating. I think it is fine for someone to celebrate their roots. Perfectly fine. What’s NOT fine is finding the American flag offensive and expecting Americans to give a shit that you think that it might be. Or expecting it to not fly because your home country flag is more important in some way. If that is the case, that just go the back to your home country. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/96 "2010-05-07T01:14:38Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Bullshit. It’s about kids wanting to see just how fucked up their school and country was. They found out. They found out that some liberals (not all, and I’m gratified to see many here stick up for the kids—kudos) really don’t give a shit about culture unless it’s a non-American one. > > It was also in the fucking United States of America. You want to fall all over yourself for a Mexican holiday, go to, let’s see—MEXICO. Actually, nitwit, it’s not a holiday _in_ Mexico, it’s a holiday _about_ Mexico. It’s primarily celebrated in the US and in the Mexican state of Puebla (where it has been recognized as a regional holiday). Do you want to stop all those holidays that are celebrated by people of European descent? How about religious holidays that our government observes? Have you been leading the charge to stop them? Yeah, I didn’t think so. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/97 "2010-05-07T01:16:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Can you quote the part where he said he wanted to send all Mexicans back to Mexico? ::crickets:: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/98 "2010-05-07T01:16:37Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > So you support the banning of Homecoming, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, President’s Day, etc? Or is all of that somehow not a case of the school telling students what they should be celebrating? I didn’t say that. I said the school shouldn’t be engaged in telling students whether or not they should celebrate something or in what manner they should do so. If they do, students should feel free to completely ignore that advice w/o adverse consequence. As for federal and state holidays… it’s hard to have school in session when the people who work there have the day off. So please don’t make more of ass of yourself than you already are by twisting what I said into suggesting I think students shouldn’t have to take off school holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/99 "2010-05-07T01:16:41Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > I think it is fine for someone to celebrate their roots. Perfectly fine. What’s NOT fine is finding the American flag offensive and expecting Americans to give a shit that you think that it might be. Or expecting it to not fly because your home country flag is more important in some way. If that is the case, that just go the back to your home country. Again you ignore that in all likelihood, most of the students and people you are talking about are actually Americans. You are truly an offensive person. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521/100 "2010-05-07T01:20:29Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Actually, nitwit, it’s not a holiday _in_ Mexico, it’s a holiday _about_ Mexico. It’s primarily celebrated in the US and in the Mexican state of Puebla (where it has been recognized as a regional holiday). > > Do you want to stop all those holidays that are celebrated by people of European descent? > > How about religious holidays that our government observes? Have you been leading the charge to stop them? > > Yeah, I didn’t think so. I hope you didn’t think so because I never said anything like that, BB-brain. Read my last response to **niblet-head** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-administration-of-live-oak-high-school/538521.md?page=6)