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Court: School can ban American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo

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Gaborn

Member
acheron_xl said:
Then you're being deliberately obtuse.

I don't see the message in it because I doubt that students only wear a shirt one day a year and I also don't see if someone is offended by an american flag shirt why it would be offensive. Most people that come here come here because they LIKE being here and the opportunity it represents. I don't understand the negative association with the flag. I'm not being obtuse I'm telling you I don't see why it's offensive. Maybe I should, but I don't.
 

eznark

Banned
I look forward to the judge getting smacked down upon appeal. When this moves out of a Frisco court it will get overturned swiftly.
 
Sorry for my ignorance, but why would there be violence because American students wear their flag on Cinco de Mayo in their own country? Can't see why anyone should care. I sometimes see Americans berating Europeans for bans on Nazi flags and so forth, saying they are glad the US has true free speech. This doesn't seem so different to me, apart from the Nazis killed millions of Europeans of course.
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
This was that school that had that mostly hot cheerleader squad.

The squad this year isn't as good.
 

Pollux

Member
Gaborn said:
I don't see the message in it because I doubt that students only wear a shirt one day a year and I also don't see if someone is offended by an american flag shirt why it would be offensive. Most people that come here come here because they LIKE being here and the opportunity it represents. I don't understand the negative association with the flag. I'm not being obtuse I'm telling you I don't see why it's offensive. Maybe I should, but I don't.
Now you're trolling. Look, I was an asshole when I was in high school and buying an American flag shirt to wear on Cinco de Mayo is something I probably would have done if I didn't go to a catholic school where everyone was white.

But to think that 16 year old kids wouldn't do this is beyond stupid.

I 110% disagree with the court's decision and the school's decision, because if they want to troll Mexicans on Cinco de Mayo then go right ahead, but let's not get confused with the fact that they WERE trolling.
 

Gaborn

Member
Byakuya769 said:
No source. I'm just making shit up. As if the source is going to change your mind.


Thank you for providing a source. I didn't realize it was so difficult to do so.


zmoney said:
Now you're trolling. Look, I was an asshole when I was in high school and buying an American flag shirt to wear on Cinco de Mayo is something I probably would have done if I didn't go to a catholic school where everyone was white.

I'm NOT trolling. I just don't see the point. In the first place I'm not going to waste what, $10 or whatever on a stupid shirt if I was going to wear it once a year. In the second place there is nothing inherently offensive about an american flag.

But to think that 16 year old kids wouldn't do this is beyond stupid.

I 110% disagree with the court's decision and the school's decision, because if they want to troll Mexicans on Cinco de Mayo then go right ahead, but let's not get confused with the fact that they WERE trolling.

I still don't understand how it's trolling but I realize you're just going to accuse me of trolling again because I honestly don't see what is offensive about wearing a flag t-shirt on that day or any other day.
 

Cyan

Banned
Gaborn said:
So you're suggesting they bought these shirts just to wear them on one day and never anytime else during the school year? They must be really dedicated to making a statement! I just don't see the fuck you message in it.
Gaborn, come on now. Do you really, truly not understand why the Mexican students might be bothered by this? Or are you professing lack of understanding as a rhetorical tactic?

If the former, it's easy enough to explain. If the latter...
 

Pollux

Member
Cyan said:
Gaborn, come on now. Do you really, truly not understand why the Mexican students might be bothered by this? Or are you professing lack of understanding as a rhetorical tactic?

If the former, it's easy enough to explain. If the latter...

I actually don't understand by what right the Mexican students have to be upset. But the fact is that they would be. The 5 kids knew that. They wore the shirts to bring about that result. Trolling.
 

Gaborn

Member
Cyan said:
Gaborn, come on now. Do you really, truly not understand why the Mexican students might be bothered by this? Or are you professing lack of understanding as a rhetorical tactic?

If the former, it's easy enough to explain. If the latter...

I really truly do not understand why they're bothered by this. It's the flag of the country they probably went through a long process to get to, either through legal immigration or more harrowingly through illegal means. I don't see the offense in wearing the flag.

edit: and to reiterate (but I'm not picking on zmoney, just using the post as an example:
zmoney said:
I actually don't understand by what right the Mexican students have to be upset. But the fact is that they would be. The 5 kids knew that. They wore the shirts to bring about that result. Trolling.

I don't understand why this is simply stated as fact. I don't see why it is obvious they would/should be.
 
So those who act violently and have a complete lack of self-restraint are the victims which need to be protected?

And those who simply do not support either Mexico and/or Cinco de Mayo and express this by wearing an American flag in America are the ones who need to be banned? Nice way of excusing violence as somehow a legitimate response to what is ultimately a few kids passively trolling. In America an American flag shouldn't be perceived and/or allowed to be perceived as a threat.
 

Vyer

Member
I find it more offensive that those five kids were using a symbol like the flag to do the equivalent of a Fox news drive by or internet troll post. Distasteful.
 

TheDiabolical

I didn't read my own avatar and now everyone knows I'm not too bright. :(
Gaborn said:
Can you explain how the American flag being worn on Cinco de Mayo is trolling? I mean, people just seem to be asserting that it IS without actually stating WHY.


if you saw the students they clearly were not in the top percentile of their class. they were just doing it to be smart asses. best part of all this was afterwards in interviews the kids said they were scared to return to school. the joke backfired.

one aspect of this could be seen as using the flag as a symbol of racism towards hispanics. similar to how the KKK uses the Confederate Flag.
 

Pollux

Member
Gaborn said:
I really truly do not understand why they're bothered by this. It's the flag of the country they probably went through a long process to get to, either through legal immigration or more harrowingly through illegal means. I don't see the offense in wearing the flag.

edit: and to reiterate (but I'm not picking on zmoney, just using the post as an example:

I don't understand why this is simply stated as fact. I don't see why it is obvious they would/should be.
I just said I have no idea why or by what reason they would be offended. they have no reason to be. If i'm going to school in Mexico I could care less if people rock a Mexican flag on the 4th.

I was just saying that "they would be" because the school said that apparently they got pissed off the previous year about something.


TheDiabolical said:
if you saw the students they clearly were not in the top percentile of their class. they were just doing it to be smart asses. best part of all this was afterwards in interviews the kids said they were scared to return to school. the joke backfired.

one aspect of this could be seen as using the flag as a symbol of racism towards hispanics. similar to how the KKK uses the Confederate Flag.
Holy crap this is just dumb. Look the stars and bars are a symbol of many things, and yes that includes institutional slavery and severe racism.

But to compare the KKK to idiot kids who wore THE FLAG OF THEIR DAMN COUNTRY NOT SOME SECESSIONIST MOVEMENT is just moronic.
 

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
Back in high school some kid wore a confederate flag tee shirt the day we had a black history assembly. He was suspended lol.
 

Gaborn

Member
TheDiabolical said:
if you saw the students they clearly were not in the top percentile of their class. they were just doing it to be smart asses. best part of all this was afterwards in interviews the kids said they were scared to return to school. the joke backfired.

one aspect of this could be seen as using the flag as a symbol of racism towards hispanics. similar to how the KKK uses the Confederate Flag.

I mean, I guess I have no doubt that their INTENT was to cause offense. I guess my point is I don't see why it was EFFECTIVE in doing so. I mean, they're here because, I presume, they want to be here. As far as I'm concerned they have as much right to lay claim to the American flag as anyone else. To me they're being mocked with one of THEIR flags. Which is not to say they should reject their heritage but rather that symbols have the power that you let them have and that history imbues them with. I don't see the negative association with the American flag and immigrants of any sort.

I definitely see the intent though I guess. Maybe I'm being pedantic but it seems like something that people shouldn't let get to them.
 

Cyan

Banned
Gaborn said:
I really truly do not understand why they're bothered by this. It's the flag of the country they probably went through a long process to get to, either through legal immigration or more harrowingly through illegal means. I don't see the offense in wearing the flag.
All right. Let's use a more clear-cut example, to throw this into sharper relief. Imagine it's the day of the Gay Pride parade. At a local high school, all the LGBT kids, and all the kids who support them, wear rainbow flag tshirts to show solidarity. Another group of students wear prominent cross or crucifix tshirts, to show that they disapprove of LGBT people.

Can you see why the LGBT kids might be bothered by that? It's a minority group celebrating a day that is considered important to their group, by signaling their membership in that group with a prominent display. They find themselves confronted by people who are not a part of their minority group, deliberately signaling that difference (and quite likely signaling disapproval of the minority group) with an equally prominent display.

You can argue that since the symbol in question is not at all offensive in itself, the kids shouldn't be offended. But can you see why they are?

Edit:
Gaborn said:
I definitely see the intent though I guess. Maybe I'm being pedantic but it seems like something that people shouldn't let get to them.
Oh. Guess I didn't need to type all that up. Heh. ;)
 

TheDiabolical

I didn't read my own avatar and now everyone knows I'm not too bright. :(
Gaborn said:
I mean, I guess I have no doubt that their INTENT was to cause offense. I guess my point is I don't see why it was EFFECTIVE in doing so. I mean, they're here because, I presume, they want to be here. As far as I'm concerned they have as much right to lay claim to the American flag as anyone else. To me they're being mocked with one of THEIR flags. Which is not to say they should reject their heritage but rather that symbols have the power that you let them have and that history imbues them with. I don't see the negative association with the American flag and immigrants of any sort.

I definitely see the intent though I guess. Maybe I'm being pedantic but it seems like something that people shouldn't let get to them.


this is part that should really upset people. they used the American flag for an offensive purpose.

there's nothing wrong with showing how patriotic you are, but at the same time you have to be respectful of others nationalities and cultures.
 

Gaborn

Member
Cyan said:
Edit:

Oh. Guess I didn't need to type all that up. Heh. ;)

Yeah, but again I'm not sure it's the same example. I mean, to me this is like a group of people from the mainland US traveling to Puerto Rico and wearing the flag and waving the US flag in a parade. Even if their intent is to be offensive it would be ridiculous for Puerto Ricans (as American citizens) to actually BE offended by it.

Like I said, I DO understand what THEY (the people wearing the american flag) are thinking. I DON'T understand why the Mexican kids are bothered by it.
 
This is the perfect example of preaching "tolerance", that is, until you don't like what someone else believes, decides to wear, or has to say.
 

Cyan

Banned
Gaborn said:
Yeah, but again I'm not sure it's the same example. I mean, to me this is like a group of people from the mainland US traveling to Puerto Rico and wearing the flag and waving the US flag in a parade. Even if their intent is to be offensive it would be ridiculous for Puerto Ricans (as American citizens) to actually BE offended by it.

Like I said, I DO understand what THEY (the people wearing the american flag) are thinking. I DON'T understand why the Mexican kids are bothered by it.
Again, the choice of symbol is irrelevant. It's entirely about group membership and signaling.
 

Zee-Row

Banned
zmoney said:
If Latinos (or any immigrant) doesn't want to see people wearing an American flag, in an American school, in an American state, in the United Fucking States of AMERICA then they can just leave.

You don't see Germans running around waving the German flag, or the French waving their flag, or the Japanese waving their flag.

I just don't get it.




Uh, yea. If you come to this country to live you should at least have a basic understanding of English, with the intention to get better the longer you live here. Don't come in prattling in whatever language you speak and expect me to understand you.

If I go to France I try to learn as much French as I can, or Germany and German, and Mexico and Spanish.

You learn the language.

You're not special. Every other immigrant group before you had to learn English what makes you the damn exception?

People have told me that just for talking to someone in Spanish in public even though both of us very well know English. People just like to start shit.
 

Pollux

Member
Zee-Row said:
People have told me that just for talking to someone in Spanish in public even though both of us very well know English. People just like to start shit.

I don't care if people talk to each other in what ever language they want. My problem is when someone expects me to know their language and they can't speak English.

If you want to run around talking to your friends in Klingon or Elvish, I don't care. But don't expect everyone to learn a language just so you don't have to learn English.
 

Cruzader

Banned
zmoney said:
I don't care if people talk to each other in what ever language they want. My problem is when someone expects me to know their language and they can't speak English.

If you want to run around talking to your friends in Klingon or Elvish, I don't care. But don't expect everyone to learn a language just so you don't have to learn English.
I agree in that they should learn the language/culture to whoever comes to live here but thats wishful thinking. Most of the migrants work and kids go to school so they really cant or atleast its not as easy. Most work physical labor work were they dont do much talking but working. If they were to work on more social work areas, they would need to learn english.

Regarding OP, holy shit whats with the dumb laws being passed? Like this just helps fuel people who hate immigrants and/or hispanics. This should be only be done on schools were there is definitive racism among "gangs" or clicks of certain race groups. Im hispanic and I never had to deal with any Bullshit like this except minor racist jokes from random kids I grew up in a majority white school district so whatever.
 
I know it isn't an enforceable law or anything, but I feel it pertinent to point out that under the United States flag code, it is forbidden to use the flag as clothing or as part of a costume or uniform. After learning about that, it always felt weird to see people wearing US flags on their clothing.
 

Evening Musuko

Black Korea
Broken Arrow said:
5 de Mayo is not even that big here in Mexico...

I'm Mexican-American and I never got the big deal though from what I understand, it's more like St. Patrick's day. It's supposed to celebrate Mexican American culture. Still, I'm seeing more people celebrate Mexico's Independence day (September 16th) than 5 de Mayo in recent years.
 

Ripclawe

Banned
Honestly, Who gives a shit if the Mexican students were bothered by 5 kids wearing a flag t-shirt? The fact anyone would be offended is ridiculous. The school was still celebrating Cinco De Mayo and nothing was being stopped.

Its a Mexican holiday being celebrated on American soil in an American high school. This "sensitivity" actually fuels hatred not help it.
 

Mikey Jr.

Member
How about they ban cinco de mayo?

That would be more fair.

American students should be able to wear an American flag t-shirt 365 days a year. You come into this country and Americans have to conform to YOU? Can't believe some people in this thread are actually with the judge.

I'm Canadian, but I am with the students on this one.
 
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