There is another bizarre story out of our public school system where a school official at Denair Middle School in Sacramento, California told 13-year-old Cody Alicea to remove an American flag from his bike because of fears that it would trigger “racial tensions.” According to this interview with the Superintendent, Cody has now been informed that he can display the American flag after a review of the supervisor’s decision — and a national outcry.
I remain perplexed by such decisions of officials. As with the mindless application of zero tolerance that we have seen on drugs and guns with absurd results, I cannot imagine why an official would view the solution to such a threat as being to silence the student’s first amendment rights. This is akin to saying, “your free speech is bothering a bully, so stop speaking.” If there is a student or students who will turn violent at the sight of an American flag, they need to be removed from the school. Ironically, Cody has been flying his flag on his bike for two months but was told to strike the colors just before Veteran’s Day. Nice timing.
There is no indication of whether the superintendent considered the decision by this official to be fundamentally at odds with free speech and good judgment. Superintendent Edward Parraz agrees that “the First Amendment is important” but adds “[o]ur Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they’ll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don’t really want. We want them to appreciate the cultures.” The evidence of such appreciation of other cultures appears to be forced silence. It is rather easy to achieve the appearance of cultural harmony when when students are told to be silent on their cultural or national values. The idea is to promote pluralism with the expression of different views — not claiming success by avoiding any expression (and rejection) of views.
The official insists that he or she was trying to protect Cody, but that is a rather sad statement when students are taught that they should hide their views to avoid being attacked in our public schools. If that is the reality of the situation at Denair Middle School, the entire school needs to be placed under special supervision with added measures to protect the students and their free speech rights.
Source: KCRA
Jonathan Turley
Gyges,
You know me so well. 🙂
Ekeyra,
Martyrs generally need someone to martyr them, otherwise they’re just suicides. I just don’t have the temperament for that line of work. Thus, my referring you to Buddha, who as you’ve noticed, is more than willing to oblige persecution complexes. I’d ask him to lay off, but it doesn’t do a bit of good. The nice part about the internet is that everyone’s free to respond or not as they see fit. If you don’t want to talk to Buddha, just don’t.
Right now I’m trying to figure out if I’d enjoy a conversation with you. Generally the way that works is: one person says something, the other thinks about it and then responds.
Now, by “letting the parents decide” do you mean homeschooling or some other system?
Ooooooo!
An insult from Ms. Home Schooled Happy Meal!
Whatever will I do! I swear I may get the vapors!
Or not.
roflol
Also, if you really think buddha has some keen insight into the human psyche from a handful of sentences Ive left as comments your as intellectually bankrupt as he is.
So if my alternative to public schooling is, I dont know, let parents decide how, where, and when their own children will be educated, that wont create an outcry that im abandoning children to the wolves? Cause i see that happening.
Ekeyra,
No.
But if you keep insisting on playing the intellectual Martyr I’m sure Buddha will oblige.
Hell, there’s a lot of ts in this comment, you could pretend they’re all crosses. Here’s an X, just in case your scottish.
Let them run wild like lord of flies? I mean isnt that how you’re going to interpret any response on my part that doesnt end with “send them to public schools”?
Ekeyra,
So, what’s your alternative?
Buckeye,
I think you’re right too. That doesn’t stop me from being a little upset about the initial actions of the school, but it is a good reminder about not over-generalizing from this one incident.
BIL
That’s a load off – I was afraid it was just me.
“Does anyone else have the feeling that FOX channels go out looking for just this type of jingoistic pap?”
Seconded.
You are not alone, Buckeye.
Does anyone else have a problem with using a story from a FOX news channel?
Would anyone else like to have seen this story from a different news organization – if there happened to be one that carried it?
Does anyone else have the feeling that FOX channels go out looking for just this type of jingoistic pap?
Anyone?
ekeyra,
“All this story proves is that schools are there to teach you obedience and deference to authority.”
All this story proves is that one official in one school district made a dumb decision.
I know from my own experience in the teaching profession that it’s a good idea to remove some educators from the classroom. The problem is the educators removed from the classroom are all too often moved up the chain of command. Some of the administrators I knew were perfect examples of the Peter Principle.
**********
From the article:
“Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they’ll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don’t really want,” Parraz said. “We want them to appreciate the cultures.”
Isn’t Superintendent Parraz an articulate fellow?
ekeyra,
Just because you are incapable of learning in a structured environment doesn’t mean you should take it out on children. Children who by their very nature require structure or they grow up to be vile lil’ sociopaths who grow up thinking the only rule is whatever makes them happy right here, right now.
Like a Happy Meal.
And your previous “foundation”?
Yeah, they call that self-serving bullshit in most places, but you keep quoting Victorian sociologists if you want. After all, Victorian England was known for its classist structure and a desire to keep down anyone not of the landed gentry in addition to an educational system that was both oppressive and elitist. Spencer is about as applicable today as Queen Victoria’s stunted and biologically ignorant sexual mores.
All this story proves is that schools are there to teach you obedience and deference to authority. Any actual information transmitted is incidental.
How dare that terrorist fly the American Flag on his bike. He must be Al-Qaeda.
Am I missing something here?
Some other kids made threats against this lass for doing something complely legal and harmless, so she is made to stop doing this thing.
Would it not make more sense just to punish those making the threats?
Or am I just completely bloody stupid?
Mind you, I do live in the country that just allowed muslim prtesters to upset our minutes silence at the remembrance day service at the cenotaph yesterday. These scrotes had Police protection and counter demonstrators were arrested. Ironic I suppose is that the silence is in respect for those who died so that aforementioned scrotes could have this level of free speech.
“Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge.”
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
– Mark Twain
ekeyra,
Good luck locking up children of the 21st century in the US and trying to make them sit down and shut up for seven hours a day. What were you thinking?
😉
One has to wonder where your perception of education was spawned. Did you have a terrible experience when you were in school? Did school nurses “dope you up?”
After getting national attention in the media and receiving a backlash of negative public opinion, the school has reversed it’s decision.
He can display the flag once again.