We have another video raising questions over the rules relating to free speech for students in high school. This video (below) was taken in North Rowan High School in North Carolina where a teacher screams at a student that he can be arrested for disrespecting President Obama. The teacher went ballistic after a student responded to the account of Mitt Romney bullying a student as a teen by noting that President Obama admitted that he had bullied a student in his youth. [Update: the teacher has been suspended pending investigation].
In my view, the class seemed unruly and the students were combative with the teacher. However, the teacher seemed equally unruly and more importantly misstated the law on comments about the president. Notably, the student was right on both the law and the facts on bullying.
After the student notes that Obama admitted to bullying a girl, the teacher screams “Do you realize that people were arrested for saying things bad about Bush?” She tells the student and the class that “you are not supposed to slander the president.” The student correctly states that you can only be arrested for threatening the president, but the teacher will hear none of it. She insists that it is ok to call Romney a bully but not Obama because the former is running for president while the latter is president. Accordingly, under the teacher’s rather mutated view of civics and constitutional law, “there is no comparison.”
The teacher sounds increasingly unhinged and screams that the men are not “equal” and adds “Let me tell you something … you will not disrespect the president of the United States in this classroom.”
What concerns me is how such misinformation is conveyed to students who shape their views of basic liberties in our public schools. I feel it is appropriate for teachers in high school to lead discussions about politics, which can obviously get partisan and unruly. I also believe that it is important for the teachers to enforce civility rules. However, alleging that the President or Romney was a bully is not uncivil. It is a contemporary issue in the presidential election. It happens to be an excellent issue to raise in class to show that bullying can cause not just immediate but later problems for students. It also allows for a discussion how relevant such bullying is to the question of character to lead the nation. The key is to control the discussion while getting the law and facts right.
Source: Salisbury as first seen on Reddit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/23/colin-powell-mitt-romney-foreign-policy_n_1538945.html Collin Powell points out how far to the right Romney’s foreign policy advisers are.
“People like her are pushing this wonderful republic toward socialism.”
I think you mean totalitarianism. It’s not the same thing as socialism. Socialism doesn’t require the oppression of political dissent. Totalitarianism does.
I hope this kid does not learn the lesson that he should not be so educated himself and aware of what is going on in the world outside.
This teacher needs to take a civics class, especially pursuient to the 1st ammendment. People like her are pushing this wonderful republic toward socialism. How can a person this ignorant be allowed to teach?
I provided the link as a point of interest, ID# (which is more than you did in your comment). Once there, you have to chew and digest for yourself, 707. Good luck with that…
P.S. Congrats on finding the Post Comment! button.
BB,
Oh, you regard Greenwald as a reliable source. And did you check his sources. Or their sources. Give us the primary source, or you are just naive. And you are, admit it. As you can see, I can click, particularly well on “Post Comment”
How good are you at sourcing your statements? Not so good, you say. Cudda guessed it.
At some point, idealist707, you might consider a seminar, or some such, on how to follow a link. If you are using a PC, it usually involves clicking with your mouse. Happy trails.
BB,
Funny you say so.
Yesterday the NYTimes said that Obama’s PAC income was record low this last report.
What figures or where did you get them?
It is possible the NYTimes report was falsoly excised to play their game of course.
It’s the Black Panthers in 2008 all over again. “Vote for Obama or Else.”
It’s the mantra of Black America.
OT
Speaking of cognitive dissonance, Greenwald has an interesting article today about how Industry lobbyists and Wall Street, including the executives at Bains, heavily favor Democrats and Obama in their expressions of largess.
Now why would that be?
This event actually epitomizes the effect of propaganda on our population. First, many people no longer know what are rights are. Why is that? How are so many confused about something completely fundamental to our society. We should ask the question as to whose interests are served by this lack of knowledge and this points to part of the answer.
The Bush and Obama administrations have upended our form of govt. claiming the powers of a dictator instead of those which belong to the executive branch. Congress and much of the higher courts have willing acceded to these dangerously unlawful powers. Further, if you pay attention to the newz, you will see that most newz forums are also on board with this new form of govt. called the USSbanana.
Both administrations have made it a point to go after those who do question “their authoriti”. We have had brutal crackdowns on the domestic population to include beatings, spying, arrests and torture for pointing out that their behavior is unlawful and cruel. When doctors for single payer, universal health coverage went to deliver their petition to be included in the discussions on the healthcare law, they were arrested! Many people don’t think that’s a problem.
We see comments that it’s the child’s fault. This tactic is similar to people who claim it is the evil child reporting the s/he was raped by the priest who is the problem. The rape? Not so much. We see other attempts at propaganda in the comments. It’s all quite interesting. It’s all quite sad.
We need to regain knowledge. We need to regain not a sense of people being entitled to respect no matter how brutal their behavior, but a sense of respect towards fellow citizens.
As I wrote earlier, the larger problem in our society is that good people are supporting those who behave in a heinous ways. The preacher’s followers, Bush followers and now Obama followers all deny, excuse and at the same time actively support crimes and cruelty against others. Why are good people doing this? If we understand why this is happening we have some chance of stopping the horrific violence in our society against people here and abroad.
BB,
An interesting idea. Would appear to be true for the ones who contended with the teacher—for a while at least they did so.
But all the others, what did they learn? Hardly what you believe.
Any other suggestions to add to your school of hard knocks?
While this particular teacher seems to push it over the edge, I suspect the end result is that the students will learn as much or more from her abuse of the facts than had she remained perfectly neutral. The excess of her reaction sets up a sort of dissonance that may trigger questions and a desire for answers for years to come.
That doesn’t excuse her rant and doesn’t argue for zero standards of behavior. Rather, it just touches upon a a curious facet of human nature that tends to help kids with some of the rough edges of growing up.
Rachel Naisbett.
Can you support your assertions with an example of a “perverted fact” made by your professors? Further examples would be in order considering you hace condemned them all.
I’m not saing you are wrong, you may be correct. But now iin college, you should be learning and enjpying the challenge of backing up your claims. Are you?
Your contention that liberals always have friends in high places shows your lack of knowledge. The teacher is hardly one Obama would reach out his hand for. And overwhelming facts show that conservative forces dominate in local arenas.
Her chief problem, discounting incompetence is she is emotionally involved in Obama, his being respected in spite of his mixed race.
The other day, someone said that we should abandon afroamerican as a designation, for we whites don’t identify ourselves a italoamericans, etc. I agree.
How about you?
I guess BarkinDog was asking the rest of you to carefully consider the notions of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We only have one life to live.
Except when Rachell grows up she will see that the Conservative RepubliCons are not in her own best interest. If Rachell looks out for her own best interest and if Rachell does not have a hundred million dollars in some trust fund, then Rachell will be smart, yes smart, to look into other notions of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
When BarkinDog likes a comment from a fellow blogger or dog, then BarkinDog says so. Rachell is Right On!
Barkindog likes the comments of Rachell, above.