Bay Area students wear Stars-&-Stripes to class

[Tempra]

I'd simply argue that the school are within their rights to make these kinds of judgement calls. Occasionally these will be silly and over-the-top, but the school has a right, and a duty, to ensure the safety of their students.

There is no evidence that anyone's safety was at risk. Ever.

Do you want to leave it up to the school to determine when a hypothetical dangerous situation could arise? I could see that working out well...

[Tempra]

Are students no longer able to wear/display the American flag during Hispanic Heritage Month?

How far are we taking this?

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

I think the students may have been wearing the shirts to get some sort of response. But to suspend them because they were wearing American flag shirts in the US on Cinco De Mayo, which is a Mexican holiday is wrong. We are the US, why would it be offensive for our students to wear American flag t-shirts (apart from the regular offense of wearing the flag as an item of apparel)? Cinco De Mayo is a Mexican holiday, not American. I remember reading about people waving Mexican flags in the US when the US and Mexican soccer teams were playing a game. Was that considered offensive? I don't want our kids to be punished because they wore a shirt with our flag on it. Would some of the Mexican-American kids been punished if they wore a Mexican flag shirt on Fourth of July? If these kids claim to be American why would they be offended by American flags? Especially since I think Cinco De Mayo was a celebration of a fight against the French. Can't we all just get along and hate the French? They eat frog's legs and snails. We should all ally against this gastronomic crime.

Seriously, American kids in American schools getting punished for wearing American flags on their clothes is weak. This school is wrong.

If Cinco de Mayo was considered just an ethnic festival, the flag wouldn't be an issue. The problem is that for some, there's a definite nationalistic component as well, and the "nation" isn't the U.S.

[Kat]

I wouldn't take it as far as suspensions, but I might use it to remind me that maybe it's time for a school diversity rally with some pointed examples from history of how past ethnic groups, such as the Irish, have now become accepted as White. Anything else just becomes fodder for the "OMG, the PC police!!!!!!!!!!" folks.

[blasted_saber]

When did we start observing Cinqo de Mayo?

Have I been gone that long?

Not necessarily Cinqo de Mayo, but a similar situation involving one of our large immigrant populations.

[kairparavel]

Not necessarily Cinqo de Mayo, but a similar situation involving one of our large immigrant populations.

Illegal immigration just isn't the issue in Canada that it is in the US.

[Annelise]

If Cinco de Mayo was considered just an ethnic festival, the flag wouldn't be an issue. The problem is that for some, there's a definite nationalistic component as well, and the "nation" isn't the U.S.

I agree. Viewing it as the Mexican St. Patrick's day is viewing it in too narrow a context.

I also believe there is a cultural as well as a nationalistic component. It's the dominant culture bumping against a large immigrant culture. There's pressure to assimilate and pressure to maintain your heritage. We've seen this before. Kat mentioned the Irish, for instance.

[Old Nan]

I'd simply argue that the school are within their rights to make these kinds of judgement calls. Occasionally these will be silly and over-the-top, but the school has a right, and a duty, to ensure the safety of their students.

Surely in that case the correct call is to clamp down on expressions of ethnic or political identification from students, given that the largest provoked population will always be the majority.

[peterbound]

I agree. Viewing it as the Mexican St. Patrick's day is viewing it in too narrow a context.

I also believe there is a cultural as well as a nationalistic component. It's the dominant culture bumping against a large immigrant culture. There's pressure to assimilate and pressure to maintain your heritage. We've seen this before. Kat mentioned the Irish, for instance.

Ha, coming from AZ all i ever knew today as was Cinco De Drinko. Many a times was it referred to as the Mexican St. Paddy's day, by Mexicans.

This whole situation seems silly to me. The kids wore a flag shirt to school (which funnily enough goes against the us flag code ((The flag should never be used as wearing apparel. US CODE TITLE 36 CH 10 SECTION 176), what's the big deal? We are in America, i don't care if it's March 17th, July 4th, or May the 5th, this shouldn't have pissed of an AMERICAN CITIZEN (unless you are really hard core into the flag code). This is fully in their protected rights. If the kids wanted to go off of school ground and burn some Mexican flags.. got the right to do it. By becoming angry at the pointed protest of the kids, the mexican americans only prove their inability to assimilate, something they desperately need to try to do.

Great holiday though, always had good times when i was a kid getting drunk and raising hell.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

I wouldn't take it as far as suspensions, but I might use it to remind me that maybe it's time for a school diversity rally with some pointed examples from history of how past ethnic groups, such as the Irish, have now become accepted as White. Anything else just becomes fodder for the "OMG, the PC police!!!!!!!!!!" folks.

It's not about accepting ethnic groups as white, which seems a strange concept anyway. It's about accepting them as Americans. And if there is a significant part of an ethnic group that identifies less as Americans and more as something else, that's a problem. It's an attitude that is not going to sit well with people who are willing to accept anyone as an Americans, regardless of ethnic origin, but expect to see national loyalty in return.

[Annelise]

We are in America, i don't care if it's March 17th, July 4th, or May the 5th, this shouldn't have pissed of an AMERICAN CITIZEN (unless you are really hard core into the flag code). This is fully in there protected rights. If the kids wanted to go off of school ground and burn some Mexican flags.. got the right to do it.By becoming angry at the pointed protest of the kids, the mexican americans only prove their inability to assimilate, something they desperately need to try to do.

Side A, the dominant culture, nearly perfectly illustrated.

[Annelise]

It's not about accepting ethnic groups as white, which seems a strange concept anyway. It's about accepting them as Americans. And if there is a significant part of an ethnic group that identifies less as Americans and more as something else, that's a problem.

Right, the issue is how we define American. Back in the day, it didn't include Catholics for instance. Obviously for many immigrants, their religion was not negotiable. And their native language was/is part of their identity & heritage.

Thus, friction.

[Old Nan]

Charles Carroll will be surprised to learn that he wasn't defined as American.

[peterbound]

Side A, the dominant culture, nearly perfectly illustrated.

ha, nice job trying to paint me as a bigot. You really couldn't be farther off the mark. Listen. My wife is hispanic. Her grandma is from Mexico and moved to America (illegally i might add, Reagan hooked that up though) , she is one of the most patriotic Americans i know. I won't ask her about this, but i'm sure she would find it funny that individuals born in America are getting mad at someone wearing the American Flag (not the dominant culture, the actual Nation of residence for these people) on Cinco De Mayo. This is just a fine example of someone taking themselves waaay too seriously.

And about Catholicism, how far back are we talking here.. the freaking birth of our nation? The whole Big Green Machine movement and the Irish flood? That's taking it pretty far back. We've come a long way since then. The most we (and by we i'm going to go ahead and speak for most Americans) ask of our friends that enter our land and our fold is to attempt to assimilate. I don't care about your religion, i don't really care if you keep your Quinceanera's, just be respectful to my country, stand up for whats right, and pay your freaking taxes. I

[Shryke]

Um, afaik Kennedy was a big deal for being like the first Catholic President. People were afraid he'd run the country according to the Pope's orders or something.

[El-ahrairah]

Um, afaik Kennedy was a big deal for being like the first Catholic President. People were afraid he'd run the country according to the Pope's orders or something.

Ha ha, when Al Smith lost he was supposed to have sent a telegram to the Vatican: "Unpack". But now Catholic politicians just ignore what the Pope says...

[peterbound]

Um, afaik Kennedy was a big deal for being like the first Catholic President. People were afraid he'd run the country according to the Pope's orders or something.

I'll give you that. The same reason Romney will never be president, he's LDS. Like i said though.. we've come a long way. Look who we got in office right now. Would he be considered the main stream America the haters like to claim is holding everyone down. Nope

[peterbound]

Did i just say 'haters'. Remind me no to do that again

[peterbound]

In our modern world, your best friend/wife being Hispanic only makes you more of a bigot, because it shows you've internalized your bigotry enough to ignore it, or something.

Ha, the 'or something' is the best part.

[Edda van Heefmstra Ruston]

In our modern world, your best friend/wife being Hispanic only makes you more of a bigot, because it shows you've internalized your bigotry enough to ignore it, or something.

Nah, it doesn't make you more of a bigot. It just doesn't prevent you from being one, either. Funnily enough, a lot of people with mothers and wives and other female relatives are sexist, too.