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Forums → WEPR → Free speech... 'till someone is offended.
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Five students at a South Bay high school stirred up some controversy Wednesday for wearing t-shirts depicting red, white and blue American flags on Cinco de Mayo.
School officials at Live Oak High in Morgan Hill told the students they had to go home if they wouldnât turn the shirts inside out.
One of the students said it appeared school administrators were worried the patriotic shirts could trigger fights.
Some students at Live Oak High in Morgan Hill said others were planning to come to school Thursday wearing red, white and blue.
Four of the five students who wore American flags or patriotic colors on campus walked into a meeting with the superintendent of the Morgan Hill unified school district Wednesday night.
They were facing unexcused absences because they chose to go home early rather than take off what they were wearing.
â¦Some Mexican-American students KTVU spoke with said they thought wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo was disrespectful.
âItâs just kinda disrespectful that they would do that on this day,â said student Victoria Wright. âI mean, we donât go around on 4th of July wearing red white and green and saying âViva Mexico,â because thatâs disrespectful.â
-KTVU
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I'm going to save my breath on this one. It's wrong, and I shouldn't have to explain why.
- 32 Replies
Still free speech. I would have done the same, regardless of what day it is.
I didn't even know what Cinco de Mayo was until Thursday, so yeah. I still don't know what kind of holiday it is.
Although, it's our soil. I could see down there where it's from, but this is our soil.
Anyways, my opinion is no matter what day it is, so long as they don't go condemning Mexico, they should be able to wear what ever they want. Fine by me.
Same for the chicks fourth of July analogy. Go ahead and wear green, red, and white and yell Viva Mexico. Just don't say America sucks while you're at it.
Yup... free speech is the most important thing when facing an opinion you don't like. At the same time, that's also exactly when it's hardest to agree with the concept of free speech...
Anyways, my opinion is no matter what day it is, so long as they don't go condemning Mexico, they should be able to wear what ever they want. Fine by me.
Same for the chicks fourth of July analogy. Go ahead and wear green, red, and white and yell Viva Mexico. Just don't say America sucks while you're at it.
They should be allowed to condemn Mexico or America if they want to. They shouldn't, because it is disrespectful and not productive, but they should still be able to.
It is really hard to draw a line when it comes to freedom of speach. Ideally, we shouldn't have to draw a line. People would just know when they are being excessively and pointlessly offensive, and stop voluntarily.
The problem lies in the fact that we have these people who want to be offensive for the sake of being offensive. The people in the story were not being that offensive (though I'm not mexican, so I can't really say anything), but there was potential for an escalation of racial tension. They really had no hope of accomplishing anything, so they were just doing this to make a scene.
This is a waste of freedom of speech. But we can't stop it, because we need to keep that freedom for when we do need it.
The problem lies in the fact that we have these people who want to be offensive for the sake of being offensive.
People should be allowed to express their own views. If they aren't being blatantly offensive, then they shouldn't get in trouble. If they are being offensive, but they are doing so by expressing their opinions, then they have every right to do so.
What you said may be true, but the issue isn't that gray. It isn't so gray that you can't tell what is and is not too far and therefor should be safe an ban everything that MIGHT be offensive or is remotely offensive.
People should be allowed to express their own views. If they aren't being blatantly offensive, then they shouldn't get in trouble. If they are being offensive, but they are doing so by expressing their opinions, then they have every right to do so.
I agree completely. People shouldn't be forced to be civil. I just wish that they would choose to not be offensive, unlike the people in this story.
I believe that the only times free speech should be limited is when there is slander or libel involved, or if it is a safety issue. In other words, you can't knowingly try to spread lies about people, and you can't endanger other people.
I agree completely. People shouldn't be forced to be civil. I just wish that they would choose to not be offensive, unlike the people in this story.
The people in the story weren't being offensive though. You shouldn't get in trouble for wearing the American flag, in America, if you're American... ever.
The people in the story weren't being offensive though. You shouldn't get in trouble for wearing the American flag, in America, if you're American... ever.
People claimed that they were offended. I don't that they just happened to wear the american flag on cinco de mayo. They probably planned it out ahead of time, and they probably knew people would get offended.
Though you are right: there is a key difference between being offensive and offending someone.
Personally, I don't you should get in trouble for wearing any flag, in any country, no matter who you are. But this situation is especially ridiculous.
The whole point of free speech is to offend, having the right of free speech means you can offend!
However, citizens can invoke free speech on the basis of just being heard or expressing their opinions without intending to be offensive to others.
What separates this from being fine to being offensive is: Was this really planned for whatever reason given? Just because other students "said" they were going to plan this doesn't mean they were; these are rumors aka heresay, therefore cannot be used as fact. Hell, there are people that wore Jewish stars of David on Christmas and played middle-eastern music on July 4th. Are they intending to be offensive to others? No; not if they weren't planning on being so.
And don't get me started on the student that spoke.
It is really hard to draw a line when it comes to freedom of speach. Ideally, we shouldn't have to draw a line. People would just know when they are being excessively and pointlessly offensive, and stop voluntarily.
If wearing a depiction of an American flag in America is going to be considered offensive, then perhaps there was a point to doing it.
The people in the story weren't being offensive though. You shouldn't get in trouble for wearing the American flag, in America, if you're American... ever.
I agree completely.
The whole point of free speech is to offend, having the right of free speech means you can offend!
The point of free speech is to be able to speak your mind without worry of legal retribution.
What separates this from being fine to being offensive is: Was this really planned for whatever reason given? Just because other students "said" they were going to plan this doesn't mean they were; these are rumors aka heresay, therefore cannot be used as fact.
True, but I don't see this as being relevant.
What separates this from being fine to being offensive is: Was this really planned for whatever reason given? Just because other students "said" they were going to plan this doesn't mean they were; these are rumors aka heresay, therefore cannot be used as fact.
This is completely irrelevant, i can plan to wear shirts that depict America being better than Mexico, but it isn't illegal, so by planning to wear these shirts, it is meaningless because they can wear the shirts, i think that it is not so bad that they got removed, but that the Mexican supports also weren't removed. If the proncipal would have said "no shirts expressing feelings towards cinco demio, for everyone" then that is ok, bec. In school you don't have "freedom of speech" it is restricted and if it mean preventing a fight than actions should be taken. But to only take action against one side is so out of line.
The people in the story weren't being offensive though. You shouldn't get in trouble for wearing the American flag, in America, if you're American... ever.
They had offensive intentions. They are like "trolls" in real life. Free Speech is great but they were abusing the right. I agree that everyone should be able to do this sort of thing, but I just wished we, as a people, were civilized enough to not want to offend any one purposely. That will never change, though.
This is completely irrelevant, i can plan to wear shirts that depict America being better than Mexico, but it isn't illegal, so by planning to wear these shirts, it is meaningless because they can wear the shirts, i think that it is not so bad that they got removed, but that the Mexican supports also weren't removed. If the proncipal would have said "no shirts expressing feelings towards cinco demio, for everyone" then that is ok, bec. In school you don't have "freedom of speech" it is restricted and if it mean preventing a fight than actions should be taken. But to only take action against one side is so out of line.
1. Why take away shirts supporting Cinco de Mayo when it's the holiday? That's just silly!
2. No school can take away freedom of speech. Ever.
3. The whole point of this whole event was to find out if they, the students, really did mean for this to be offensive by just wearing red,white,and blue on Cinco de Mayo. At least to me, it seems extremely relevant. So, were they intending to be offensive, or just victims of a paranoid principal? That's the question of the day.
I dont know why mexicans are complaining about american shirts on AMERICAN soil
If wearing a depiction of an American flag in America is going to be considered offensive, then perhaps there was a point to doing it.
True, but I was talking more in general. There are definitly people who use freedom of speech to just be offensive. For instance, if they had worn French* flags, then they would obviously just have been trying to piss off the mexicans.
They had offensive intentions. They are like "trolls" in real life. Free Speech is great but they were abusing the right. I agree that everyone should be able to do this sort of thing, but I just wished we, as a people, were civilized enough to not want to offend any one purposely. That will never change, though.
Yeah, that is exactly my opinion as well.
*France being the country that the Mexicans fought on cinco de mayo, for those who don't know.
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