American Pride on Cinco De Mayo

A lot has been made of the five California High School students who wore American Flag T-shirts on Cinco De Mayo and were sent home by their principal when they refused to turn them inside-out or change.  The right has been aflutter with claims that this is another example of the PC Left's trashing of patriotism. 

I found the whole issue revolting on a few different levels.  As a result I've avoided discussing it on here, but after reading Roger Ebert's self-defense from Tea Party attackers over the issue and engaging in some healthy discussion with a friend over email I guess it's time to share my thoughts. 

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Kids need to learn how to express themselves properly...  

and learn the repercussions of those expressions.   

By curbing their expression, the faculty did nothing but make these 

kids less prepared for the real world.  

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See, I find fault not in the ignorant redneck kids who wore the shirts... or their ignorant redneck parents who sent them to school this way... or with the latinos who may or may not have been offended by the "expression of speech"... or with the school officials who sent the kids home.

Rather I find fault with the American school system at large for putting in place a dress code at all.  That's the precursor of the entire issue here.  School tells kids what they can and can't wear; suggests that people wear things in celebration of (the American-made) Cinco De Mayo; kids wear something in defiance of said observance; people get upset.

Don't put policies in place to dictate dress code in a public school and the whole problem never happens.

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Now, being where we are, it's a damn shame that the entire thing turned into a politicized pissing match about illegal-loving liberals vs pro-american conservatives. There is not battle over free speech and freedom of expression here. That shit was taken away when someone decided that there was a dress code at all. I hope those who are "offended" by the kids being sent home can recognize that at some point.

A friend chimes in after reading Ebert's column:

The intention of wearing the US flag was to marginalize, if not shun, Cinco De Mayo (or more specifically Mexican Americans in general).  However it’s even worse for the schools to ban students from wearing images of the American flag, especially when images of other flags are permissible.  This is just an asinine response and will of course only big time escalate the issue and make it media worthy.  Those with the intention of causing a stir could not have asked for a better response from the school administration.

Fact is, flag images should have been perfectly permissible (whether American or Mexican).  And any inflammatory incidents (in either direction) should have been dealt with on their merits (absent what apparel was being worn at the time).  The tension at the school was not caused by people wearing respective flags and otherwise keeping to themselves.  The tension was caused by active verbal and physical harassment (likely in both directions by the way). 

With this said, it was shameful of the white kids to wear the flag because it was obviously that they were doing it to belittle others.   And it was also low of the Mexicans to escalate the situation by responding harshly and violently.    But we are talking high school kids here.  Still, what needs to be dealt with are actions not apparel.  Seems the school administration attempted to take a lazy way out of the situation rather than addressing the real issues, and it below up in their faces.  

Indeed.   The thing was handled as poorly as could possibly be imagined.   If this was my Utopia High School, I would have let the shit degrade to the ugliness that the white kids were asking for.   Let them get their asses kicked all over the school for being pricks... and then take the responsible Latino parties and drag them through whatever disciplinary action is warranted.  Even involve the police if need be.  

Kids need to learn how to express themselves properly...  and learn the repercussions of those expressions.   By curbing their expression, the faculty did nothing but make these kids less prepared for the real world.