Offensive Flag Tee Shirt?

Apparently, it’s unacceptable to wear the stars and stripes on a Mexican Holiday in a California school. However, I bet it would not matter on St. Patrick’s day in New York school, Oktoberfest in Wisconsin, or any other ethnic holiday somewhere here!

I can probably guess that the two students wore the flag tee shirts specifically because it was May 5th. But so what?

What is wrong with stating "Hey! Although we are celebrating a foreign country’s holiday, we are still in America folks, remember and respect that!!!" Unbelievable!

The day that it becomes abhorred to display the American Flag in a public school is the day that makes me question: What is there left to fight for in this country besides your own friends and family? Really, is there anything going to be left of America's core to defend?

 

I don’t know what the real rules were or are in CA., but here in Billings MT., three of the four High Schools used to have dress codes that would make that a "non-event", since they don’t allow T-shirts with any logos or designs on them (plain or pocket T’s allowed), no underwear showing above the belt line on boys, shirt length and "cleavage" rules for girls, and other limits which basically eliminate the offensive, odd or outlandish. These rules, while not directed at them specifically would also ban the display of flag images, from any nation.

There are certain days on which these things are permitted, but only on those days, such as the aforementioned St. Patty's Day, and Oktoberfest. It has been donkey’s years since both my sons graduated, but the oldest did get sent home to change his attire one time when he "pushed the limit" a tad too far. It was change your clothes and come back or go on suspension. He changed his outfit.

The other school is a Catholic private school, and they are generally in the school’s uniforms on school grounds, but the students can wear different clothes when they accompany the sports teams out of town trips and stuff like that, if they wish.

I seem to recall that all the schools have or had a "relaxed" final week before summer vacation when the kids can wear just about anything that isn’t too revealing or provocative or offensive. But that is only the last five days if memory serves.

 

Texson if the flag code was an enforceable piece of legislature I would already be working for the Flag Police, but it's not It's a guideline. I share your perspective and I choose not to wear such things.



St. Patrick's day is also celebrated more in the US than it is in Ireland and the reason is the mighty dollar and Budweiser. Cinco De Mayo and St. Patty's are huge days for alcohol sales as is the 4th of July. I am suprised that they haven't found a way to market Martin Luther King Day.

 

I just saw a list of the "Top Ten Drunkest Holidays" in America, and Cinco de Mayo came in second, behind St. Patty's Day, but just barely ahead of Halloween and Thanksgiving (believe it or not). I think Thanksgiving gets the rank it does because of the all day NFL games, and lots of beer drinking going on at bars and friend's homes. They ranked them by counting nationally the drunk diving arrests, public drunkeness arrests, and fights in bars.

 

That is so b......! Is there nothing more to say about this. Wearing a t-shirt having your own county flag on it in your own country?????

Political correctness is a good thing, but this has nothing to do with that. I mean, for example here in Finland stores sells a whole lot of different kind of clothes that have American flag on them or even confederation flag. Here it is perfectly ok to wear them, actually it is more of a question about fashion and style that many clothes trademarks use.

Furthermore, this is quite hard to understand because we don't have any dress codes here in schools or anywhere (well, maybe in the army ). If I understood right, in some or most of the American schools it is forbidden to wear any clothes with some logos etc. on them. Well, if I went to school in the USA, I bet they would have loved my Iron Maiden shirts...

 

agreed except for the rude word which slightly edited. Political correctness has gone so far that having your own flag in most European countries means you are a "nationalist" or a "fascist". People died for those natioanl symbol and the flag should be treated with respect

 

Here are the guilty patriotic kids. I agree with their intent, but still dont like the use of the flag as apparel.....

 

What kind of authoritarian Ideology is this? Remove my T-Shirt with the Flag of my country because it could be offencive and
could incite Violence on a Mexican Holiday "Cinco de Mayo" AKA "Fith Of May" and there celebrating it, in The Good Old USA!
What kind of unpatriotic kind of Bull-Pie is this?

California Belonged to who In the begging? But that does not make it Right to order to remove the T-shirts because of the Flag,
and the fact it was a Military victory against the French, just showed USA Support in Your Victory and wheir celebrating with you.
If they wheir wearing French Flags this could of been an Issue. I'm wearing A shirt with Spain's Flag I would of had to remove it?

According to WIKKI as a Source which is Fact.

"fifth of May" is a holiday held on May 5 that commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over"""" French forces at the
Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862"""""", under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.[2][3] It is celebrated primarily
in the state of Puebla and in the United States.


CINCO DE MAYO



California kids blasted for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/06/2010-05-06_california_kids_blasted_for_wearing_american_flag_shirts_on_cinco_de_mayo.html#ixzz0nG1kssJv

 

Are you saying Flags on Uniforms IBA or FLC Vest or Pouches Back Packs++ is not warranted to wear?

 

That is true. When I went to Germany in High School for a month, and went to school with them for a time, I noticed that they do not have the flag in every classroom.

I guess I understand their position, although it might be a little overkill. I dunno, all this talk about globalization, one world, no borders, no nation states, and one currency is kind of scary.

Looks like its working out real good for the "Euro" this week!

 

Here's an idea!

To protest this, all Americans from now on can celebrate the end of the Mexican American War (February 2nd 1848).

We can all party, wave the American flag, and celebrate the signing the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo!

See how that goes over!

 

I too have heard Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the States more than Mexico although apparently Puebla is the only place in Mexico which celebrates it greatly.

I think in the grand scheme of things it was about the safety of the students involved, someone could take things the wrong way and it could end badly.

It should also depend on the students involved, are they patriotic everyday like they claim or just on May 5th, 2010? And wouldn't Mexican Independance Day be more comparable to July 4th than Cinco de Mayo?

 

Naah, I don't think that if they don't have their flag on every class room means that they beware the use of it somehow. We have the same standards here in Finland. It is very closely ruled how people can use flags and putting them on the walls of school class rooms isn't ok. It isn't forbidden in any way or regulated by laws, it is more like an etiquette (hope that this is right word to describe it). It is basically just different way to use them compared to American way.

This has something to do with the habits and different ways of respecting the Flag. European Union has nothing to do with national flags. EU doesn't try to restrain the use of national flags in any way.

 

I did not mean it to sound like the EU had contol over how to display flags.

Forgive my ignorance on the matter. But from an American, who granted does not know all the details of the EU, isnt the idea behind it somewhat from Churchill's vision of a united Europe? It seems to me that with the adaption of a common currency, the open boarders, the EU is setting itself up as somday becomming an entity that will overshadow the actual nation state.

It sounds ok, especially with the history of European nationalism in the 20th century, but are there people, especially this week, who wish they could have kept their original currency, and furthermore, a little more of their nation-state's independence?

 

Hahaha! I love my state, but I have to say, that might be easier. I have met people in my life who could not seem to grasp that where I live is part of the U.S.!!!

 

No no, it's perfectly ok, what you said . You have a very good hint on what the EU is all about. EU's intention is not overshadow the nations that are involved in it. Every country is totally independent, but...

EU is more of an economical union with common currency and "open borders". Open borders mean that you can travel to another EU country without visas and even passport etc. This is because of the intention is to make it easier to go to the another EU country to work without any kind of bureaucracy. You pay taxes automatically to that country you are working in etc etc. Obviously EU has also common political decision making and even legislation, but the aim is to make EU countries competitiveness better in world markets. EU doesn't have any kind of military decision making, even if most of the EU countries decides together what their opinion is for example in Nato. Despite that, every country has the right to make their own decisions.

The Euro, our common currency. Well, from the small countries point of view, it is a very good thing. Basically, Euro has been quite strong currency. This short depression that we had last year could have been much more worse without Euro. At least, this is how we see this in Finland.

So Greece. They have economical disaster in their hands. Here comes the downside of the EU then - EU countries rise and fall together basically. We have to basically give them huge loans to prevent the disaster spreading to other countries as well or at the worst case scenario, to the european central banks. For example here in Finland we have nothing to do with the mistakes that Greece has made and still we have to pay for them. Still, it is better option. If this disaster would spread to central banks, the whole EU would be in total chaos economically.

This whole EU thing might be good thing, but on ther other hand it is very scary. There have been many different kinds of unions in Europe throughout history and most of them ended for wars. I speak from the small country's point of view and I really think that EU has been very good choice for Finland, so far...

And for the Greece, you are absolutely right about it that this week most of us has thought that we really wish that this whole EU thing never happened...

Hopefully you got something out of this post. This whole thing is so hard to explain even in my own language, not to mention in english...

 

edhunter76:

I did! Thank you for the lengthy response!

When I went to Germany in 1998, my German friend did not like the idea of going on the Euro, because of the Italian currency especially back then.