Government tries to censor students for displaying American pride
The American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance are known to most Americans as unwavering symbols of patriotism.
Previously signs of pride and importance, veterans have been bullied to remove flags from their yards, and the pledge has been excluded from public schools. In a world where being politically correct is more important than being patriotic, the call for tolerance has turned into a witch hunt for those supportive of American ideals that immigrants and others might find offensive.
In 2010 a group of students in California wore T-shirts adorned with the American flag on the popular Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo to show their patriotism.
The students were told by Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez they were not allowed to wear the shirts displaying the U.S. flag and would need to either remove the shirts or turn them inside out.
The students refused, saying they did not want to disrespect the flag. Rodriguez sent the boys to the office and told the students' parents when they arrived at the school that several Hispanic students had complained about the flags and needed to be covered up so they would not offend the Hispanics on "their day."
A federal court judge recently ruled that the school was right to censor the students and said the T-shirts were offensive.
The absurdity of the ruling and actions of the school district show the hypocrisy of too much political correctness. In an effort to not "offend" students of another ethnicity, school leaders went out of their way to isolate and punish students who were expressing their patriotism and freedom of speech.
On a day when other students were allowed to wear pro-Mexico attire, the political intolerance of the school stifled free speech. In order to be truly tolerant of all nationalities and accepting of all opinions, schools cannot discriminate between flags.
The road for political tolerance is paved with good intentions, but at what point does discrimination against our own patriotism go too far?
Students should be able to express their own opinions in a cohesive and respective manner without being silenced. Young people will never learn to interact with people who express opposite views of their own if the government is there to punish and silence them every time they display some semblance of patriotism.
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