Edit: I’ve just learned that the ban has been lifted.
High School Bans American Flag
SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. – On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, students at one high school were not allowed to wear clothes with an American Flag.
Under a new school rule, students at Hobbton High School are not allowed to wear items with flags, from any country, including the United States.
The new rule stems from a controversy over students wearing shirts bearing flags of other countries.
Gayle Langston said her daughter, Jessica, was told to remove her stars and stripes t-shirt.
“Today she wanted to wear her shirt, and I had to tell her no,†said Langston. “She didn’t like it at all because I knew it would get her in trouble. Of all days, 9/11, she could not wear her American Flag shirt.â€
The superintendent of schools in Sampson County calls the situation unfortunate, but says educators didn’t want to be forced to pick and choose which flags should be permissible.
:shock: WTF?
Am I alone in thinking that this is the most preposterous thing ever proposed by an officiating academic body of any kind or manner?
I don’t know what’s scarier … that it happened in my lifetime, or that it happened in a SOUTHERN STATE! Granted North Carolina is on the coast and they have been leaning more to the left as their northernly neighbors, but for the most part, the Southern states have retained similar values when it came to education … or so I thought. (or allowed myself to continued to believe)
That’s my wake-up call for today.
And a depressing one at that. How the hell do you ban our own country’s flag? The symbol which to many (including yours truly) is the emblem of hope and love for this country. To ban our flag is to show disdain for something which we love, something which we would gladly fight to protect: our loved ones, our rights, our homes, our lives.
You take that away — them’s fightin’ words. Get what I’m sayin’?
Devil’s advocate: this is my interpretation of that article. The administrators of that school may have been doing, in their minds, what they thought was best. However, IMO I think a better course could have been chosen.
Jason
I understand the outrage. I also think the motive behind this was incorrect. However, according to the Flag Code, you really shouldn’t wear the flag on a shirt anyway. You can find the Code on the American Legion website. The flag is a living thing and should be respected as such. I know people have their hearts in the right place when they wear flag shirts, use flag napkins and the rest, but you shouldn’t.
Ben Steele
Imagine the uproar if they had banned other flags though and not the american flag. The headline would be much different, with the minorites complaining about racism etc.
Unfortunately it all seems logical to me, in order to prevent further incidents they did a blanket ban. We have similar rules here for schools, no football shirts etc.
On a plus side. It’s midweek and we’re getting closer to the weekend.
Nicki
@Ben: Weekends are always good, mate. :) *hugs*
@Jason: Thank you for your comment and for the clarification. I admit my previous ignorance to the Flag Code. When was the last time that code was updated? i.e. what is the rule on web use of flag images. I can see what the view of flag wearing on clothing (and I am guilty of this!) , but what about flag image use on the web? (I know this is off topic now)
American Flag Banned at N.C. School On 9/11 | MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
[…] H/T: The Birthplace of the Process of Illogical Logic […]
doc
I wonder what they would have done for someone who had a tattoo of the flag. Would they be asked to cover it up or something? Banning is just weak “we don’t have any other ideas what to do” stuff. *shakes head*
Scott Allan
For some reason it has become fashionable to be unpatriotic and the schools are complicit in trying suck the patriotism right out of our children. Next, the Pledge of Allegiance will be banned as will patriotic songs. We wouldn’t want to force our children to choose between the Star Spangled Banner and O’Canada or whatever the Venezuelan national anthem is.