They’ve Got Their Priorities Straight
By Mitch Berg
You’ve heard about it by now; a school sent kids home on Cinco De Mayo for wearing the American flag:
The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break about 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas. The boys said they complied. In the same conversation, sophomore Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to “walk with him to the office.”
…
The boys were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home – and that it would not be considered a suspension – but that Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican-American students and those wearing American flags. Dariano said other students were wearing American flags but since they were a group of five “we were the easiest target to cause trouble” according to Rodriguez, he said.
Here’s hte part that amazed me:
The boys told Rodriguez and Boden that turning their T-shirts inside-out was disrespectful, so their parents opted to take them home.
I’m kinda shocked that there are kids today who actually know it’s wrong to hide the flag.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Dominic’s mother Julie Fagerstrom. “I’m an open-minded parent, but it’s got to be on both sides. It can’t be five kids singled out.”
A front-desk secretary said Boden was unavailable for any comment on what had happened Wednesday and Rodriguez was busy with testing, the secretary said.
Hint: Yes, he was, and no, he wasn’t.
More than 100 students were spotted wearing red, white and green as they were leaving school. Some had the Mexican flag painted on their faces or on their arms.
Others have said it was a matter of the school treating the flag like gang colors, likely to cause trouble.
Dear Principal Boden: Here’s my gang colors, beeyoch:
Better lock down.
May 7th, 2010 at 9:08 am
How DARE you display that hateful symbol of tyranny and oppression?
May 7th, 2010 at 9:22 am
If I were in Mexico on the Fourth of July, I wouldn’t be offended by someone wearing a Cinco de Mayo shirt or a Mexican flag bandana.
I guess it’s not too much of a stretch, though, to consider wearing US colors as being provacative. Not that La Raza, say, would know anything about being provacative.
May 7th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Cinco de Mayo….a celebration for when the Mexicans beat the French army (heh heh) in a minor battle. Reason? Mexico owed Frawnce some money and decided they didn’t want to pay it back.
May 7th, 2010 at 9:50 am
I wouldn’t be offended by someone wearing a Cinco de Mayo shirt or a Mexican flag bandana.
The thing I’m most curious about is, how proprietary are Mexicans in Mexico about their flag and holidays?
The reason I ask is that Americans are something of an anomaly around the world, with our flag waving and National Anthem singing and “God Bless America” (and I wouldn’t change a thing!). In most nations, people are mildly motivated for their flags, and so-so for their national holidays. Norway’s Independence Day is mostly observed as a children’s celebration; the Germans, Belgians, French, Italians, Spaniards and so on are kinda blah on their national anthems (in fact, it’s pretty much the Dutch and Poles that get riled up over their national hymns. Oddly, I can sing them both word for word).
But I don’t know how Mexico actually is on the subject. Do they get all combative about their flag? Do they get choked up over Cinco De Mayo the way we do over July 4?
I mean, while they’re in Mexico?
Mexicanos – queremos sus ideas!
May 7th, 2010 at 10:41 am
They might not get stirred up about their flag, but they sure as Hell get that way about their Southern border. Unlike a certain administration we all know.
May 7th, 2010 at 11:18 am
If they all love Mexico so damn much why not move back there?
May 7th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
They can get better Mexican food here.
May 7th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Granted it’s hearsay, but I’ve read more than one post (by people who supposedly have Mexican friends/relatives etc) that Cinco De Mayo is only celebrated in one small section of Mexico, and most of the country doesn’t observe anything related to it.
May 7th, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Actually Mitch it’s also inappropriate to WEAR the flag.
May 7th, 2010 at 10:38 pm
No one actually follows the flag code, Kevin. It’s hard.
That said, telling kids not to wear a shirt with an American flag on it is rediculous. If a fight might break out because of the shirts, maybe the admin should look into the kids starting the fight instead.