Mississippi School Board Banned Jewish Student From Wearing Star of David

[The_Dude 1,142]

paraphrase them for me? i missed it

No way troll.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

No way troll.

ok so PM it to me

[GabiandVi 34]

I'm not disputing that, but don't you think that people in the education field should be familiar with the symbol most closely associated with a major world religion?

I don't know if the people in question were are were not familiar with the symbol. Like you, I would expect that they would be, and it would be very disappointing if they were not. I suspect they were.

The fact is that the Star of David is used as a gang symbol, so it is very likely that is what they were responding to in the case cited in the OP. Regardless, it was a stupid response to the situation to ban the symbol all together.

[Otto 83]

**Inappropriate post (and any quoting it) have been removed.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

**Inappropriate post (and any quoting it) have been removed.

i missed another one!!!!

[The_Dude 1,142]

i missed another one!!!!

You have to be quick AJ, or the mods will sweep the racist comments under the rug so nobody knows about it or has to deal with it.

[GabiandVi 34]

No, I can see ACLU's point and actually I had said from the beginning that I thought the VP shouldn't have sent the students home but instead start a dialogue between both sides to ease tensions. I am, however, sympathetic to school officials who have to constantly monitor the safety of the students and campus, especially in this day and age where we've seen dozens of incidents of horrific violence, usually brought on by unresolved tension or conflict between students. I am a big supporter of free speech, but as a parent, I also believe that school officials have to make difficult decisions regarding the student body and as long as they are doing so for the sake and safety of the students, they have my support even if I may not always agree with their decisions.

ETA: As for Mississippians...they aren't above the kind of ridicule that has become a tradition here in OT. If I had a dime for every snide remark made about California or the people who live here, I could buy the entire school board, history books. The kind that weren't edited by Right Wing zealots.

As a teacher, I am also sympathetic to school officials. We are damned if we do, and damned if we don't in nearly EVERY situation, be it whether to let a kid out of class to see the nurse because they are complaining of stomach pains or to keep them in class because they might be faking it, or to send a kid out of class for being disruptive thereby hindering the learning of the other students or keep him in class so that we don't infringe on his right to learn, etc. No matter what choice we make, 50% of the population is going to vilify us. The VP made a stupid mistake, but he's human. I've stated that before. That's not what concerns me. It's that people actually support his decision, or make excuses for it, such as, maybe the boys were using the flag anti-statement.

Context is important, as you've stated before. Let's put this in context.

It's January 6, the epiphany, a relatively important Christian holy day, but completely insignificant to anyone else, except perhaps for the celebratory significance of it, i.e. the 12th day of Christmas and the first day of the Mardi Gras season. Let's say that in a particular district this day is traditionally widely celebrated, and a large group of Christian students conspicuously mark the day by displaying crosses or other Christian symbols. A group of Jewish students in the school are sick and tired of this, let's say, and so they decide to proudly, and conspicuously display their Stars of David in response. It is clearly a statement of solidarity among the Jewish student, let's say (though an argument could be made that it is coincidental that they've worn the Stars so obviously on this day. The Christian students see this and are offended. A Christian student, as I saw a Mexican/Mexican-American student say, is interviewed on TV and says that it was disrespectful of the Jewish students to wear their symbol on that day.

Now, whether or not the VP pulled the Jewish students in for any reason on this day, I'd like to hear from the person on VJ or elsewhere who would question even for a second the right of the Jewish students to wear their symbol on any day. No one but an anti-semite would, yet I've seen many people who would call those Christian students every name in the book suggest that maybe those boys were in the wrong because they might have meant something negative when they wore those shirts. That's the context I see. And that is what I think is the problem. Not the stupid mistake of the VP. That Mexican/Mexican-Americian student was not a lone voice. She was speaking from a position of confidence because she knew her opinion was echoed in her community and, apparently, around the country. American's are suspect in America in ways that these Jewish students would not, by rights, be.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Nice straw man argument there BY.

Just admit it, you don't know sh!t about U.S. schools. It's ok that you don't know everything. It's not like it's going to change anyones ingrained opinion of you.

:rofl:

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Isn't it funny that only BY knows what's going on in the world and everyone else who doesn't share his point of view is wrong? What a dim witted twit.

[mawilson 2,133]

Did they really think the star of David was a 'gang symbol'?

[Heracles 417]

Isn't it funny that only BY knows what's going on in the world and everyone else who doesn't share his point of view is wrong? What a dim witted twit.

Who is everyone else? The handful of idiots in ot.. Or maybe you. MR I loooooovvvvvvvve everything American, be it: cars, boats, cities, ghettos, you name it. But have a foreign spouse. Talk about idiocy. However, you're just to thick to see it.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Booyah!

[Gary and Alla 3,696]

Good start. Now get the rest of religion out of education.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Actually it's quite a valid argument for spook. Spook cannot even fathom foreign auto manufacturers being better, refuses to accept anyone else being better in quality of life and so forth. In other words cannot see past America period. Therefore, based on that stance, raises the question of, why bother marrying a foreigner? It's no different or less valid from his if you don't like the way things are run in the US, why not leave question.

Some people would rather focus on the good than the bad. You are simply a malcontent when it comes to the U.S.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

A comment containing an inappropriate comparison has been removed along with post quoting same.

It appears that anytime someone can't come back with a constructive response they resort to name calling and personal attacks. There have been a lot of name calling and personal attacks in this thread. There have already been two warnings in this thread for inappropriate racist comments. Any more racist comments, personal attacks or insults and this thread will be closed.

[Heracles 417]

Some people would rather focus on the good than the bad. You are simply a malcontent when it comes to the U.S.

Nope, you guys misinterpreted what I say and the context. Had I come along and said "#### yeah, Australia is the best, you guys are losers", basically something Americans are renowned for abroad, then you have every right to get upset and ask I leave. Asking why we shouldn't learn from Canada or Norway etc who are world renowned (as in backed by a study) in XYZ, is hardly treason. Yes, sometimes I get frustrated and attack everyone, but that is the exception rather than the norm.

Edited May 12, 2010 by Booyah!