Posted on 09/15/2005 10:46:04 AM PDT by conserv13
"What's up with your shirt?"
Those are the words a former senior at Fleming Island High School remembers hearing as he walked from his fifth-period algebra class toward the gym. The 18-year-old, who is not being identified due to his family's concerns of safety, had just taken off his Dixie Outfitter T-shirt, exposing a highly offensive shirt.
"What about it?" replied the 18-year-old, skinny and white.
"Well, you know it's racial," said a black student, now in a group confronting the 18-year-old.
"Yeah. So?"
The undershirt the white student wore had a confederate flag on the front with the words "Keep it flying." On the back, a cartoon depicted a group of hooded Klansmen standing outside a church, waving to two others who had just pulled away in a car reading "Just married."
Two black men in nooses were being dragged behind.
Upset by the shirt, a 17-year-old black student hit the white student in the head. A crowd of about 100 students gathered to watch the Aug. 29 fight before authorities intervened.
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
The flag is NOT a racist symbol. The screen on the back obviously was. While I think the shirt is terrible, that does not give the black kid the right to hit the jerk in the stupid shirt. It certainly does not rise to the level of "fighting words."
I'm real surprised you take the position you do, because you always seem to have the most reasoned arguement of any FReeper.
If I read the article correctly this happened at school.
Most schools have rules against T shirt slogans that are disruptive and/or offensive. Of course broad interpertation of the word disruptive has lead to incidents of head shaking nonsense.
But in this case I can not see how it could be argued that this T shirt is not disruptive. The wearer should have been sent to the office , told the shirt was unacceptable and given the choice to change or leave school.
Was it wrong for the other guy to punch him. Yes, but violence could have been prevented if the school administration had done their job.
"So, you wouldn't mind someone punching you for your "words"? "
Highly unlikely. I use words carefully.
I do get really bent about those Che shirts. I got in a big fight with my ex-girlfriend, a big lib, over Che right after "Motorcycle Diaries" came out and there were a lot of articles reprising just what a murderous maniac this guy was.
She had no idea about this guy and saw him as some kind of benefactor of the poor ~ kind of like Robin Hood. And, she didn't really want to hear different when I went off on her about firing squads and murdered children.
I kind of think the guy with the shirt had an ass whupping coming to him. He really is going to have his eyes opened in the Marine Corps. If he's going to survive he's going to have to push that kind of crap waaayyy down.
Here you go, since you asked (It's not pretty):
"Bust a Glock; devils get shot. . . . when God give the word me herd like the buffalo through the neighborhood; watch me blast. . . . I'm killing more crackers than Bosnia-Herzegovina, each and everyday. . . . don't bust until you see the whites of his eyes, the whites of his skin. . . . Louis Farrakhan . . . Bloods and CRIPS, and little old me, and we all getting ready for the enemy";
-- "Enemy"; Ice Cube, Lethal Injection, 1993, Priority Records, Thorn EMI; now called The EMI Group, United Kingdom.
Did you see it? I didn't so I don't know whether it was this kid or another...doesn't really matter...they were both wrong and their Daddies ought to open up a can of whupass on each of them. Stupid is as stupid does, to quote a great American movie, Forrest Gump!
Zappa Fan? I've though of using St Alfonso as a screen name.
Except for the part about the school being unaware of the shirt prior to the fight.
Fighting words doctrine....having direct tendency to cause acts of violence by the persons to whom, individually, remark is addressed.
If I am reading this correctly, the "fighting words" must be directed personally to the offended person. Thus, just wearing a stupid and very offensive t-shirt can not by definition constitute fighting words.
All rightey then, we've got a white kid with an offensive T-shirt and a black kid who punched him, both losers. If you don't like what someone else's T-shirt says, being violent is not going to solve the problem. The white kid was obviously looking for trouble, the black kid accommodated him, both losers.
Taking responsibility means pleading guilty and taking the consequences. If a jury is involved that means the assailant pleaded not guilty. Pleading not guilty is not taking responsibility. I thought you were all for people taking responsibility.
How does pleading not guilty equate to taking responsibility?
Toured Andersonville lately?
You should address the whites who created the movie and consider the ironic intentions of the movie since the best ball player in it is the white guy.
If it stopped at the front of the shirt, I wouldn't have been suspicious, but that entire scene depicted on the back seems questionable, and to "perfect" for the story.
There is only the question of whether the speech has crossed over into "fighting words," rather than simple offensiveness. It's the definition the government uses to decide whether an expression is protected under the 1st Amendment or not, and the definition I would use to decide whether it should be met with words or violence.
Dude, what was with the handcuffs?
Confederate Flag defenders/enthusiasts should've been among the first to clock the kkkid.
"I wonder if the good sergeant major would like to know what kind of racist sludge is coming his way? Would any Marine here like to notify him? I'm not sure if he'd listen to an Army puke like me. :^)
"
Nah, let's not tell anyone. Let the kid go to P.I. He'll soon discover some stuff he doesn't know about the Marine Corps. Two bits says his D.I. will be black. He's in for some real surprises...all around.
Now, where is my pugil stick?
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