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Appeals court hears 'redneck' T-shirt case
Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) ^ | 3/5/02 | KATIE WANG

Posted on 03/05/2002 4:37:51 AM PST by gumbo

Edited on 07/06/2004 6:37:18 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

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To: Constitution Day; MeeknMing

Redneck Yacht

41 posted on 03/05/2002 6:32:35 AM PST by maxwell
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To: gumbo
red·neck n. Offensive Slang

1. Used as a disparaging term for a member of the white rural laboring class, especially in the southern United States.

2. A white person regarded as having a provincial, conservative, often bigoted attitude.

Looks like the PC crowd is the ones writing the dictionary also.

I say I'm a redneck because I like to hunt and fish, mend fences, bail hay, and listen to country music.

I like your definition better anyways.

42 posted on 03/05/2002 6:36:34 AM PST by Gaston
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To: shuckmaster
I wanna be on shuckmaster's ping list, dude!
43 posted on 03/05/2002 6:42:18 AM PST by maxwell
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To: Mr. Bird
We agree on a good portion of the issue - what I'm saying is he wore the shirt for two years prior to the incident. So my question would be - is this a case of force politically correctness, or was it getting to be a problem that was perceived or real, and then would require such action?
44 posted on 03/05/2002 6:45:45 AM PST by Issaquahking
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To: Mr. Bird
No one seems to be able to answer the simple question: Did the administrators ask/tell him not to wear the shirt before he wore it?

It seems clear from the article that Sypniewski had worn this shirt for two years (washed or not) without attracting attention from the administrators:

Walpin argued that the Sypniewski boys wore the shirts in school without any problems from administrators for two years. He also said there was no connection between the "redneck" T-shirt and disruptions among the student body.

The t-shirt attracted attention from the educrats only after a new anti "racial stereotyping" rule was imposed in 2001 (and note that the lower court struck down this aspect of the school's dress code):

The high school implemented its racial harassment policy on March 13, 2001, following a series of incidents in which minority students said they were being harassed and intimidated.

So to answer your question, it would appear no one warned Mr. Sypniewski NOT to wear his shirt again -- he was hauled into the vice principal's office and ordered to take it off on the spot:

It all started back in March [2001] when I wore a T-shirt to school that listed Jeff Foxworthy's Top 10 Reasons You Might be a Redneck Sports Fan. The reasons were things like "you wear a baseball cap to bed." The shirt was meant to be funny. None of the 10 reasons or anything on the shirt was offensive. But Vice Principal Griffith told me that it was offensive. He said "redneck" means a violent, bigoted person. Mr. Griffith told me that, therefore, my shirt violated the dress code and I should change it. But I knew he was wrong about the shirt and I knew it was my right to wear it, so I said I wouldn't change it. So he suspended me for 3 days.

45 posted on 03/05/2002 7:30:35 AM PST by gumbo
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To: maxwell
I thought that (#41) was Bill Clinton's birthplace.
46 posted on 03/05/2002 7:41:06 AM PST by gumbo
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To: gumbo
Bwahahaaaaa... Classy kind of guy, huh.
47 posted on 03/05/2002 7:45:12 AM PST by maxwell
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To: maxwell
LOL! Thanks for the ping and the pics!

Maybe I don't get it, but Redneck seems pretty far from offensive to me. . .

48 posted on 03/05/2002 7:45:39 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
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To: gumbo
"There's a roll of duct tape in your golf bag"

Around here, we call duct tape "Alabama Chrome".

49 posted on 03/05/2002 7:46:35 AM PST by Diverdogz
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To: MeeknMing
Maybe I don't get it, but Redneck seems pretty far from offensive to me. . .

Yeah me too bud, maybe 'cause I get called it so much... ;)

50 posted on 03/05/2002 7:59:10 AM PST by maxwell
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To: gumbo
I'm of the opinion that the kid was told not to wear the shirt and he did it anyway. The kid and his parents were wrong. The constitutional way to have the school policy changed is to elect school board members who support your ideas, and who will direct the principle to change the policy. Ignoring it... or intentionally breaking the rules is the way someone who is out of step with the consensus of those around him.

He has free speech. He can wear the shirt on his private property all he wants. He can shout it all he wants. But when he wants to shout it or wear it in a facility that is owned and operated by tax payers or their elected officials, that is another issue. To suggest that he is free to do obey only the rules that he likes while in a publicly owned facility is really kinda silly.

51 posted on 03/05/2002 8:01:42 AM PST by kjam22
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To: Diverdogz;gumbo
"There's a roll of duct tape in your golf bag"

Add some baling wire and ViseGrips and you can fix darn near anything.

52 posted on 03/05/2002 8:04:15 AM PST by Flyer
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To: gumbo
But I knew he was wrong about the shirt and I knew it was my right to wear it, so I said I wouldn't change it. So he suspended me for 3 days.

There it is, thanks. He was asked/told to change shirts, he refused. I'm siding with the school's prerogative to reprimand him.

53 posted on 03/05/2002 8:07:20 AM PST by Mr. Bird
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To: kjam22
He has free speech. He can wear the shirt on his private property all he wants. He can shout it all he wants. But when he wants to shout it or wear it in a facility that is owned and operated by tax payers or their elected officials, that is another issue

The courts disagree with you. They have decided that free (political) speech extends to public schools. A student can wear a "Gay Pride" or "Black is Beautiful" t-shirt. If we're going to be even-handed, we must also permit "Straight Pride" and "You might be a redneck if..." t-shirts.

54 posted on 03/05/2002 8:14:55 AM PST by gumbo
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To: Mr. Bird
He was asked/told to change shirts, he refused. I'm siding with the school's prerogative to reprimand him.

The courts do not agree with you, starting (at least) with the Tinker case in the 1960's, where a girl was told not to wear a black armband, signifying her opposition to the war in Vietnam. The girl won the case.

55 posted on 03/05/2002 8:17:58 AM PST by gumbo
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To: gumbo
As I posted earlier, Bethel v. Fraser was determined subsequent to Tinker. A black armband, in that context, is clear political speech. A Jeff Foxworthy shirt, while amusing, fails to reach that kind of level. Add to that the administrator's definition of disruption and the kid's direct insubordination, and the case seems pretty clear cut to me. If the kid wants to carry a torch for us rednecks, have him wear the Stars and Bars to school and "fight the power" on political grounds.
56 posted on 03/05/2002 8:25:11 AM PST by Mr. Bird
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To: gumbo
The moral of the story: You can be a redneck, a goober, a hick, a rebel... you can be 'white trash' -- just don't let us catch you being proud of it.

That is thought-crime. These terms are officially sanctioned as derogatory and may only be used for that purpose.

57 posted on 03/05/2002 8:36:25 AM PST by mindprism.com
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To: Mr. Bird
As I posted earlier, Bethel v. Fraser was determined subsequent to Tinker. A black armband, in that context, is clear political speech. A Jeff Foxworthy shirt, while amusing, fails to reach that kind of level.

There is a culture war going on, maybe it doesnt have bullets and napalm like Vietnam, but it is just as real.

Would a black student get in trouble for wearing a t-shirt with the word 'homey' on it?

Stupid question huh.

Speech is speech, we've lowered the bar as to what constitutes 'disruption' so far that PC speech ducks under it while PI speech goes over it.

And THAT is what the wearing of the t-shirt means: "If I proudly claim to be all the things it is politically correct to hate, I will be punished... punished for other peoples hate, watch."

58 posted on 03/05/2002 8:50:51 AM PST by mindprism.com
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To: PistolPaknMama
the more i learn about damnyankees, the better i like rats,skorpions & poisonous snakes!

for a FREE dixie republic,sw

59 posted on 03/05/2002 9:32:05 AM PST by stand watie
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To: shuckmaster
yep and proud.

for a FREE dixie,sw

60 posted on 03/05/2002 9:32:48 AM PST by stand watie
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