Wow. Apparently public expression is no longer allowed in public schools.
We had student council elections a few days ago, and I jokingly put "Class Dictator" in the office blank. I got an earful from a teacher for that, so I made the image below.
Image
Printed, it's about an inch by an inch. I handed them to a few friends and we had a good laugh about it. That was on my last day of school.
I'm currently on vacation. I've just found out that apparently that picture pissed off the wrong person, and I'm facing suspension or expulsion for "blatant anti-semitism."
I don't understand how minds can be so twisted to think "swastika = HATE JEWS." It's obvious I wasn't using it in an anti-semetic way - it represented a symbol for opression. Who can think of a better way to express tyranny?
Nonetheless, I'm responsible for the picture. You can trust I'll argue any punishment until I'm blue in the face.
ID:480
 Jun 4 2005, 11:05 am
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Jun 4 2005, 11:11 am
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Crashed
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Pwned.
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Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, you didn't take into consideration The Columbine Factor. Back when I was in school (graduated HS in 1988), lowbrow dark humor like that was an unofficial fifth food group. After Columbine, though, when the nation was apparently shocked by the realization that clever kids without purpose, discipline, or parental guidance might occasionally turn into amoral killers, something had to be done. So, with unerring accuracy, we did all the wrong things.
If you have some time to spare, check out this article and see what you think: Bahama Bull | |
P.S.: I didn't mean to suggest that your joke was a product of a future amoral killer -- quite the opposite. My point was that the schools (in general) no longer care to try to tell the difference between a normal rambunctious boy and a sociopath.
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I understood your point just fine, Guy. Don't worry. :-P
I also understand the barrier that exists post-Columbine, but I don't think that should diminish my right to expression. I know that I'm going to be responsible with what I did; I've accepted that. But I don't think what I did was wrong, and I'm not going down without a fight. | |
A sickle-and-hammer would have worked nicer, I think. :)
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Part of the problem is you really don't have full rights in school. You see, the school stands in loco parentis, that is in the place of the parent. They have been vested with a degree of authority that trumps some Constitutional protections and affects areas from free speech to search and seizure.
1969's Tinker v. Des Moines, and 1988's Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier are the key Supreme Court cases in this area. Tinker basically established that schools cannot ban student expression unless it "materially disrupts classwork or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others." In that case it was black armbands protesting the Viet Nam conflict. Hazelwood rolled back some of Tinker's freedoms by giving administrators the right to censor -- on "educational" grounds -- speech that comes as part of an educational activity. Given the post-Columbine environment, I think you're probably out of luck. Using a huge swatstika, a blatantly offensive symbol of violence, was probably a bad move. Granted, in the context, you certainly are not advocating it, it still makes a strong argument for being materially disruptive. Maybe, using a picture of Hitler with the head of the candidate superimposed would have been more recognizable political satire? Even so, it's a finer line since the subject is other students, not true politicians. Practically, schools freak out on these things and it is a smaller cost to punish 1 student than to have to deal with a bunch of outraged parents. Sad but true. Perhaps, rather than ramming yor head against the wall, it would be better to learn a lesson about how things really work? Learn to express yourself outside of school (where their control is diminished and cases have been much more favorable to students). But be aware thatlibel and slander laws must still be observed, or you will face worse penalties than suspension. Good Luck! | |
So I think I can summarise Jmurph's post by saying:
Go kick ass. Don't back down. Print off more copies and cover the school with them a few hours after everyone's gone home. | |
RE: Elation. You could. You would be wrong, but you could :-)
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