I don’t fully understand your comment, but I like (and Liked it), because I admire:
Your middle-aged ability to indulge, forgive, understand with perspective (wish I could be more like that, I still tend to be an angry, binary, black-vs-white hothead!)
Your teenage ability to make fun of someone who is likely to kick your ass for doing it
Your teenage ability to CONTINUE making MORE fun of someone who has already kicked your ass, with his friends. Good for you!
Edited to correct a typo. I liked your comment, I didn’t lick it
threats written down and then handed to specifically chosen individuals based on their ethnicity? Why yes, I am saying that this goes against laws AND probably the code of conduct too.
Removal of context is a tyranny, don’t treat yourself that way. You deserve all the truth, not just the ones you can spin.
SCOTUS has said that speech at school* is a partial exception to general free-speech principles. In the general case, a threat must, as you say, be a true threat before the government can punish it. At school, it only has to be disruptive, which these notices surely were. I’ve mostly thought that SCOTUS has given too much latitude to school administrators to restrict student speech in the name of order. However, I think you have admit that the schools need at least some control that wouldn’t be acceptable outside. Incidents like this are good examples of why those restrictions are needed.
*The federal courts have allowed some restriction of school-related speech by students as well. See “Bong Hits for Jesus.” I find those cases… concerning, I guess would be the word.
Redding is not that rural. And where I live, in Humboldt County there are an amazing number of progressive people. We’re smack dab in Jefferson land. We could certainly use more racial diversity though… I am black and we’re just under two percent of the population up here.
Because it is a KID in a SCHOOL and he is causing a disturbance at best. Bullying at worse.
TMI. The worst thing I have ever done - the one thing I did that was so horrible I tend to forget I ever did this - was write a shitty letter like this to someone. It was supposed to be a joke. It was supposed to help me move up in the social ladder as the new kid, hazing the newer kid. It wasn’t funny. In hindsight I completely embarrassed myself, my parents, and others. I got in trouble for it - and good. I should have.
Kids don’t have full rights as citizens to begin with. But to hang your hat on this nail under “free speech” is either stupid or disingenuous.
Schools require an amount of order rule following to function. You can go home and be a jackass.
This. I don’t usually agree with you on too many things, but I have to co-sign the entire above post, with especial focus on this line. Aside from the sheer despicableness of it, citing “free speech” as the defense is essentially the ultimate concession–i.e. that the only argument potentially in this act’s favor is that it might not actually be illegal.
That was not my point - my point was he needs to be disciplined and taught
that these racist, bigoted behaviors are not acceptable and will not be
normalized.
