Expressing, not offending
Published 4:33 pm Tuesday, October 13, 2009
In these grouchy times, we just want to say, when did free speech come down to a lousy T-shirt?
Oh, sure. People still protest, they blog, and surely somewhere some school still teaches debate. But what we really embrace is our “bumper sticker” free speech. While concise, it doesn’t lend itself to a nuanced discussion. Cases in point:
n “Father sues school over son’s ‘Abortion is not Healthcare’ T-shirt,” USA Today reports. A middle school student in Harrisburg, Pa., wore the shirt until his fifth-period teacher sent him to the principal’s office. He was ordered to turn the shirt inside out because it might offend other students. The father sued, saying his son was unfairly censored by school officials.
n “Students sent home for ‘Islam is of the Devil’ shirts,” USA Today reported in August. A lawyer for a north Florida school district said a handful of students, including a 10-year-old, were sent home because the shirts might have offended or distracted others and violated the district’s dress code.
n “Calif. student told to remove Obama shirt,” USA Today reports. A 10-year-old wearing a shirt bearing President Obama’s picture and the phrase “Hi Haters” was told to turn it inside out or remove it, by school officials in Patterson, Calif. The word “haters” was the problem.
No doubt all the children involved are very politically active and were only expressing deeply held views arrived at independently after much study and contemplation. Not that there’s anything wrong with repeating what your parents believe.
The trouble is, we have contradictory values, something that makes America great, but also mostly benefits lawyers when it comes to our public schools. We really, truly value free speech. And we really, truly don’t want to offend anyone.
Let’s try common sense: Forbid clothing that bears any kind of message (beyond what a stylin’ dresser you are). Students would be forced to express their opinions through speech or writing, or keep it to themselves. Or go further, and institute uniforms. Schools and districts that require uniforms say it helps increase students’ self-esteem, helps bring order to classrooms and helps bridge the socio-economic gap between students.
And it would definitely put a stop to this predictable nonsense (I’m wearing a T-shirt/I’m offended/I’m suing.) American children have untold venues for free expression. They can live without wearing messages at school. And if they don’t like it, or their parents don’t like it, they should write an essay or letter, using their highly honed free speech skills.
