African-American student bullied by teachers/students for wearing Obama t-shirt

[philosslayer]

SOUTH PORTLAND — When Connor Mullen started wearing a baseball cap bearing Donald Trump’s campaign slogan to South Portland High School three weeks ago, he expected other students to taunt him.

But when two adults who work in the school made fun of him, including a teacher who Mullen said blurted “Thank God you can’t vote,” he decided to speak out. Friday, he voiced his concerns to administrators and was told that while he was free to wear the hat, which reads “Make America Great Again,” he might want to consider leaving it at home to avoid further problems.

To Mullen, the advice seemed to contradict what he’d heard from teachers over the years, that Americans have a right to their own political opinions, and we must all respect that.

“I knew kids would pick on me about it, that’s just kids being kids, but when the adults started doing it I thought that’s problematic,” said Mullen, 16 and a sophomore. “This is a school that preaches equality.”

http://www.pressherald.com/2016/04/12/student-in-pro-trump-hat-sets-off-taunting-dialogue-at-high-school/

[Demonaut]

1. ....................................

[Rex]

2. ...

[Skinner]

3. Sneaky. (nt)

[hughee99]

4. I think your title is confused.

A student should be free to express their political opinions as long as they have the RIGHT opinions. If he had an Obama hat, he'd be a victim of an unfair system that is trying to silence his political voice, but he had a Trump hat, so instead, he's an idiot who is learning the value of an education and being set straight by his elders.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

7. Not an idiot, just has bought the laughable lie that Trump gives a shit about getting him a job

which is what he says is his reason.

But, I agree with you that ALL speech is to be protected and if the school has a policy against political signs or clothing then it should apply across the board, otherwise we are enforcing the wrong message.

I assume the title of the thread is meant to make that point in that some here are not going to read the link and show support for the student, but what do they think when they see what it is really about.

The motive of the person who started this thread? Would have to read more of his or her posts to see ...

[philosslayer]

10. The only motive is to provoke thought

Who clenches their teeth and clenches their fist when reading the thread title, yet smiles and laughs when reading the article? Because the title and article are basically describing what are identical events.

[Glassunion]

5. Isn't that the job of teachers? Turning idiots into smart, functioning members of society?

[Initech]

27. Unless they're Trump supporters

[whathehell]

6. That's messed up..

I hope his parents complain to the school.

[maxsolomon]

8. you have the right to free speech

you don't have the right for the CONTENT of your speech to be respected. even by your teachers. they get to speak, too.

fuck that little twerp. I agree, thank god he can't vote.

reminds me of the 18 year old Cruz delegate that NPR interviewed on Monday morning. "America is in decline". WTF would you know about it, grasshopper? You were fucking 3 when * got selected. and your solution is to elect Raphael Cruz? made me feel like an old man.

[philosslayer]

9. So lets flip the script

2008. African American kid in a 95% white school wears an Obama t-shirt and gets the same response. And he's publicly ridiculed by his teachers. Same response? Lets see how intellectually honest you are.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

11. Your point only matters if you are someone who repeatedly shows strong support

for liberal causes and shows repulsion and even anger at the political ideology of someone like Cruz or Drumpf.

Otherwise you would just be trying to massage the board with a backdoor pro Drumpf message or pro right wing assholes message.

I have no idea your motive, so I will not assign one to you. I want to make that clear.

Yes there is NO difference as to which speech should be protected and that we must protect it all, however there is a YUGE difference between the ideology and beliefs of these two sides.

And while we must protect the speech itself with our very lives, we also must with the same voracity denounce every word in that speech as ugly, racist, intolerant and dangerous.

[philosslayer]

17. So if i am to read between the lines of your response...

You are saying that its okay for teachers to bully the Trump kid (voracious denouncement of his views), yet NOT okay if they had bullied the Obama kid. Is my understanding clear?

[Jackie Wilson Said]

20. Just the opposite and how you managed that is difficult to imagine.

Didnt I twice say all speech is to be protected?

I am talking about motives here on this political message board, not what the teacher should or should not say.

Denouncing Trump to the kid might be doable if done in an educational manner where you presented the facts about both individuals, Hillary on one hand lets say and Drumpf on the other, since Obama is no longer running.

But no, the teacher should not bully the kid, either scenario.

[philosslayer]

24. I agree, and thank you.

My apologies. Peace.

[Jackie Wilson Said]

25. Peace to you too... but dont forget, no politician on the right wants peace of any kind

either here at home or abroad.

[philosslayer]

26. Like I said, peace

No lecture is necessary.

[GeorgeGist]

12. Because Obama and Trump are exactly the same.

Honestly?

[Throd]

13. doesn't matter.

[The2ndWheel]

15. The same in that they're both humans and they both talk

What happens after that depends on the perspective of who you're talking to. Life is subjective.

[philosslayer]

16. Who said that?

I never said nor implied they are exactly the same. The only way they are the same is that they are the presumed nominees of their respective parties (at this period of time in 2008 and 2016).

[Taitertots]

21. Just wait until republican teachers shit on YOUR children over a political hat

Does "they get to speak too" apply to any views that you disagree with?

[maxsolomon]

35. of course it does

everyone gets to have free speech. just like they all get to carry guns everywhere. its in the constytushin.

there's a difference between tolerating a teenage idiot and "bullying" said idiot over his speech. did the teachers "bully" the little twerp?

and my children are nearly 30, so I don't have to wait for your hypothetical.

[countingbluecars]

14. This thread and the responses

are very telling.

[Bluenorthwest]

19. You and the OP are both passive aggressive and coy. What do you think is being 'told'?

What point is the OP attempting to make?

[philosslayer]

23. No one is being coy

And you know exactly what the point is. But since you insist it be spelled out, I will.

In other threads, posters thought it was knee-slapping funny that a teacher publicly bullied a high school student because of his political views. However, were that same scenario to play out with a child with political views they themselves supported.... lets just say the response would be very different.

[sarisataka]

18. .

[romanic]

22. I'm confused.

[Orrex]

28. Interesting that you omitted a few key parts of the story

(Superintendent Ken) Kunin referenced the landmark 1969 Supreme Court decision on Tinker v. Des Moines, when the justices sided with high school students who were suspended for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The high court ruled 7-2 that students’ free speech should be protected,

and

Kunin said Principal Ryan Caron sent an email to the faculty Monday reminding them that the school should be open to and respectful of students’ ideas and speech. Kunin said he experienced similar challenges during the 2008 presidential election, when he was principal of Deering High School in Portland. He reminded students who supported then-candidate Barack Obama to respect students who wore T-shirts supporting Sen. John McCain.

It would seem that the district's administration has been fairly clear in its position, so that the actual headline should be: School superintendent explicitly supports students' right to free speech.

And, obviously, they should support that right.


It's curious that you would inject race into the discussion. Is it significant to you that Mullen is white?

[philosslayer]

30. From the story:

"Friday, he voiced his concerns to administrators and was told that while he was free to wear the hat, which reads “Make America Great Again,” he might want to consider leaving it at home to avoid further problems."

Thats some support.....

[Orrex]

31. You're relying on hearsay

We have a direct and clear statement from the superintendent, but you're assigning greater veracity to Mullen's claim on an indirect, unattributed quote.

What agenda are you pushing? And why did you inject race into it? Is it important to you that Mullen is white?

[hughee99]

32. Personally, I thought the point was well made and largely not relevant to the specifics of the story

Though I could be wrong.

How many people read the headline and were pissed, and then read the excerpt and decided to come up with some justification for how it says things worked out (accurate or not)? The way this was put forward tells the reader you more about themselves than anything else. Did you feel the same way about the way the student was treated after reading the headline as you did about it after reading the story? If you did, why do you supposed your opinions changed? Did it have anything to do with who they supported?

[Orrex]

34. It didn't change my opinion, in fact

I hope that I made it clear that Mullen is certainly entitled to free speech, even though I hope it's just as clear that I disagree with him.

From the superintendent's comments, it appears that the official position is much the same.

[giftedgirl77]

29. Lulz.

[anigbrowl]

33. I don't think teachers should express their political views to students

They are in positions of authority and so their views carry extra weight on the school campus, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with their views. I would have a problem with a teacher praising Obama to students even though I'm a strong supporter of President Obama and even though I might agree with the teacher 100% in a non-educational context. Ideally students should have no clue about who their teacher intends to vote for unless they encounter the teacher outside of school hours (eg canvassing or wearing a t-shirt expressing support). If other students make fun of the kid over his hat that's his problem, free speech doesn't come with any right to agreement from others.