Flying Frayed Flags for Fucking Freedom
People confuse me. I probably shouldn't admit this, because I am people, and people are everywhere, which leaves me in various stages of befuddled during most of the day but, people really do confuse me. I don't understand why they act the way they do. Sometimes people's behavior defies reason, in a sort of wha-tha-fuck way. I used to be able to escape people by watching movies, where everything is scripted and the only thing that confuses me is a poor script or rancid acting, or by playing video games where I get to blow people up. Now, I'm confronted by stupidity at every waking moment. Some could make the argument that I search for stupidity, in order to make myself feel superior, but anyone who knows me knows that feeling superior is something that comes naturally, like breathing. I probably shouldn't read the newspaper or any news website. I'm bound to come across gems which reduce my faith in humanity.
Wha-tha-fuck? A girl brings a confederate dress to prom and is surprised that people get their knickers in knots. I'll refrain from making comments about the girl's appearance. Suffice to say, it screams redneck inbred. Making fun of the dress is quite another matter. I never thought that the confederate flag would find itself in a dress. And, her lawyer has two names, like a southern-hick oughta.
JAQUELINE: Ah, deery mi, dem damnyankees and dem darkies dont wanna me chew wear mah presh-us her-i-tash.
EARL-RAY: Well, missy, dontchew wery yer pritty hed, Earl-Raysa gunna help chew aht.
These nuances aside, the lawsuit is one of those things that defy conventional logic. I'm hoping that the case is brought to at least one competent southern judge, if such a thing exists. Perhaps they will have to go to Never, Never Land (which is the second star to the right and onward till morning) to find such a judge, but one must be found otherwise my diminished faith in humanity will be crushed and kicked to the doorstep. What? You're surprised? I do actually have a little faith in humanity. A very, very little faith in humanity.
Let's first analyze the girl's account of what happened. Let's ignore the fact that she spent four years planning her confederate prom dress. Any girl who spends four years planning something that tacky needs a hobby. I suggest masturbation and drinking. That aside, had she been planning this dress for four years, she would have been aware of several monumental court cases involving the confederate flag. One, in particular stands out. In July of 2000, the South Carolina government removed the confederate flag that had flown at its state capitol on the grounds that it was a symbol of oppression and offensive to African-Americans. Now, if the flag is considered so vile that a staunchly southern state such as South Carolina concedes and lowers the proud symbol of its heritage, then you would think that people have an issue with it. A girl who supposedly graduated near the top of her class would have been bright enough to be aware that the confederate flag probably wasn't the best choice for a prom dress. Apparently, Jacqueline was aware that her dress would be rather inappropriate. To this, she said "Everyone has their own opinion. But that's not mine."
Ladies and Gentlemen, the voice of youth has spoken. It has proclaimed that while everyone else has an opinion, it is not hers and therefore she has full right to disregard them. Let's take her logic and run with it. If I wanted to, I should be able to walk into a Bush Convention wearing a shirt that shows the president being sodomized by the arm industry. If anyone questions me, I should be able to reply that everyone has their opinions, but they aren't mine. I will be sure to repeat that maxim as I am hauled off to jail. I'm sure some of you are thinking that a private convention is quite a bit different from a public occasion. People who pay taxes should be allowed to express their opinion in the instrument of their tax dollars. Well, there may be some rightness in that fact, but I am still not allowed to sound off to the military on their bases, nor am I allowed to wear certain racist or racy clothes on public grounds on the basis that it would be against public decency. I'm sorry Jacqueline, your first reasoning fell quite flat.
It would be one thing if the school co-opted her without warning, but it appears that the school was aware of her plans and several times warned her not to show with the dress. She showed with the dress anyway, hoping that the administrators would change their mind. I'm trying to rationalize her thought pattern. She was told not to wear the dress, wore it anyway, was thrown out, and now she wants to sue because she wasn't let in the dance. People, this is giving me a headache.
Her lawyer, the honorable Earl-Ray Neil is claiming two charges, which is apparently worth $50,000 to his dim client. The first is that the school violated her freedom of speech. The second is that the school violated her right to celebrate her heritage. Both claims are such vehement attacks on reason that I want to start drafting a resolution to prevent inbreeds from breeding. Lets analyze each claim separately.
The first claim is that by preventing Jacqueline from wearing her dress, the school violated her rights to free speech. I'm actually surprised that the lawyer is attempting to argue this angle. Any good law student is aware that free speech is not completely free. There are limits as to what qualifies as freedom of speech. These limits, were in part, established by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a supreme court justice. While ruling on Schneck VS US, Holmes famously wrote that one should not shout fire in a crowded theatre. That is, when speech has the potential to cause great amounts of harm, then that particular speech should be restrained. Although Jacqueline's high school is mostly white, there was still potential for divisive harm from the presence of her dress. The school was right to not allow her in.
Libertarians often snit when that case is brought up. They argue that Holmes later backpedaled on this decision, and the decision itself was the greatest blow free speech could suffer. I'm not quite sure I agree with that logic. If someone were to incite a crowd to murder, then the individual who motivated the murder should be responsible, even if s/he had no direct role in its being played out. The murder would not have happened without the speech. In the same vein, if someone shouts fire in a crowded theatre, and many people die while attempting to escape, the person who shouted fire should be held responsible. Yes, he had freedom of speech, but the consequences of that freedom should be borne. By this logic, Jacqueline was exercising her freedom of speech by showing up at the prom, but the consequences that resulted from this speech being exercise were promptly applied. She wore the dress, so she didn't dance.
The second claim is that the school violated her right to protect her heritage. I understand that she's proud to be a southerner, and that to many the confederacy and the resulting war of secession was a matter of national pride and a defiant stand against a repressive federal government, but they cannot deny that slavery played an important role in confederate identity. Because of this, there cannot be a clear demarcation between the confederacy and slavery. Pride in confederacy is pride in slavery. Perhaps I'm a bit hasty with my thinking. It is possible to like the country, but not those who run the country, or the industry behind the country, but when the symbol of the country is demeaning, then perhaps that pride should not be so blatant. If the school were to allow Jacqueline to wear the dress based on the fact that she is promoting her heritage, then the school needs to allow others to wear clothes that promote their heritage. This opens the door to all sorts of indecency. I can picture people walking through the halls, wearing Nazi flags, and glorifying Pol Pot. After all, if your heritage is German or Cambodian, then you should be allowed to celebrate your heritage.
Would the Sons of Confederate Veterans be so quick to defend a girl who wanted to wear a nazi dress to prom?
Maybe they should have let her wear that dress to prom, provided that she absolve them of any damages if she happened to get her white ass beat. I'd also like her to wear that dress in the south side of Chicago, or the southeast side of D.C., armed with only her southern pride and her stunning logic. Lets see if the residents of either area appreciate what she thinks of her "heritage."
And, really, I know that she's aware of her heritage, but isn't it disrespectful to a flag to use it for other purposes than a flag? I know I'd find it a bit odd that the American Flag was being used as a tacky, sequined night dress. Why doesn't she feel the same amount of respect towards the symbol of her heritage?
People scare me.
Wha-tha-fuck? A girl brings a confederate dress to prom and is surprised that people get their knickers in knots. I'll refrain from making comments about the girl's appearance. Suffice to say, it screams redneck inbred. Making fun of the dress is quite another matter. I never thought that the confederate flag would find itself in a dress. And, her lawyer has two names, like a southern-hick oughta.
JAQUELINE: Ah, deery mi, dem damnyankees and dem darkies dont wanna me chew wear mah presh-us her-i-tash.
EARL-RAY: Well, missy, dontchew wery yer pritty hed, Earl-Raysa gunna help chew aht.
These nuances aside, the lawsuit is one of those things that defy conventional logic. I'm hoping that the case is brought to at least one competent southern judge, if such a thing exists. Perhaps they will have to go to Never, Never Land (which is the second star to the right and onward till morning) to find such a judge, but one must be found otherwise my diminished faith in humanity will be crushed and kicked to the doorstep. What? You're surprised? I do actually have a little faith in humanity. A very, very little faith in humanity.
Let's first analyze the girl's account of what happened. Let's ignore the fact that she spent four years planning her confederate prom dress. Any girl who spends four years planning something that tacky needs a hobby. I suggest masturbation and drinking. That aside, had she been planning this dress for four years, she would have been aware of several monumental court cases involving the confederate flag. One, in particular stands out. In July of 2000, the South Carolina government removed the confederate flag that had flown at its state capitol on the grounds that it was a symbol of oppression and offensive to African-Americans. Now, if the flag is considered so vile that a staunchly southern state such as South Carolina concedes and lowers the proud symbol of its heritage, then you would think that people have an issue with it. A girl who supposedly graduated near the top of her class would have been bright enough to be aware that the confederate flag probably wasn't the best choice for a prom dress. Apparently, Jacqueline was aware that her dress would be rather inappropriate. To this, she said "Everyone has their own opinion. But that's not mine."
Ladies and Gentlemen, the voice of youth has spoken. It has proclaimed that while everyone else has an opinion, it is not hers and therefore she has full right to disregard them. Let's take her logic and run with it. If I wanted to, I should be able to walk into a Bush Convention wearing a shirt that shows the president being sodomized by the arm industry. If anyone questions me, I should be able to reply that everyone has their opinions, but they aren't mine. I will be sure to repeat that maxim as I am hauled off to jail. I'm sure some of you are thinking that a private convention is quite a bit different from a public occasion. People who pay taxes should be allowed to express their opinion in the instrument of their tax dollars. Well, there may be some rightness in that fact, but I am still not allowed to sound off to the military on their bases, nor am I allowed to wear certain racist or racy clothes on public grounds on the basis that it would be against public decency. I'm sorry Jacqueline, your first reasoning fell quite flat.
It would be one thing if the school co-opted her without warning, but it appears that the school was aware of her plans and several times warned her not to show with the dress. She showed with the dress anyway, hoping that the administrators would change their mind. I'm trying to rationalize her thought pattern. She was told not to wear the dress, wore it anyway, was thrown out, and now she wants to sue because she wasn't let in the dance. People, this is giving me a headache.
Her lawyer, the honorable Earl-Ray Neil is claiming two charges, which is apparently worth $50,000 to his dim client. The first is that the school violated her freedom of speech. The second is that the school violated her right to celebrate her heritage. Both claims are such vehement attacks on reason that I want to start drafting a resolution to prevent inbreeds from breeding. Lets analyze each claim separately.
The first claim is that by preventing Jacqueline from wearing her dress, the school violated her rights to free speech. I'm actually surprised that the lawyer is attempting to argue this angle. Any good law student is aware that free speech is not completely free. There are limits as to what qualifies as freedom of speech. These limits, were in part, established by Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., a supreme court justice. While ruling on Schneck VS US, Holmes famously wrote that one should not shout fire in a crowded theatre. That is, when speech has the potential to cause great amounts of harm, then that particular speech should be restrained. Although Jacqueline's high school is mostly white, there was still potential for divisive harm from the presence of her dress. The school was right to not allow her in.
Libertarians often snit when that case is brought up. They argue that Holmes later backpedaled on this decision, and the decision itself was the greatest blow free speech could suffer. I'm not quite sure I agree with that logic. If someone were to incite a crowd to murder, then the individual who motivated the murder should be responsible, even if s/he had no direct role in its being played out. The murder would not have happened without the speech. In the same vein, if someone shouts fire in a crowded theatre, and many people die while attempting to escape, the person who shouted fire should be held responsible. Yes, he had freedom of speech, but the consequences of that freedom should be borne. By this logic, Jacqueline was exercising her freedom of speech by showing up at the prom, but the consequences that resulted from this speech being exercise were promptly applied. She wore the dress, so she didn't dance.
The second claim is that the school violated her right to protect her heritage. I understand that she's proud to be a southerner, and that to many the confederacy and the resulting war of secession was a matter of national pride and a defiant stand against a repressive federal government, but they cannot deny that slavery played an important role in confederate identity. Because of this, there cannot be a clear demarcation between the confederacy and slavery. Pride in confederacy is pride in slavery. Perhaps I'm a bit hasty with my thinking. It is possible to like the country, but not those who run the country, or the industry behind the country, but when the symbol of the country is demeaning, then perhaps that pride should not be so blatant. If the school were to allow Jacqueline to wear the dress based on the fact that she is promoting her heritage, then the school needs to allow others to wear clothes that promote their heritage. This opens the door to all sorts of indecency. I can picture people walking through the halls, wearing Nazi flags, and glorifying Pol Pot. After all, if your heritage is German or Cambodian, then you should be allowed to celebrate your heritage.
Would the Sons of Confederate Veterans be so quick to defend a girl who wanted to wear a nazi dress to prom?
Maybe they should have let her wear that dress to prom, provided that she absolve them of any damages if she happened to get her white ass beat. I'd also like her to wear that dress in the south side of Chicago, or the southeast side of D.C., armed with only her southern pride and her stunning logic. Lets see if the residents of either area appreciate what she thinks of her "heritage."
And, really, I know that she's aware of her heritage, but isn't it disrespectful to a flag to use it for other purposes than a flag? I know I'd find it a bit odd that the American Flag was being used as a tacky, sequined night dress. Why doesn't she feel the same amount of respect towards the symbol of her heritage?
People scare me.
posted by Jon at 7:36 PM
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