Cinco de Mayo and Flag Shirts

Contributed By Doug Edelman

It’s been a few days since the May 5 incident where students were disciplined for wearing t-shirts bearing the image of an American Flag on Cinco de Mayo. I have paid close attention to the reports, commentary and punditry in the aftermath, and I am astounded that no one has yet made the points I am about to expound upon. Once you consider them, you may also find it surprising that such obvious conclusions could be so easily overlooked.

The school has demonstrated offensive prejudicial “racism” against its Hispanic students!

Huh? Come again?

Yes, that’s what I said, and when you think about it, I think you’ll agree.

In the statements of the District Superintendent, as he trotted out the Principal’s supposed apology, he stated quite matter-of-factly that the school’s ostensible justification for demanding the flag shirts be turned inside out was to “maintain order and prevent fights.”

So, then, the school was presuming that:

1)   The Hispanic population of the school is unwilling to accept the culture of the United States even to the point of respecting the flag of the nation in which they choose to live. They expected the Hispanics to take offense to the U.S. Flag, though many of the Hispanic students were themselves U.S. Citizens.

2)   Still more offensive, the school acted on the presumption that the Hispanic students would respond to this anticipated offense by resorting to thug-like violence.

Isn’t this a wee bit prejudicial? Might it even fall under the banner of “racial profiling?” After all… isn’t the presumption of anticipated behavior on the basis of one’s ethnicity the very definition of racial profiling which the Left is so vocally opposed to?

Furthermore, the school seems to be implying that the U.S. should be modifying its culture to accommodate its immigrant population rather than expecting our immigrants to become part of that culture and participate in the “great melting pot” that has characterized the American Experience since our founding. Is this the message our schools should be imparting to our young people?

So it seems the “apology” is as offensive as the act toward the flag-wearing students itself!

Just out of curiosity; if I wear a flag shirt on St Patrick’s Day… should I expect violence from our Irish population? I would think not, as the Irish-American population has generally become an “American” population. While even non-Irish Americans join in the celebration of St Paddy’s Day, (Heck – we ALL love a reason to have a party and drink a beer – and really isn’t that the reason Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the U.S. anyway… a marketing ploy of Corona Beer?), there is no duality of cultures between the Irish and the rest of the nation’s populace.

Some are calling for the firing or resignation of the Principal. It would not seem to me to be inappropriate for this individual to depart the position. Unfortunately, however, this would do little to diminish the pervasive, endemic problem of progressive politically correct thought found throughout public education today!

Still… I would be remiss if I did not point out the hypocrisy of those who claim to be defending these Hispanics against so-called racism – by presuming they are separatist La-Raza type reconquistadores prone to violence!

Was I right? Are you amazed no one recognized this before now?

Copyright © 2010 by Doug Edelman