Parents and students expressed outrage on Facebook on Monday after administrators at Fort Collins High School nixed a student idea to host an upcoming spirit day called “’Merica Day.”As I've said so many times, some people's minds are so open that their brain falls out.
The situation caught the attention of Fox News and has some community members saying the school should be “ashamed of their un-American PC censorship” of a day students intended to celebrate a country that’s home to people of diverse backgrounds and origins.
“I can see both sides, but I think it’s kind of absurd that we can’t celebrate the country we’re in — whether you’re from it or just visiting. It’s a country,” said Ellie Goodspeed, a senior and treasurer of the school’s student council.
Goodspeed said the juniors are in charge of planning themes for each day of spirit week, celebrated during the week of Valentine’s Day. They suggested “’Merica Day,” but administrators, she said, thought it could be offensive to the school’s international students.
According to a statement sent Monday night to the Coloradoan by Poudre School District spokeswoman Danielle Clark: “Building administrators met with the students to discuss the inconsistency of this day versus the other planned theme days, including PJ day and Twin day. ”
Education, politics, and anything else that catches my attention.
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
Some People Just Hate America
Those "international students"--do you think they came here because this country sucks? I'll bet their countrymen back home laugh at the idea presented by the school administration:
America is predicated on assumptions of inalienable rights and equality. What's not to hate about that if you know you're naturally superior?
ReplyDeleteHere's why I think the administration MIGHT have a point, and a counterproposal that SHOULD have been made. By calling it "Merica Day, " they were imposing a pronunciation that, for me at least, immediately suggested the prototypical southern racist type ... Not saying they meant it that way, but it suggests it. However, not to counter with simply changing it to "America Day" is ridiculous ... as you pointed out, the international students have chosen to be here, and they should be happy to celebrate the country which accepted them so graciously.
ReplyDeleteUpdate, in case you haven't seen it already ... I saw a new story on FOX last night, so you know it isn't left leaning ... they interviewed one of the protesting students, and my suspicion of why there was a protest was correct. And ... the school revisited the issue ... and allowed them to have "America Day," as I also suggested ... It occurred to me after, that the "Merica" came from an episode of South Park, also set in Colorado, which was a parody of immigration reform ... "Merica" was coupled with the catch phrase "They took R jobs" not our ... R. I can honestly see why the original could have been perceived as racist ... despite the fact that South Park was mocking racists. But the school did the right thing ... someone find that administrator and take some DNA for cloning.
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