She was being blasted and made fun of for her Mormonism, yet when she shot back her "that's so gay" remark to 3 boys, she was chastised by school officials, for "hate speech"?
Look on the front page of MSN for the full story) ...i'm too lazy to post it,
Anyway, I think this is BS! CLEARLY, you are only pinpointed when you have a certain conservative or religious beliefs, even if the comment was not meant to be anything about gays, but just a very popular saying in the youth culture.
I'm an atheist, and I hate the g-ddamned thought police liberals.
What say you?
2007-03-01 09:12:41 · 27 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That's so Mormon
Additional Comments:
Great point, straightup. In this freedom-of-speech country, I reserve my own right to use whatever adjective I want as a means of describing whatever I wish to describe.
If I were to say that my friend is 'completely retarded' for saying something, am I going to face problems for that? No. You know why? There aren't any activist groups defending the rights of 'retards'. We live in a very hypocritical society...
2007-03-02 04:00:13 · answer #1 · answered by James, Pet Guy 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think if she got in trouble for what she said, that the boys should be held just as accountable for what they were saying to her.
It's hard to be a teenager right now. People you go to school with are always going to find something to pick at. Being a different religion is probably the only thing they could find to make them feel "better" then she is. That's the way it is today. Kids are always looking for things that make someone else different, so they can use it against them.
I live in Utah, and I'm LDS (Mormon). When I went to school, the schools were predominantly LDS, but that has changed now. The majority of kids at those schools now aren't LDS. But the difference is that MOST- and I say this not as a general statement, just what I've observed- LDS kids are pretty tolerant of other kids religion. It tends to be the other religions that are intolerant of the LDS kids. At my school, they thought we got "special privileges" because we had what's called release time- a class period set aside for religious classes. But what they didn't understand is that they could have had the same opportunity. There were kids that were catholic that went to religious classes during this time. There were born-again Christians that had the same time period set aside. Some just didn't take the opportunity to go.
It's not just kids that do this to others. It's adults also. I'm always being told that I'm not Christian because of my beliefs. I guess it's just the fact that we are seen as "different" from other christian religions.
Anyways, off of my soapbox now. I just think that all these kids need a talking to. I don't think her saying that was wrong, just a figure of speech, but making fun of someone for something that they believe isn't right. The boys need to understand that it isn't acceptable, no matter what religion you are, or what you believe, you should be given the opportunity to believe as you will without persecution.
2007-03-01 17:36:45 · answer #2 · answered by odd duck 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Is the school for Mormons or does she go to a public school? A religious school has the right to disciple the student for certain comments. I went to Catholic school for 8 years. We had to watch our words very carefully.
If it's a public school, she should only be talked to if the boys complained. Are they gay? Were they offended? Young gay people are very sensitive because their lives are changing dramatically. I understand that that saying "that's so gay" is a common saying with kids & teens. I use to say that is I thought something was weird or queer (in no reference to homosexuality, I didn't know homosexuality until late in high school). If a gay person said that, it would be okay. Like when blacks say the N word.
You are an atheist and yet you didn't spell out g-ddamned. Why? I appreciate that.
2007-03-01 17:27:58 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's ridiculous. If we are assessing injury and hate here, the boys mocking her firmly held belief system were more injurious and hateful than her offhanded "thats so gay" remark, since they weren't even gay! She wasn't insulting them or mocking their lifestyle. That's what, to me, is the most ludicrous. I know that hate speech is not tolerated, even if it is not directed at someone specifically, so just because they weren't gay doesn't mean that it's ok for her to say that. But still, you know, I know, we all know that it's a very common utterance for most kids ages 10 and up.
My question is how did this come to light? Did the boys go and tell on her for saying that, or was it overheard by a teacher?
2007-03-04 02:17:54 · answer #4 · answered by Sweet n Sour 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think both groups were in the wrong. Teasing and bullying should not be tolerated in school like it is. They shouldn't have gotten away with making fun of her religion. Kids also shouldn't be using "gay" as an insult. Civil rights isn't something that just happens. If you can't say the "N" word, and you can't use terminology that's sexist or degrading, I don't see why it's OK to use "gay" like that.
Adults can say whatever the hell they want. But i know from personal experience that school can become a very unfriendly, difficult place to be when kids and teens are given the right to harrass and belittle eachother and say whatever they want.
2007-03-01 17:21:10 · answer #5 · answered by M L 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
You could not have said it better. And always remember this, until things change in this country, hate speech is a one way street. We live in an idiot asylum where people can call certain people anything they want and if they say anything whatsoever back they are accused of hate speech.
Course, that's California where the all the fruits and nuts are grown. Call me a hate speaker !
2007-03-01 17:27:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Wow what an incredibly stupid principal. Did he not think that disciplining one student for one comment that wasnt even directed at a gay student being harassed yet ignoring the harrasment of the mormon student would not create an issue. Political correctness has gone sooo far. People need to get over themselves and learn to laugh at themselves and others that are jerks.
2007-03-01 17:20:27 · answer #7 · answered by cadisneygirl 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
"That' so gay" has nothing to do with sexual orientation when it is used in that situation. I have heard kids say it to each other many times.
But what the other kids said about her was in fact directly related to her religion.
If anyone is punished it should be the boys.
The school officials in that school district should get a back bone. They should also understand current terminology used by kids of that age.
2007-03-02 00:33:59 · answer #8 · answered by J T 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Don't use God's name in vain, (your last sentence). I guess the gay people are over sensitive. Ok, the sad thing is, I'm not sure where it was , but a group of Christian youth were in trouble for chanting "We Love Jesus" in front of a Jewish team. Since when is that "hate speech".?
2007-03-01 17:44:39 · answer #9 · answered by the pink baker 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think it is morally wrong to use such a phrase so lightly, but I don't think there are any legal grounds under which the girl could be punished. All the same, I'd rather be gay than mormon.
2007-03-01 17:27:20 · answer #10 · answered by manic.fruit 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋