1-X = Y
Given the discussions we have had here on my site and the conversation that has been brewing on Justin’s site about prayer in schools, I got to thinking about the majority vs. minority. This country was founded on free people making decisions based on the concept that the majority rules. When a presidential election occurs, based on current rules they determine the majority based on the Electoral College. I am not going to get into this conversation in relation to the most recent election where Gore got a higher vote count, but still lost the election. Any comments on that will be deleted because I don’t care to talk about it or host that argument here. That is my right as The Filtered (and sometimes filtering) One.
But, when we bring it down to issues that we don’t vote on, majority doesn’t always win because while the majority might rule, we need to protect the rights of the minority opinion as well to maintain the first part about us being a free people. I think that it is a nice thought, but it is unrealistic to think we can protect any opinion all the time, let alone the minority one, which always proves to be more difficult to protect. I mean, just ask the KKK or NAMBLA how well their opinions are protected in this country. On certain days though, we step up and let the aforementioned groups gather for rallies for their causes, which in my opinion are both completely despicable.
So we now have a line that is difficult to straddle. We need to protect minority opinions to be considered free, but we will make decisions based on majority rules. Based on realism, what it comes down to is just like a business decision. It’s kind of like a cost/benefit situation.
Should prayer be protected in school?
No, not in an organized fashion, but mentions of religion here and there including the pledge are not worth upholding the minority opinion. In saying this, I am still supporting the opinion that prayer should not be allowed in school, but I am not taking it to a level where it is impossible to achieve. I mean are we going to start suspending people including teachers when they say “Praise the Lord” in school? Of course not. Same thing when someone says “oh my God.” We would have California valley girls lining the walls of detention.
Should the “Barbie is a Lesbian” T-shirt be protected in school?
No, because it has proven to be disruptive and a minor detail. If the same homosexual student wants to put a group together to discuss gay rights and drum up support, (s)he should be afforded the same opportunity and support as the chess club. Failure to provide that support should be fought. Last time I checked, the school did not punish the student with a suspension or detention or anything, they just made her change clothes.
So, as much as many of you are going to hate this, there can’t be a hard-lined rule. Because we are all human and there are many factors in many different places throughout the United States, we will have to rely on judgment calls. Sure, they might not always be right, in which case a person can take it into court, but for the most part, based on percentages of these stories we hear about every day, I think it is working fine. We don’t need to do battle over a few minor details in relation to the prayer in school, or a t-shirt that supports gay rights in a manner that was meant to shock and maybe offend people.
Chris Said,
June 24, 2003 @ 1:31 pm
Craig, you’re conflating two different fundamental ideas. The first is free speech. The issue is not whether it is convenient to uphold free speech, but rather whether some institutions have a compelling organizational interest to abridge it. You argue, correctly, that free speech should not be fully protected in the context of a school, because the school has a compelling interest in providing a certain environment and some speech undermines that interest. Same goes for companies. Same goes for lots of different scenarios. The second principle is that of equal protection under the law. See the 14th Amendment. This is a fundamental principle, if not a founding principle, and I think there is a very compelling argument to be made that school rules should be applied fairly (equally) to all students. To be clear: I agree that the offending T-shirt from the article should not be worn to school. The school administrators were correct to tell the student to change clothes. If, however, they do not do the exact same thing to a student who wears the opposite message with the intention of shocking and offending a smaller and less vocal group of students, they are teaching a very poor civics lesson indeed.
FilteringCraig Said,
June 24, 2003 @ 1:56 pm
I don’t think I am conflating them. I thought it was a commentary on how they come together and conflict.
jarodius Said,
June 24, 2003 @ 4:27 pm
Chris… I am confused… were they supposed to be teaching civics in school? I thought that school was a minimum security prison. Wow, teaching civics… that sounds like the idea of a raving lunatic! They would never do that. That might lead to *thinking*. Don’t want them damn sheep thinking. Do you know what kind of trouble that can lead to? What do you want? A revolution? Crazy mixed up kids.
Chris Said,
June 24, 2003 @ 5:01 pm
Alright, then maybe I’m conflating them. Either way, I just like to say “conflating.” Conflating, conflating, conflating.