OK - so we all have to be good little "World Citizens" and not show that we care very much about the United States. It just isn't cool, in the first place. Secondly, do we detect a racist element in proclaiming love of country? Ask the Oxnard Union School District superintendent.
National Review:
Four California high-school students were reportedly suspended for chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A!" and wearing American flag bandanas during a basketball game. While their punishment has since been rescinded, school administrators said "the incident is far from over."
Oxnard Union School District superintendent Gabe Soumakian told Fox News Radio that "we need to pursue this further" and "work with teachers and students and the community about the concept of cultural proficiency." Soumakian and Camarillo High School principal Glenn Lipman felt that the students' actions might have had racist undertones since the schools have large Hispanic student populations.
"We wanted to make sure [their actions weren't] racially motivated, and I told the kids I just want to be sensitive to the feelings of everybody," Lipman said. "If we're doing it for patriotism, that's fine. But if we're doing it for something else that's racially motivated, I'm not going to allow that."
But the students deny any racial element to their chants. "We've done it always," one student said. "It's something we do. It's the same group of friends. We're all very patriotic." The four students gained support from their peers: More than 100 students gathered by the school's flagpole the following morning to protest in patriotic clothing.
It would be fascinating to hear Mr. Soumakian give us the benefit of his wisdom and tell us what his reaction would have been to Hispanic-American students chanting "Mexico! Mexico!" No doubt that would have been a "legitimate expression of cultural pride" and no additional "investigation" would be necessary to see if it were "racially" motivated.
Note: Hispanics are not a separate race. Their race is caucasion. Their ethnicity is Hispanic. Ergo, it is impossible for the kids to have demonstrated "racism" when there is no such racial category as "Hispanic" among human beings.
The goal of public schools today is to create "Citizens of the World" and not good American citizens. It is verboten because inculcating American values into students places the US in a privileged position above other cultures. And we don't want to hurt the feelings of anybody because they think their own culture is superior - which it is, rather isn't - or maybe both - because everyone is the same, right?
The actions of the Oxnard School District point up the critical need for parents to step in and teach their kids about America, American values, and the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. If the schools aren't going to do it, somebody has to or in a few generations, there will be no American identity left.
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