(Polictics) Cinco de Americano

I’m not sure if any of you have heard the story of the five students that were sent home from school on Cinco de Mayo (2010) for wearing American Flag shirts and shorts in Morgan Hill, California.  If not go ahead and watch the video below and/or click here…  Well, what do you guys think?  Who’s right?  Who’s wrong?  Well, obviously I have an opinion.  My opinion… No one is right.  They are both wrong.  They being, the school officials, all of the students involved, and the parents. 

I understand that the day is a holiday primarily celebrated by Hispanics of Mexican descent.  I say primarily because let’s face it, not just Mexicans celebrate the holiday.  Many of us take advantage of the party’s around the neighborhoods and the deals at the bars and restaurants.  No need for a history lesson on how the holiday commemorates the Mexican Army’s victory over France.  So to get to the point, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday primarily celebrated by Mexicans and in a school in Morgan Hill, five students decided to go to school with shirts and shorts representing the American Flag.  Because there are many sides to every story I’ll try not to speculate what may have really happened and what was really said but school officials advised the students to take off their shirts, turn them around or go home.  Why would school officials do or say such a thing?  The principal is Mexican could that be a reason?  Maybe the school officials were protecting the five students?  Who knows?  As for the students who showed up to school with their illustrations of the American Flag, there’s nothing wrong with that right?  Of course not, they live in America and regardless of what holiday it is they have absolutely every right to wear images of their country on the shirts.  Just like a New York Yankees fan has every right to go into Fenway Park in Boston to watch a Yankees vs. Red Sox game.  That person just has to expect to get booed, cussed at, or even have food thrown at them.  Are these students prepared for all of that and in the case with students they may even get into physical confrontations.  Are they ready or, should they take their shirts off, turn their shirts around, or go home? 

As for the students who are offended that the five students wore their shirts and shorts depicting the American Flag, seriously…  Are you really that offended?  You’re in America celebrating a holiday that is not even as significant as Mexican Independence Day which I’m willing to bet that most of the students in the school don’t even know what day it falls on.  By the way, that would be September 16^th.  Even if I’m wrong about that last comment, it’s not “disrespectful” to wear a shirt with illustrations of an American flag at an American high school despite the holiday.  The intentions of the five students may or may not have been so innocent but regardless, they are Americans attending an American High School, wearing American paraphernalia.  There are much bigger things going on in our world.  To threaten or to want to fight over what someone else is wearing begs the question “What’s going on”?