Flag flap in SC: Flags don’t taunt people. People taunt people

Flag flap in SC: Flags don’t taunt people. People taunt people

Now we hear that school officials in South Carolina banned the American flag at a ball game.  They’re afraid kids from Travelers Rest High School might use Old Glory to taunt kids from Berea High School, where many of the students are of Hispanic lineage.

EAG News reports:

On Friday, Travelers Rest High School principal Lou Lavely banned students from carrying American flags into a football game against Berea High School, because a lot of students at Berea are Hispanic. Lavely contends the American flag could have been used to taunt those students, WNCN reports.

“Some events at last evening’s football game have resulted in concerns being raised in our community. I am writing to assure that any decisions made regarding American flags being permitted into the game were made in the best interests of all attending the game and in the spirit of patriotism and respect for our flag,” Lavely wrote in response to Facebook backlash about the ban, which turned away several students who came to the game with American flags.

Blah blah blah.  Yada yada.  Same song, nine hundred thirty-eighth verse.

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Look, Mr. Lavely may be fine with being four years old for the rest of his life.  But parents and students shouldn’t be satisfied with a school regime that treats high schoolers like four-year-olds.

Since he apparently needs this lecture, I’ma spell it out for Lou Lavely.  Flags don’t taunt people.  People taunt people.  When there’s taunting going on, you don’t ban flags.  You discipline people.

If something needs to be banned from a football game, maybe it’s the kids who taunt other kids.  But better still, tell the kids in advance, succinctly and straightforwardly, that taunting will not be tolerated.  Then, if it happens, bring consequences.  If necessary, up the consequences until the behavior changes.  It’s work, sure, but the rewards from helping kids grow up are tremendous.

The world can’t have everything banned from it, just so nobody has anything to taunt anybody else with.  Believe me, you could ban clothing itself, and high schoolers would find something to taunt other kids with.

Why didn’t Lavely know this?  Whatever the reason, there’s no excuse now.  He has a new tool for success in his toolkit.

Incidentally, it appears that Lavely has since reversed his earlier decision.  But that was because there was an uproar from the community.  It’s not because he realized it’s stupid and counterproductive to ban things, when the healthy, honest, respectful way to handle misbehavior is to correct the behavior.

Next up: being honest about illegal migration into the U.S.  Handling it by the rule of law, so that it isn’t hypocritical of school leaders and politicians to demand courtesy from the legal citizens, who are treated unfairly by the unethical, socially destructive methods that govern us today.

J.E. Dyer

J.E. Dyer

J.E. Dyer is a retired Naval Intelligence officer who lives in Southern California, blogging as The Optimistic Conservative for domestic tranquility and world peace. Her articles have appeared at Hot Air, Commentary’s Contentions, Patheos, The Daily Caller, The Jewish Press, and The Weekly Standard.

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