Obscene T-Shirts: yay or nay?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Public schools aren't private entities.

But since school officials are acting in loco parentis, they have the power to set rules for the students attending. So it all boils down to the same thing. Students don't get to claim the first amendment just so they can dress however they want - not even in a public school.

 

[Michael Chris]

Nope.

First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. This has been the unmistakable holding of this Court for almost 50 years.

Found in TINKER V. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST., 393 U.S. 503 (1969)

 

[John Picard]

Freedom of speech baby.

You can wear a shirt that says anything you want. If somebody else does't like it, too bad for them.

I wore a t-shirt in Jr High that had a small "Oh Shit" in the upper corner. My vice principle told me to go home and remove it and I refused. I cited the 1st amendment and went to my next class.

Question. Not that I don't get the whole 'stick it to the man' thing you were trying to pull, but how does

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Remove your school's right to set a dress code? Last time I checked, school principles do not have legislative powers in Congress.
I think people lump an awful lot under the first amendment that it really isn't relevant to.

The First Amendment is the most misunderstood and most abused amendment, but you make a point. It clearly states that Congress shall not abridge someone's freedom of speech, but it doesn't say anything about States, your employer, or even teachers.

 

[Michael Chris]

Incorporation - 14th Amendment. Look them up.

 

[bigdaddy]

I love them. I don't own any myself because I don't like shirts with words but I love them.

I dated a guy who said fuck about 20-30 feet behind some woman and her too kids. She had a hissy fit and yelled. Later we saw her going "I can't take you god damn kids anywhere!!!" and just yelling at them. What a fucking twat that woman was.

So for that reason I love them. I would also like a shirt that says "I can't say niggar because I'm white". I really hate that word and I hate the fact that if your skin is at all slightly dark it seems fine.

And in government class we had two weeks talking about your rights in a school. You can wear WHATEVER you want to school, you will just have to fight for it.

 

[T'Baio]

People who wear shirts with pithy little slogans on them, especially ones showing people how rebellious and offensive they can be, are just trying reeeeallllly hard to show how clever they are. In the end, they just end up looking like total douche bags. Quit being a hobo and show people some respect.

 

[Trekker4747]

People who wear obscene T-Shirts are douchebags.

Yeah you have the freedom to do it but that doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. We're living in a society, people.!!!!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Nope.

First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. This has been the unmistakable holding of this Court for almost 50 years.

Found in TINKER V. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST., 393 U.S. 503 (1969)

You may want to have a look at these cases:

Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986)
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Morse v. Frederick (2007)

 

[Lindley]

I'm not a fan of obscene t-shirts. Unless they're funny.

 

[Davros]

Freedom of speech baby.

You can wear a shirt that says anything you want. If somebody else does't like it, too bad for them.

I wore a t-shirt in Jr High that had a small "Oh Shit" in the upper corner. My vice principle told me to go home and remove it and I refused. I cited the 1st amendment and went to my next class.

Question. Not that I don't get the whole 'stick it to the man' thing you were trying to pull, but how does

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Remove your school's right to set a dress code? Last time I checked, school principles do not have legislative powers in Congress.
I think people lump an awful lot under the first amendment that it really isn't relevant to.

I wasn't trying to stick it to the man. I was standing up for my constitutional rights. No dress code should take those away. Any how I did not violate any dress code. I had on pants, and a shirt. I also had shoes on. That was pretty much all the dress code required back in 1977. That and we had just got over celebrating the bi-centenial and people cared more about their rights back then.

The First Amendment is the most misunderstood and most abused amendment, but you make a point. It clearly states that Congress shall not abridge someone's freedom of speech, but it doesn't say anything about States, your employer, or even teachers.

The states cannot pass a law that violates the bill of rights.

 

[Shatmandu]

People can wear whatever they want, and I can think they're a snivelling douchebag for whatever they wear.

Little kids, at times, will say, "Poopy!" to get a reaction.

That's what these shirts are, writ extra large.

Joe, POOPY!

 

[Michael Chris]

^Actually, states can violate some of the Bill of Rights.

Nope.

First Amendment rights, applied in light of the special characteristics of the school environment, are available to teachers and students. It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. This has been the unmistakable holding of this Court for almost 50 years.

Found in TINKER V. DES MOINES SCHOOL DIST., 393 U.S. 503 (1969)

You may want to have a look at these cases:

Bethel School District v. Fraser (1986)
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Morse v. Frederick (2007)

Yes, and? They do not remove the right of students to "claim the first amendment just so they can dress however they want." Nor does it make a public institution private.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Even public school officials can order a student to not wear a shirt that is clearly disruptive.

 

[Trekker4747]

People keep forgetting that the amendments apply to the government can't tell you not to do something.

A school district -even being an arm of the government- has the "right" or "freedom" to "restrict speech."

Also, "freedom of speech" doesn't mean "you can say whatever you want" it means that the government can't tell you what to say, or what to not say, for or against it.

"Freedom of Speech" means you can stand on a street corner and talk about how your government sucks. It *doesn't* mean you can wear an offensive T-Shirt to school.

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm not a fan of obscene t-shirts. Unless they're funny.

Our definitions of funny seem to be different.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm not a fan of obscene t-shirts. Unless they're funny.

Our definitions of funny seem to be different.

I don't even know what that shirt means at all. Some sort of bizarre sign language binary code thingy?

 

[Lindley]

Sigh. 10 kinds of people and all that.....

 

[RoJoHen]

I'm not a fan of obscene t-shirts. Unless they're funny.

Our definitions of funny seem to be different.

I don't even know what that shirt means at all. Some sort of bizarre sign language binary code thingy?

I read the description, and I get what it's trying to do, but I just don't find the middle finger all that funny. Ya know, because I'm a grown up.

 

[Lindley]

The joke isn't that it's a middle finger, the joke is that it's the number 4 and not the "middle finger" as such. Bait-and-switch, and all that. Loses the funny when you have to explain it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Sigh. 10 kinds of people and all that.....

Now *that* one is funny.