The Writings of Brandon Aker, continued


 


This is a paper that I wrote about a person's right about freedom of expression to a teacher of mine.  Please note that it is very lengthy.  Sorry, but it is the best paper on the site!
As the debate about the freedom of expression went on today, I really got to thinking about this topic and about its limits in the school.  Some of these limits are perhaps for the better of the students, yes, but others are merely not needed due to the multiple religious backgrounds and ethnicities out there in the world today.  Just as the hypothetical satanic figure that we discussed, several people in other places in the world wear shirts that express their religious beliefs, such as the What Would Jesus Do bracelets, just as pointed out, and shirt with this on it too.  Note, not that I am against this, I just wish to express my concern for the well being of this constitutional right in our school system.  Now, to continue, such religions as Jewish and Jahovah’s Witnesses also probably have such shirts, but yet it could be stated that if someone of the Christian religion found this offensive and sought legal action, the school system would disembowel the Jewish student from wearing the shirt to satisfy another student, which also blocks out the Jewish student’s right to have his, or her, own religion, and show their religion in a public fashion.

What does all of this lead to you ask , well I shall elaborate more throuroughly here.  Not only is one student’s rights being taken away in the example, this could lead to mental dismay and dispair to the student, but that is not the discussed point here.  The point is simple, why is one student, or several students, or for that matter several or a few teachers or administrators able to decide what is “offensive and should not be worn or displayed in school?”  Sure, such things as guns and knives clearly have no place in today’s education system, but mere items such as shirts expressing religion, or for that fact, femininess or machoism should not have any affect on those who view them.  These items are merely colored cloth with writing or pictures, or both, and other things worn across someone’s stomach or for that matter the head or even feet.  Even items such at blue jeans and shorts are being restricted, true, a certain length in someone’s opinion is degenerating, but to the one that is wearing it, no, this item of clothing is neither degenerating or disrespectful.  What the point here is that we today as an education system and as a society as one whole are accepting the rules that govern today without consent from everyone who must obide these rules daily in their everyday lives.  One or two “higher-ups” are making all the decisions in such matters, and not the people that have to live with these rules.  Our government is a democracy today, which means that we are free to govern ourselves, so I  say that we as the students should decide what is demoralizing and degenerating to our student body and to our staff and administration in our very own school.  But we as the students do not have the age as one to do so but as a whole, this could be accomplished, but of course, some sort of administrator or teacher or even the superintendent of schools should attend these rulings if such were to take place.

Either way, today, a minority is making the rules for the majority of the people, not a minority group, but a minority of the population.  One person should not decide what is “right and wrong” in anything.  In this day and age, we need to have members to govern not only the student body but the entire United States from every race, ethnic background, and even every religion.  Washington currently has this, and to some extent, the U.S. is starting to better itself as a whole but it does take due time, that much is known from the very start of human existence, however someone feels that this occurred is not relivant to the situation.  The fact here is that one person, or everyone’s opinions should not govern anyone else.  If someone wants to wear their religious shirt to school without fear of education litigation or even litigation of the police, such mentioned person should, would, could, and CAN wear the forementioned article of clothing.

And just to show that I wish to be viewed as the epitamy of all radicalism whereas you are consersvative I do belive, I wish to state that just as some famous ancestor of great American History stated, “I do not agree with your opinions, but I will fight to the death to defend your right to say them.”  This may sound far off of the wall, but it is basically the truth whereas both you and I have different opinions and being of the same stubbornheaded family, both of us are unrelentless in our views and just as you back down not, neither will I.  May it be understood that all men are created equal, and I do firmly believe in that, but that all men are not created intellectually.  Not to sound self centered, but I like to express my thoughts, I am a free thinker, and yes, I certainly are part of a group of radicals, but that too is my choice, just as is yours to be a conservative or even liberal if you so desire.  But, our conversations in the class I feel are very healthy to the students in learning two different sides of the spectrum, being whatever we talk about, stastically you and I will most likely disagree on about any and everything known to man, partly because we are family and just so much enjoy giving one another the utmost guff that the other can stand, but that is all part of it and it’s all good, for neither you nor I mean no harm, but always one thing remains, both you and I are right, however on different subjects, one could or can be more correct than the other, but all of that is on the basis of self opinion and everyone has different opinions and there is truly no way to find out today what is defined as “right and wrong.”  And to quote my most wise father, “There are different spectrums of right and wrong, and that there are different shades of the standards.”  This is highly true, and to quote once more “Everyone has a different shade of the standard and if everyone’s perceptions of right and wrong are different, such as the abortion ordeal that is currently going on today, with some wanting to kill the aborting doctors, and with some supporting abortion, there is always different shades, and that all of these shades can never blend as long as people express individualism.  Outside factors also differ, such as a dot on the wall, whereas both he and I look at it, but neither one of us see the same dot, and that both of us are at different angles, which leads us to see a different dot, perhaps the same dot but he sees different sides because of the human ability to view something in 3 dimensions.  Each and every person has a different focusing mechanism, so thus we can not see something in the same way because we all focus in a different way, that we can use our eyes as an identifier, for we all have different eyes.”  It must be noted here that I took the context of one of my father and I’s conversations, and that at his tenure at Carson Newman, he is a philosophy major and also an ordained minister back in the 80s.  Those are his perspectives, and to about an 80% extent, I agree with him, for I still do not have enough wisdom to accept his opinions, as is the same case with you and I.  At this point, I feel I have learned enough to know that I do not support all the traditional aspects of this country and of our school, but yet I have to accept them, for if I express these thoughts to anyone, they would merely laugh at me as I am sure that you probably will.  Afterall, I am but 15, what could I know?  I do know some, I love to learn from my dad, his conversations are very entriguing to me, he views the world differently, for he is far more radical than I am, and yes, it is likely that I inherited my radicalism from him, but my views are different than his by far in every perspective of the word different, but yet we do agree on some things, as do both you and I.  For I am but merely an image of those who created me, intellectually, I am like my dad.  My mom is also very deep, but she is more concerned with everyone else beliefs than he and I are.  To me what someone else does matter, not so much as to me, but as to the one who expresses it,  Freedom of Expression afterall and everything.  This has deeply drifted from the original topic, but in some form or another, one needs to express his or her beliefs in some way, I figure that you will read and respect my beliefs just as I do yours.  Anytime you may want to have a conversation on this or any other political or religious, or even philosophy discussions, whether it be in the classroom or in the hallway, please fell free, I enjoy them.  All conversations of such a type I consider a valuable learning experience.  I stive to think, I am a free thinker, I am a RADICAL.

This is a paper that I wrote about Pornography

Note:  soon to come, as I am currently in the remodeling process of my site.

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