Originally Posted by themisfithitman

So today has been eventful for me. I was out of the house for a total of two (2) hours before being suspended from my school for two (2) days. As most of anyone who will read this knows, the Day of Silence was April 25th, 2008. But my school decided to have their official Day of Silence today , April 30th (I don't know why, but they did).

The Day of Silence, I feel, is a rather silly and counterintuitive concept, because it takes the gays (for want of a better word) and pulls them farther away from normal society. Don't get me wrong I support gay rights and all that, but that's to come in the story. I think that a day of silence for anything is really just a ridiculous idea that is nothing, and really accomplishes nothing either.

Moving on. I said I support gay rights, I think they should have all the rights and privileges and get the same respect that straight people get. They are people too. So this morning, I go into school, and I'm just wandering aimlessly around, because most of my friends are doing the Day of Silence, and I respect that. I see one friend who I know is not doing the Day, so I go over to ask him a question. He is standing near some kids who are playing hackysack, and there is one other kid there who is just firing rapid inappropriate things at these other kids who are playing hackysack (and who are also doing the Day). He called these kids "cocks" at least five or six times in the space of one or two minutes that I was there. It was extremely offensive, even to me, that he could be such an evil person that he would stoop so low.

So I told him so shut up... My turn, this kid rounds on me, and starts calling me a "f**g*t" (which I actually find funny, because of the gay awareness element of the day of silence) and a bunch of other derogatory/negative terms. But none of them really phased me that much.

Now this wasn't the first time this kid has decided to stir up trouble. This is the first time I've decided to finish it. I told him to shut up again, but he continued insulting me and the other kids there. So I punched him in the mouth. You may not see it as a noble story, but if you're going to go around mouthing off to people for their beliefs, and being a jackass in general. You better be damn ready to defend that.

If you're going to call people derogatory terms, you deserve to be punched, not once, but by every person you tried to degrade. If you have no value in the group other then being a jackass, you don't belong anywhere near that group of people. If you can honestly verbally berate someone while they can't defend themselves, you need to rethink your life.

I'm just trying to bring the fact that everyone needs respect, or at least the chance at respect. You can't make fun of people because they support one thing, and you just fear them so you make fun of them. You need to have an opinion and stick to it. You need to be ready to fight (whether or not it is physical) to defend your opinion. But if you are insulting gays and their friends and supporters because you are a homophobe. You need to go sit in the corner and mind your own damn business.

Thanks for listening, and seriously, the world will be a better place if we all just stopped picking on each other.

P.S. I got a split knuckle and a two-day suspension (I'm 16) as a result of my actions, but I am willing to accept that because I knew what I was getting into when I punched that kid, he deserved it and I willingly accepted the consequences.

P.P.S. I wrote this yesterday. Didn't post it here til today!

(I want your opinions on this story!)

Originally Posted by TheHat

I have never heard of the Day of Silence.

Here is my take on your story here. The guy was being a prick obviously and deserved what he got.

BUThere is my problem with the whole situation: This was at school. A place where reading, writing, and math is suppose to be taught. Yet here we have actual taxpayer funded school time, being dedicated to some event that takes away from learning. How come you can have a Day of Silence for gays, but you cant have a Day of Prayer? Anybody see the double standard here? Prayer is silent, so how come people are ok with being silent and reflecting upon gay people, yet throw a hissy fit when someone wants to say a prayer?

This thread goes well in hand with my own about brainwashing kids in school these days. They can take time out for a political agenda and political topic, but cant say a simple prayer? Why cant we just teach the basic subjects in school anymore? WHy do we have to turn our schools into little Hitleristic instiutions that churn out "good political citizens"?

I think it was good that you stood up to this kid, he obviously needed a straighting up from somebody. No reason to talk the way he did to the other kids.

Originally Posted by Izzibeth

Wow. I'm actually kind of surprised at the response here. ^_^ I expected at least one dissenting view.

Originally Posted by colourislast

Where were the authority figures?

Originally Posted by colourislast

Why was it your responsibility to punish the kid?

Originally Posted by colourislast

You could not have reported this incident instead of taking action yourself? I think you should have received a much harsher punishment.

Originally Posted by colourislast

As for the day of silence, sounds like it turned into a day of suppressing free speech.

Originally Posted by colourislast

Even if it is bile and venom that is being spouted, free speech still covers idiocy. If it did not, we would not have presidential debates.

Originally Posted by colourislast

How can you expect people to learn to debate and express themselves civilly if you don’t handle responses in a civil manner yourself?

Originally Posted by nemesis

I do believe that students should be allowed to pray in school, but to my knowledge most schools do have something for Christmas which is obviously a Christian thing although it's easy to forget the religious connotations. Also technically nothing stops you from praying. It's not like Christians have this requirement where you aren't praying if your not on your knees like Muslims seem to have. I just don't believe in teacher led prayer, which doesn't seem to serve any real purpose and would only cause problems.

Originally Posted by TheHat

Right nothing stops anybody from saying a prayer alone, and nothing stops anybody from having a moment of silence for gay people alone either. Fact is, the schools are giving gay people a day all to their own, yet wont do the same for religious people. See the difference?

Originally Posted by Locke9-05

Not caring, like they most generally are, undoubtedly. The way high school administrations handle such situations reflect their overall incompetence as "authority figures."
It's easy for you to pull the guilt trip here, but retaliation in this case was not wrong. You talk of "freedom of speech," yet those who founded such principles killed each other in duels to the death over family feuds based on petty insults back and forth. Exhibit A: Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.
So what? What does that solve now? Obviously nothing. He accepted responsibility for his actions, even though the other "student" was so richly deserving of a much worse beating. Was the other student not able to defend himself? What a fear mongering society this is if every punch thrown and every mention of the word "gun" gets someone in trouble that could potentially ruin their education and/or lives. Pathetic. He deserved it. End of story.
The framers of our constitution killed each other over petty insults, so your little pitch about how his actions "suppressed free speech" have no consequence to reality.
It doesn't cover slander and libel. Calling someone names which they are not can be considered such--if you are going so far to consider challenging the deliverer of libel/striking him down "suppressing freedom of speech"
Like our founding fathers, right? Your point relies on an unnecessary guilt trip rather than the truth that some people really do deserve what they get.