So here's a story that is a lot more complex than a simple case of he-said, she-said. A 13-year-old boy served a one-day in-school suspension after he reportedly used an American flag to wipe his hands after leaving the bathroom. On top of this, Moses Hinton is the only African-American student in the Virginia Beach Plaza Middle School's gifted program; his parents are saying that he was unfairly punished because of it ... although the principal at the school is black.
There's definitely a lot going on here. When confronted about it, Moses allegedly told the teacher there were no paper towels left in the bathroom, but according to the boy’s mother, "His response was 'mommy I was coming up the stairs and I lost my balance and I touched the flag.'"
Oh boy. No matter, it seems that Hinton did touch the flag. But I do feel like a one-day suspension was extreme in this case.
Of course, if Moses did wipe his hands on the flag, he should have been punished ... it's a symbol that must always be respected. My dad is a veteran and my brother went to the Air Force Academy; I know all the rules when it comes to the flag and I don't mess around with them. People who intentionally deface the flag should be held accountable, no doubt about it.
But the flag in the auditorium wasn't damaged or broken or stained beyond repair. It was a careless mistake; it wasn't as if the boy actually had the intention to take the flag off the pole and stomp around on it. Perhaps he could have gotten a warning or detention or written an essay about the flag instead -- a suspension will be on his record, and it's too harsh a punishment.
Still, I don't believe that Hinton's race had anything to do with suspending him, though his parents say otherwise. "Why react so harshly?" said the Hintons' attorney. "You have a bright, gifted, young black male; it seems to be an attempt to pour ice water on his motivation."
Would the punishment have been less severe had a white student wiped his hands on the flag? It's an impossible question to answer -- I just hope that Moses will be able to move on from this incident and continue to succeed in his gifted program, politics and patriotism aside.
Here's more on this story:
Do you think a one-day suspension was too harsh a punishment?
Image via Just some dust/Flickr
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Comments 54
I know I'm going to come off sounding much older than I really am by saying this, but here goes: Today's kids are not taught respect and boundaries, and they need to learn that there are some things you just don't do. Wiping your hands on the American flag just happens to fall under that catagory.
oh shut the fuck up jai........
Idiot teenager. It's not like this is a child. He knew exactly what he was doing.
On top of that one-day ISS, he should also have to write an essay on the significance of the colors, the history, and the symbolism of the flag. He should also have to volunteer in a VA hospital and spend some time with those who have given so much to defend every single thing this little shit takes for granted every day.
If his parents are actually suing the school over this, instead of kicking their son's ass, they should be audited by the IRS for the next five years.
First things first, the flag is basically a piece of cloth but the symbol on the flag is important. Descration of the flag means that the symbol of the flag is distorted intentionally. In this case all that happened was the flag got a little wet nothing distorted and nothing damaged, where lies any crime. The student should counselled and not punished! Racial antagonism is another issue altogether!