NationStates Jolt Archive

There was a study released that states 36% of the 100,000 high school kids surveyed think the government should approve of newspaper articles before they are published. Here (http://www.usaweekend.com/05_issues/050130/050130first_amendment.html) is a link to one article. Seventy-four percent think that you should be prohibited from burning the American flag, and 21% think musicians should be censored.

What the heck is wrong with them?

What the heck is wrong with them?
What isn't? :p

What isn't? :p
Way back in the 1900's when I was in high school, we didn't burn flags, but we were worried about government censorship. And probably more so about illegal search and seizure.

LA LA LA LA LA I'M NOT LISTENING!!!!!!

LA LA LA LA LA I'M NOT LISTENING!!!!!!

Hey, you kid! Get off my grass!

What is that surprising.

Many schools don't teach the Consititution anymore.

Anybody here ever have a class in Civics?

Scary times ahead if that is the norm......

What is that surprising.

Many schools don't teach the Consititution anymore.

Anybody here ever have a class in Civics?

Scary times ahead if that is the norm......
Good thing that my history teacher is *actually* teaching us about the constitution and what it stands for

Hey, you kid! Get off my grass!
I...I just can't take it...I don't want to allow myself to accept that my future might end up...

I...I just can't take it...I don't want to allow myself to accept that my future might end up...
Then we'll fight it; if the government becomes tyrannical because of our generation's stupidity I will happily fight that oppression

Complacency, and they are not the only one's suffering either. Let enough water go under the bridge, and the inviolable 'rights' and 'necessities' that people willingly gave their lives to achieve yesterday, are rejected in favour of efficiency and/or 'safety/security' today. The fact that freedom is a necessary condition for true safety and security, apparently goes over the heads of many, strangely these are often the same people who state that the deaths of 1000's of people is a worthy price to pay for freedom......if it were not so tragically frightening and sad, it would be funny...

Can't say I'm particularly surprised at this news.

Then we'll fight it; if the government becomes tyrannical because of our generation's stupidity I will happily fight that oppression
Yes, but the only practical way to fight tyranny of the majority is tyranny of the minority, and I don't want either! There is no more important amendment of the U.S. Constitution than the 1st, and if enough people support abridging the rights granted by it, then they will, and...and...

You have heard high school kids before right? They're idiots, don't worry. Besides I don't necessarily believe this survey, as the younger generation tends to be more left leaning on most issues. And if they aren't the vast liberal conspiracy of college will make them! oooOOOooOOOO

Highschool kids are stupid. I have experience with them; I am one.

Now, I don't see any problem with not burning the flag, but the other stuff's going too far.

Highschool kids are stupid. I have experience with them; I am one.

Now, I don't see any problem with not burning the flag, but the other stuff's going too far.
It's just another form of political expression. I don't think I'd ever burn a flag, either, but it's nice to know it isn't prohibited. I had to quit the American Legion over that. But then the VFW does have better(closer) bars.

Now, I don't see any problem with not burning the flag, but the other stuff's going too far.
What?!? You seriously think that it is acceptable to ban the burning of the flag? It is one of the strongest forms of protest, burning a deep-set symbol like that. I haven't, and probably won't, but in any country that should support freedom of expression, banning the burning of the flag is like saying the country is more important than itself.

The...WHAT?? That's horrific! I thought young people were supposed to be about sticking it to The Man, and free speech to annoy your parents and stuff. Sheesh. Kids today just don't have the hang of it. Quick, somone make me 15 again and I'll show 'em how it's done. :p

In all seriousness though, it is pretty scary, but then I believed all consumption of alcohol was evi and French-kissing was sinfull when I was a teenager. Fortunately you grow out of these things.

It's just another form of political expression. I don't think I'd ever burn a flag, either, but it's nice to know it isn't prohibited. I had to quit the American Legion over that. But then the VFW does have better(closer) bars.

To me, though, flag-burning is stupid. It's supposed to be a statement about how much you hate the police state that is America...which is free enough that you're able to burn its flag. Hypocritical, at least I think so.

I say, either making flag-burning illegal, or hippy-burning legal. Actually, I'd rather have the second.

I dont see why flag burning should be considered a crime, (unless of course the act would constitute a crime even if the object burned was not a flag). To suggest that it should be a crime, is to suggest that the nation is a cult rather than a 'free democracy'. In a free democracy, free and democracy take primacy over trappings and symbols that represent the free democracy.

To me, though, flag-burning is stupid. It's supposed to be a statement about how much you hate the police state that is America...which is free enough that you're able to burn its flag. Hypocritical, at least I think so.
Wow do you not understand the very nature of flag burning. You are taking circumstancial evidence that is far from a rule, and use it to justify everything.

Hey guys, let's put this into perspective. It's only about 1/3 of highschoolers, which isn't enough to create change. Besides, people become less idealistic when they age, so that ppercentage may shrink as time goes on.

What the heck is wrong with them?

They haven't made it through high school yet!

Wow, this is the 4th thread on this.
These are the new gay threads which were the new religion threads which were the new abortion threads which were the new gay threads.
It's all like, some big cycle, maaan!
I mean, duuuude!

Way back in the 1900's when I was in high school, we didn't burn flags, but we were worried about government censorship. And probably more so about illegal search and seizure.Hehehe, that's cause of what you kept in your drawers wasn't it? :D

To me, though, flag-burning is stupid. It's supposed to be a statement about how much you hate the police state that is America...which is free enough that you're able to burn its flag. Hypocritical, at least I think so.

I say, either making flag-burning illegal, or hippy-burning legal. Actually, I'd rather have the second.
Of course it is stupid, that doesn't mean that we should off and ban it though...

and who dared to call me a fascist, WHO

Hey guys, let's put this into perspective. It's only about 1/3 of highschoolers, which isn't enough to create change. Besides, people become less idealistic when they age, so that ppercentage may shrink as time goes on.
then you look at the current elder generation and realise where they get this shit then you realise, we're fucked

Of course it is stupid, that doesn't mean that we should off and ban it though...

There's a surprising number of people who love that word, "ban". If there's ever a problem the answer to all ills is "BAN IT!"

None of them seem to appreciate what banning something involves. Like, dragging someone off, beating the shit out of them if they resist, shooting them dead if they defend themselves and slamming the survivors in a prison cell with a bucket for a toilet and a rapist for a next door neighbour, for the grand high crime of burning a bit of cloth.

How lovely our free countries are.

*points, laughs, works on plans to assassinate his own Government*

high school kids


What the heck is wrong with them?

You answered your own question.

What is that surprising.

Many schools don't teach the Consititution anymore.

Anybody here ever have a class in Civics?

Scary times ahead if that is the norm......
kids don't need to be taught the constitution or have special classes in 'Civics' or 'citizenship' (like the Nazis instigated, by the way) to respect their freedoms. there should be a similar poll in the UK because here, we don't teach these things in schools, and perhaps we do take our freedoms for granted (most of us), but we don't have a generation of kids believing that retracting civil rights and freedoms (not burning the flag, media censorship) is acceptable. it is one thing to take freedom for granted and quite another to believe supressing freedom is ok.
there must be something at work on these kids in america that is not present in the UK. our kids both take our freedom for granted, so there is a commonality. for my money, the factor acting on american kids must be the media. the government cleverly manipulates the media in the US to keep citizens alert and frightened (the terror threat warning scale thing), and uses the public's subsequent reaction to retract freedom. the kids see this being done in the name of the 'war on terror' and safety - to build a safe and better future - and think its ok. i'm getting v tired so i hope that made some sense :p

kids don't need to be taught the constitution or have special classes in 'Civics' or 'citizenship' (like the Nazis instigated, by the way) to respect their freedoms. there should be a similar poll in the UK because here, we don't teach these things in schools, and perhaps we do take our freedoms for granted (most of us), but we don't have a generation of kids believing that retracting civil rights and freedoms (not burning the flag, media censorship) is acceptable. it is one thing to take freedom for granted and quite another to believe supressing freedom is ok.
there must be something at work on these kids in america that is not present in the UK. our kids both take our freedom for granted, so there is a commonality. for my money, the factor acting on american kids must be the media. the government cleverly manipulates the media in the US to keep citizens alert and frightened (the terror threat warning scale thing), and uses the public's subsequent reaction to retract freedom. the kids see this being done in the name of the 'war on terror' and safety - to build a safe and better future - and think its ok. i'm getting v tired so i hope that made some sense :p
I feel as though this post misses the point. The point isnt what teenagers think, but rather the effect this might have when these teenagers are enfranchised and so made responsible for ensuring their own freedoms.

The fact that the UK government would even contemplate passing a law that allows them to give home detention to someone, and have that person electronically tagged, as well as dictate who that person can associate with, all in the absence of proof of criminal conduct, proves more than any number of polls about the beliefs of high school kids proves...

There was a study released that states 36% of the 100,000 high school kids surveyed think the government should approve of newspaper articles before they are published. Here (http://www.usaweekend.com/05_issues/050130/050130first_amendment.html) is a link to one article. Seventy-four percent think that you should be prohibited from burning the American flag, and 21% think musicians should be censored.

What the heck is wrong with them?
Well, most kids are liberal, and put blind faith in large government structures. As for the flags, hell, they're right!

While admitedly not stated in the article, I would have to think that the belief that !st Amendmet Rights should be curbed is part of the "all liberals are traitors" mentality which this nation seems to have gotten recently.

Well, most kids are liberal, and put blind faith in large government structures. As for the flags, hell, they're right!
"Texas v. Johnson"

Well yes, I am now E-Flipping you off.

I hope you do know only the dumbshit preps ( yes preps, those who think there right and are mostly rich ) take these tests or surveys. I will tell you that probably only 20-30 percent of the American youth has tooken that survey, where ever the fuck it crawled out of. Oh and so did the Hippys and other pot addicted dumbasses.

Anyways, your saying most kids are Liberal right?

Please don't forget to mention the few Conservative kids are still out there. Translation: I am one of those few.

And if you want to know what these Liberal kids think...hell where to start...every single friend of mine is a Liberal stuckup..

( I feel verry isolated lol )

If you ban flag burning than you justify burning the flag.

( BTW, This one is not a flag burner, sorry guy who posted after me confused me...must be referring to a past post )

Reply to Civics thing:

Yea we still have...nope nevermind we don't. Civics only teaches major court things, and then the Liberal teacher goes on bitching about how Bush is in office and the other kids ( other then me, told you I am isolated ) start agreeing and say even worse and I am sitting here going " I am going to the Marine Corps in 4 years to ensure the safety of these pot headed assholes? "

The...WHAT?? That's horrific! I thought young people were supposed to be about sticking it to The Man, and free speech to annoy your parents and stuff. Sheesh. Kids today just don't have the hang of it. Quick, somone make me 15 again and I'll show 'em how it's done. :p

In all seriousness though, it is pretty scary, but then I believed all consumption of alcohol was evi and French-kissing was sinfull when I was a teenager. Fortunately you grow out of these things.


Ok really you all must be talking about Liberal kids now...cuz I am confused going " I'm not like this, nor that or...oh nvm there..ohh "

And sorry for tripple post

Well yes, I am now E-Flipping you off.

I hope you do know only the dumbshit preps ( yes preps, those who think there right and are mostly rich ) take these tests or surveys. I will tell you that probably only 20-30 percent of the American youth has tooken that survey, where ever the fuck it crawled out of. Oh and so did the Hippys and other pot addicted dumbasses.

Anyways, your saying most kids are Liberal right?

Please don't forget to mention the few Conservative kids are still out there. Translation: I am one of those few.

And if you want to know what these Liberal kids think...hell where to start...every single friend of mine is a Liberal stuckup..

( I feel verry isolated lol )

Where do you go to school?

Lincoln Southeast Highschool ( in Nebraska )

Hehehe, that's cause of what you kept in your drawers wasn't it? :D
Or the locker at school...You didn't see me, you can't prove it.

Well, most kids are liberal, and put blind faith in large government structures. As for the flags, hell, they're right!
The kind of liberalism I've always seen would sure protest government intrusion into personal rights. Wouldn't it?

Or the locker at school...You didn't see me, you can't prove it.Lol, we had drug dogs through our school.

It always surprised me how little they found. Didn't surprise me how many people made themselves absent!!!

Reply to Civics thing:

Yea we still have...nope nevermind we don't. Civics only teaches major court things, and then the Liberal teacher goes on bitching about how Bush is in office and the other kids ( other then me, told you I am isolated ) start agreeing and say even worse and I am sitting here going " I am going to the Marine Corps in 4 years to ensure the safety of these pot headed assholes? "
oh yes you know what i hjave to put up with? some fat ass comes into global studies like 10 mintues before class and im there anyway cuz i have layovers between classes and EVERY FUCKING day he starts going on and on about how republicans and conservatives are great and how liberals are bad and bastards and how he judged this person or that person by their political opinion today. the first god dman gay he repeated this exact phrase at least 5 times: "she was ok for a liberal" and he also stated "i really liked her until i found out she was liberal" he does this shit every god damn day: judging people by whether they are liberal or not. one of these days im gonig to get sick of it and tell him to say somethnig intelligent or shut the fuck up. word for word

This is why I support Senator Byrd's proposed law that would require schools to teach kids about the consitution one day a year. But I would go further with a law requiring students to take a course on the US Constitution in order to graduate high school. Course there is a government course that most kids take in their last year of high school but most such courses barely touch on the US Constitution (which is a sad irony when you think about it).
The law I propose would require a semester long course specifically dedicated to studying the US Constitution itself. At the end of the course, they would be required to pass a 12 page written exam in order to receive credit.

May I present the 2004 Election Results?

The First Amendment can be repealed.

You should know that these views are not just held by high school students. There are a lot of adults who hold these views as well.
As for flag burning, there two legit reasons for doing so:
1. The flag was desecrated (example: it touched the ground or was defecated on)
2. As a sign of distress. (Another way to use the flag as a sign of distress is to fly it upside down.)

May I present the 2004 Election Results?

The First Amendment can be repealed.
It won't be. The people who seek to repeal it, simply don't have the votes. The rest of us have them way outnumbered in terms of active voter participation.
The fact is that those who don't participate in the media, or who don't vote are the ones who tend to support repealing the first amendment. And for this reason, the 1st will never be repealed. Because its opponents are pretty much nonparticipants.

You should know that these views are not just held by high school students. There are a lot of adults who hold these views as well.
As for flag burning, there two legit reasons for doing so:
1. The flag was desecrated (example: it touched the ground or was defecated on)
2. As a sign of distress. (Another way to use the flag as a sign of distress is to fly it upside down.)
And as a sign of protest. Burning it is a ligitimate way to protest a government...

You should know that these views are not just held by high school students. There are a lot of adults who hold these views as well.
As for flag burning, there two legit reasons for doing so:
1. The flag was desecrated (example: it touched the ground or was defecated on)
2. As a sign of distress. (Another way to use the flag as a sign of distress is to fly it upside down.)
Whether or not there is a legitimate reason for flag burning, is not in this instance relevent.

Ok really you all must be talking about Liberal kids now...cuz I am confused going " I'm not like this, nor that or...oh nvm there..ohh "

And sorry for tripple post

I was being somewhat flippant. My point was, the teenage years are traditionally a time of rebellion against The Rules: the rules set down by parents, by the school, by organised religion, by the government. Part of growing up is establishing one's independence from the family and identifying an individual viewpoint and belief system, and one of the ways this is done is by testing the rules and questioning authority. Therefore, I was surprised by such a substantial portion of high-schoolers apparently supporting stricter rules on things like free speech. You don't often hear teenagers arguing for earlier curfews or that the drinking age be moved higher, for example.

Back when I was in high school, though, the words 'liberal' and 'conservative' were not thrown about as deadly epithets on a daily basis; this is clearly a phenomenon which has arisen in the last few years. Politically, my high school was much more divided by issues than labels, and the main division was race, to be perfectly honest. Apart from that, all anyone ever really seemed to care about was getting a boyfriend ('twas an all-girls school) and/or getting into a good college - politics wasn't a particularly big thing.

Oh and we never had civics class per se, but we did all take a semester of 'Government' as seniors, which taught things like how a bill becomes law. In fairness it was a very small school so we didn't have things like band or psychology or Latin, either.

If you ban flag burning than you justify burning the flag.

Absolutely perfect. I can't think of a better way to say it.

You should know that these views are not just held by high school students. There are a lot of adults who hold these views as well.


Yup, the public education system is doing its job quite well....getting everyone to believe the government knows better.