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NY School Apologizes After Having Pledge Read in Arabic

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I can only assume that the people who complained were thinking to themselves, "Arabic? But that's where all the terrorists are from! Arabia! Why are we endorsing terrorism??" because there is literally no other means of finding a problem with this.

And it says the Arabic reading was Wednesday, so there had to be at least one other language used, if not two; what were they and did anyone complain?
 

Compsiox

Banned
3cd8a33a.png
 

Camwi

Member
Even if the US did have an official language (which is should, just to make things easier), that wouldn't stop someone from speaking in another language.

This country is so friggin' whacky sometimes.
 
Sneak preview of Monday's pledge

I pledge allegiance, in George Washington's English, as is our custom
To the flag, woven ever so lovingly by Betsy Ross
Of the United States of America, not be confused with Arabia by anyone
To the Republic, which means we're all Republicans so vote like it
For which it stands with its hand across its heart
One nation under God, and if you say Allah I will smack you
Indivisible, not even by those liberal elites in academia
With liberty and justice for all that can afford it.
 

Aselith

Member
So Arabic literally = language of terrorism to some people? Christ

Very much so. In the video I posted in my thread, the kids they interview almost all say "my family fought and died so we could say the pledge in ENGLISH!" Apparently, the us vs them mentality some people have extends even to the language.
 

JMDSO

Unconfirmed Member
Very much so. In the video I posted in my thread, the kids they interview almost all say "my family fought and died so we could say the pledge in ENGLISH!" Apparently, the us vs them mentality some people have extends even to the language.

but but.. it was in a different language every other day of the week without issue.

So fucking transparent.
 

B-Dubs

No Scrubs
Wow this is so dumb, what does a student speaking a different language have to do with you loosing someone in Afghanistan? School apologizing was so dumb, and only reinforced their xenophobic attitudes. New York Stays loosing this week.

It's a small town of like a couple thousand people in upstate New York, places like that aren't much better than parts of the Deep South.

Just so you get an idea of how small and out of the way this place is, here it is on Google Maps. It's literally a highway passing through a couple of streets.
 
We had a democratic election this week in the first world where an incumbent garnered support by warning his followers that they need to outvote their Arab countrymen. He won, and he never apologized. I'm not surprised in the least.
 

quaere

Member
And it says the Arabic reading was Wednesday, so there had to be at least one other language used, if not two; what were they and did anyone complain?

but but.. it was in a different language every other day of the week without issue.

So fucking transparent.
Actually, it was the first (and only) foreign language reading. Others had been scheduled for Monday and Tuesday but fell through.

http://www.recordonline.com/article/20150319/NEWS/150319215/101019/news
 

E92 M3

Member
Students shouldn't be forced to say the pledge. Whoever wants to can do it. That way the parents can't complain.
 

Docflem

Member
Students shouldn't be forced to say the pledge. Whoever wants to can do it. That way the parents can't complain.

I have a way more radical feeling on this, I say do a different language per week for a couple of months and force the students to learn it in said language and recite it as a group, force multiculturalism down their damn gullets.

P.S. I know this can't happen, in fact I'm happy no one is ever forced to say the pledge, but still I'm tired of shit like this.
 

Cyan

Banned
Is it really that surprising they apologized? I sometimes get confused as to why people treat this kind of apology as though it's serious. I mean, when a public figure says something racist, or sexist, or homophobic, when they inevitably apologize everyone assumes it's insincere, right? Why take this one any more seriously?

They got complaints, they wanted the complainers to stop bothering them, so they apologized.
 
Cant blame the school for succummbing to the pressure, but it's just too sad that the school is being brought down and suffocated by dummies.

Would have never happened in my high school, which is Catholic and in Canada. I remember our religion teacher always sharing religions and words from other worlds and getting students to share their faith/history on the P.A
 

Frog-fu

Banned
Is it really that surprising they apologized? I sometimes get confused as to why people treat this kind of apology as though it's serious. I mean, when a public figure says something racist, or sexist, or homophobic, when they inevitably apologize everyone assumes it's insincere, right? Why take this one any more seriously?

They got complaints, they wanted the complainers to stop bothering them, so they apologized.

Of course it's not genuine, but it's the principle that matters. Surely you'd agree they shouldn't have to apologise is the first place, and to me that's what so disappointing about it.
 
Is it really that surprising they apologized? I sometimes get confused as to why people treat this kind of apology as though it's serious. I mean, when a public figure says something racist, or sexist, or homophobic, when they inevitably apologize everyone assumes it's insincere, right? Why take this one any more seriously?

They got complaints, they wanted the complainers to stop bothering them, so they apologized.
Because its a feedback loop for more bigotry. Arabic has nothing to do with anything, yet the parents are successfully making sure that yes, you should be afraid of people speaking it.
 

CTLance

Member
Oh my. And it was such a nice idea too.

Kinda unrelated: Here in Germany we have a show for kids called "Die Sendung mit der Maus" that has a short TOC/summary in the beginning narrated in German at first, then again in a different language. I always found this an awesome idea. It promotes openness and acceptance in kids, methinks.
Example: Swedish.

Obviously, the Pledge is kind of on a different level, but it still saddens me that the school has to apologise for this.
 

riotous

Banned
Is it really that surprising they apologized? I sometimes get confused as to why people treat this kind of apology as though it's serious. I mean, when a public figure says something racist, or sexist, or homophobic, when they inevitably apologize everyone assumes it's insincere, right? Why take this one any more seriously?

They got complaints, they wanted the complainers to stop bothering them, so they apologized.

Sort of addressing a straw man; nobody here was saying it was surprising.
 
Because its a feedback loop for more bigotry. Arabic has nothing to do with anything, yet the parents are successfully making sure that yes, you should be afraid of people speaking it.

I feel bad for the school. They seem to be run by good people.

There are probably a lot of folks who also loved the idea of reading the pledge in other languages, but if the noise is coming from those who are bashing the school and if no one else is defending the school, then apologizing and moving on is probably all they want. It's too bad that's the case, I wish they really stuck it to everyone too.
 

Brakke

Banned
Must be the same clowns that complained about that Coke "America The Beautiful" ad.

Nobody ever told them Jesus spoke Aramaic I guess.

so apparently no one has lost a close family member in america i see

they must have a great health system

John "Colder than Kenosha" Kowalski
 

Cyan

Banned
Sort of addressing a straw man; nobody here was saying it was surprising.
Er...
The school shouldn't have apologized, and the parents who complained could go fuck themselves.

Shouldn't have apologised.

Leave the idiots to stew in their bigoted filth. Cunts.

Why the fuck. DON'T APOLOGIZE.

It is the right thing to do.

The school has nothing to apologize for; they have done nothing wrong.

I am disappointed the school felt the need to apologies.

The school did nothing wrong and shouldn't have apologised.

I don't think they should have apologized for that...

There should be no apology, and they should embrace diversity. Xenophobes just need to get over themselves.

Fuck the bigot mofos that got offended cause it was read in a different language. Bitch-made move by the school for apologizing and catering to these idiots.

I can't believe they apologized. They should have told the students and parents not to be xenophobic pricks.

School apologizing was so dumb, and only reinforced their xenophobic attitudes.
etc.
 

riotous

Banned

See maybe one or two with a bit of surprise. (although not specifically saying they were surprised, "can't believe they apologized" was about the only surprised remark there)

The rest are just saying they shouldn't have done it.
 
Stupid people look sideways at brown people and accuse them of being spies/sleepers/other nonsense they saw on TV and movies, then shit themselves when the pledge is read in Arabic

Can't win
 

Cyan

Banned
See maybe one or two with a bit of surprise. (although not specifically saying they were surprised)

The rest are just saying they shouldn't have done it.

Which was exactly what I was addressing. I'm not sure why you got caught up on the word "surprise," but if it's bothering you, skip over that line in my post and read the bit about treating it as though it's serious. *shrug*
 

Aselith

Member
Stupid people look sideways at brown people and accuse them of being spies/sleepers/other nonsense they saw on TV and movies, then shit themselves when the pledge is read in Arabic

Can't win

The American flag doesn't press one for Spanish!
 

Sayah

Member
Afghanistan comprises a vast number of different ethnic groups that speak different languages. Arabic isn't one of them. Even if Arabic was a main language in Afghanistan, it wouldn't at all make sense to be "offended" over a language.

People in other parts of the world aren't offended when English is used as a primary language. The British colonized a good chunk of the world and a lot of these former colonial areas (like India, Pakistan) use English as an official language and have adopted a lot from the British. Some old British laws are in fact still in effect in these countries.

For the school to issue an apology over some clearly xenophobic and dumb people is actually an insult.
 

Lamel

Banned
The dirty ayrabs are taking over our schools.What's next, we face Mecca while we pledge? we have 5 times a day prayer?
 
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