Re: OOC VI: Perfection
Well, just to chuck in another angle on all this (I love stirring the pot ;) )
I can, to a point, understand where that Principal might have been coming from: Here in Aus, we have an article of clothing known as a "Cronulla Cape". Cronulla is a popular beach and suburb in Sydney, and was the scene of some vicious anti-muslim race riots in 2005. One of the key symbols employed by the anti-muslim ("white australian") parties was the wearing of the Australian flag as a cape, in a deliberate effort to alienate. While both "sides" of these riots (muslim and anti muslim) were at fault, the wearing of the Australian flag by anyone but an athelete after winning an event has begun to seem quite distastful.
There have been music festivals in Australia which have attempted (unsuccessfully) to ban the wearing of the flag, and the Eureka cross (a Uniquely Australian symbol of rebellion against repression - compare to the Confederate flag but without the connotations of slavery support) has been banned from appearing on building sites as the meaning has changed over time to one of intoleracne against anything not "Australian"; a notoriously undefineable term.
With that information from 'down-under' as a comparison, you might be able to argue that the principal thought that the Stars and Stripes might have been creating that kind of image, rather than one of freedom and liberty, as originally intended. Although I agree that the kids shouldn't have been expelled.
As for immigration issues, we have them aplenty, with just as much risk associated with the illegal immigrants as those entering the USA, as a result of the boat crossing from Indonesia and PNG, often in boats that are barely seaworthy. Most illegal immigrants to Aus claim refugee status, and while this is generally true, they are still treated like criminals and locked up, usually on offshore islands. The issue costs Australia millions of dollars, and while the refugees rarely reach society quickly, the detention centres are filling with every new boat that attempts to enter our waters. These are people who are costing our country money when they could just as easily be instated as visa granted workers, who pay tax.
The issue in my mind is that the immigration systems of our respective countries works slowly, and some people need to 'cheat' this in order to secure their lives.
One last thing: Ruse, you are using Ellis Island as a metaphor for appropriate application for a visa right? Coz Ellis shut down in 1954.
