Washington State High School Cancels 9/11 Tribute for Being 'Racially Insensitive'

(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

It’s hard to believe that in the wake of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, millions in our country responded with a wave of patriotism. Flags were up everywhere and we’d successfully shown our enemies that the American spirit won’t be easily crushed.

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Twenty years later, though, patriotism is now considered offensive by some, and the red, white, and blue might trigger the snowflakes who hate this country while enjoying all the comforts it provides. At least, that’s what happened in a Washington state high school, where students had planned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by wearing red, white, and blue at a patriotic-themed game. The school staff cried foul, claiming it could be “racially insensitive and offend some people.”

“At Eastlake High School in Sammamish, student leadership promoted a Patriot’s Day theme at a football game at Memorial Stadium against Rainier Beach,” reports KTTH 770, a conservative radio station. “The game was previously canceled, then rescheduled to the day before the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Students wanted to do something to remember the tragic events. But staff intervened.”

According to an email obtained by the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, “the principal said wearing those colors could ‘unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently.’ Students are upset. And some parents now speculate school officials thought their majority-minority opponents would be offended by American pride.”

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“At this point, I was fairly upset and confused as to why the theme was changed so I went around asking students in our leadership,” one student told  Rantz. “They had explained that red, white, and blue was going to be seen as racially insensitive and may affect people in a way that we will not understand, and for that reason, that we were to change our theme.”

In the wake of the terror attacks, many promised to “never forget.” In this particular case, students who weren’t even born when the attacks happened have been told their tribute would be offensive by school staffers who are old enough to remember the day.

What does that tell you? Who are these snowflake adults dictating to kids that patriotism is offensive?  Why is it even offensive? Well, neither the school principal nor the district communications director would explain why.

And it was the students who were upset.

“We disagreed and were extremely disappointed. I couldn’t believe their reasoning,” the Eastlake senior class president told Rantz. Another student emailed the show and pointed out the blatant hypocrisy. “I was instantly upset, and frustrated,” the email read. “If Eastlake is all about including everyone’s beliefs and being together as a ‘family,’ then why are we being told we can’t represent the country we live in? I have seen other [Lake Washington School District] football teams that held a flag or did some sort of memorial recognition towards 9/11, but apparently we weren’t allowed to even wear USA colors.”

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Without a doubt, the person who made this decision doesn’t love America. Somehow, these high school kids have managed to survive their education in the school district having more appreciation and love of country than the adults trying to shape their minds. There’s reason to be hopeful in that, but nevertheless, that anyone who was old enough to remember 9/11 would ever consider patriotism to be potentially offensive is just hard to wrap my head around.

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