Yes, circumstantial or perhaps geographical segregation does exist at very high levels but this is not based on purposeful segregation so much as it is on the nature of racial groups to live in segregated neighborhoods in a semi-organic fashion. This would not be the case with nerds or gays, at least I don't think.
Also, I think both the notion of kicking kids out of school and creating schools specially for them is just a little absurd in that a lot of teenagers are very confused about their sexuality. There's a lot of questions, doubt, experimentation etc. that goes on for young people. A lot of them probably won't come to grips fully with that part of their maturing selves until after high school. People should not be so quick to either judge them or encourage them to fully understand their own complicated sexual beings at that young, hormonal age...
2009-01-28 19:54:47
I think you're absolutely on to something with that Scott, but I wonder where one can draw a clear distinction. Sports perform a social function. Arguably so do other forms of entertainment. So it's tricky. And politically I think it's very muddy waters to go at the jugular of the private schools, whether or not they deserve it...
2009-01-28 19:47:49
I think there is a difference between employment and school, though, just as there are different rules for private clubs vs. places of employment. I'm not placing a value on that, per say, but there are reasons for this.
And I do support wrongful dismissal laws for employment purposes.
2009-01-28 19:39:42
I guess on a practical front, I'd say if my son or daughter were gay, and there was a private school hostile to gays I would certainly not send them there and they wouldn't benefit from my patronage. However if there was a public school whose administration was hostile to gays I would take legal recourse.
I'm just not sure it's an easy question at all, though, and you're probably right to be "agnostic" on this one. I wonder if there are legal grounds for "wrongful dismissal" if a private school expelled a child for just thinking they were gay. Sort of like wrongful dismissal in the work place?
2009-01-28 19:29:36
I disagree, Scott. There has to be a boundary between the State and private schools, private organizations, my home, and so forth. Allowing the State to determine these things outside the public sphere goes against the very grain of the freedoms from the State, that this country stands for.
I would be very grateful for your thoughts on this piece, though, which touches on some of the notions of freedom of speech and so forth, especially since I mention Canada and their hate-speech laws a bit...
2009-01-28 19:08:13
Well certainly I think special tax breaks should come with special strings attached. If a private school wants to be unbound from these strings, they need only refuse any public assistance. One argument for school vouchers would be any private school who accepted them would be forced to do away with these discriminatory practices. Ironically, that is also an argument against school vouchers for many on the Right...
2009-01-28 18:58:45
Do all private schools? Well then I'd say there are grounds to sue, and sue they should.
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Yes, circumstantial or perhaps geographical segregation does exist at very high levels but this is not based on purposeful segregation so much as it is on the nature of racial groups to live in segregated neighborhoods in a semi-organic fashion. This would not be the case with nerds or gays, at least I don't think.
Also, I think both the notion of kicking kids out of school and creating schools specially for them is just a little absurd in that a lot of teenagers are very confused about their sexuality. There's a lot of questions, doubt, experimentation etc. that goes on for young people. A lot of them probably won't come to grips fully with that part of their maturing selves until after high school. People should not be so quick to either judge them or encourage them to fully understand their own complicated sexual beings at that young, hormonal age...
I think you're absolutely on to something with that Scott, but I wonder where one can draw a clear distinction. Sports perform a social function. Arguably so do other forms of entertainment. So it's tricky. And politically I think it's very muddy waters to go at the jugular of the private schools, whether or not they deserve it...
I think there is a difference between employment and school, though, just as there are different rules for private clubs vs. places of employment. I'm not placing a value on that, per say, but there are reasons for this.
And I do support wrongful dismissal laws for employment purposes.
I guess on a practical front, I'd say if my son or daughter were gay, and there was a private school hostile to gays I would certainly not send them there and they wouldn't benefit from my patronage. However if there was a public school whose administration was hostile to gays I would take legal recourse.
I'm just not sure it's an easy question at all, though, and you're probably right to be "agnostic" on this one. I wonder if there are legal grounds for "wrongful dismissal" if a private school expelled a child for just thinking they were gay. Sort of like wrongful dismissal in the work place?
I disagree, Scott. There has to be a boundary between the State and private schools, private organizations, my home, and so forth. Allowing the State to determine these things outside the public sphere goes against the very grain of the freedoms from the State, that this country stands for.
I would be very grateful for your thoughts on this piece, though, which touches on some of the notions of freedom of speech and so forth, especially since I mention Canada and their hate-speech laws a bit...
Well certainly I think special tax breaks should come with special strings attached. If a private school wants to be unbound from these strings, they need only refuse any public assistance. One argument for school vouchers would be any private school who accepted them would be forced to do away with these discriminatory practices. Ironically, that is also an argument against school vouchers for many on the Right...
Do all private schools? Well then I'd say there are grounds to sue, and sue they should.