The Occidental College Republican Club organized a memorial of almost 3,000 flags in the campus quad in remembrance of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Early Sunday morning, around 1 am, they found the flags broken and tossed in the trash along with fliers that "shamed the victims". The fliers read:“R.I.P. The 2,996 Americans who died in 9/11. R.I.P. the 1,455,590 innocent Iraqis who died during the U.S. invasion for something they didn’t do.” The club quickly put the flags back, only to have the same thing happen again, this time being smushed and kicked around. The Republican Club wouldn't stand for this and put the flags back once again, and a security guard made sure they weren't damaged again. Many questions arose from this incident, as did an investigation to find out who vandalized the memorial for the victims.
Analysis
This is so extra like why y'all gotta be so petty let the club have their memorial.
But in all seriousness, the students who took part in this should be ashamed for using the 1st amendment as justification for their actions. One should not use their freedom of speech to put down or restrict someone else's. The campus is now debating whether or not to use the U.S flag as a memorial symbol, and others around the country are enraged by this incident.
News story:
Article link: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-911-memorial-vandalized-occidental-20160912-snap-story.html
I agree that defacing a memorial site is rather, as you put it, extra. However, I do in part agree with the sentiment expressed by the fliers found. In the United States, great emphasis is placed upon 9/11's impact upon this country, but little attention is given to how it has changed attitudes towards other countries. 9/11 was terrible, but that does not excuse islamophobia or the deaths of even more innocents in retaliation.
ReplyDelete-Cal Thompson
Delete(not sure how these replies are tracked for grading so just being safe)
I agree that a memorial site is the last place that should be vandalized. It is just plain disrespectful to vandalize a site that is dedicated to American heroes that lost their lives due to an inevitable event.
ReplyDelete-Liza Kaye
I see what the people who vandalized the memorial are saying, but it was just a disrespectful way to go about things. There are other more peaceful ways to get your message across.
ReplyDelete