Week 7 Text Response - What Rights?

After reading through a couple columns in chapter 19 about freedom of expression in the 21^st century, I came across an article I can really relate too and partially agree with. A Little Civility, Please, by Mark Davis, talks about how in schools you cannot wear certain types of clothing that can be “disruptive” in the class basically on the guidelines of possibly offending someone.  The columnist speaks of a junior in high school who wore a t-shirt that had the face of President Bush with the words “International Terrorist” framed around his face.  He was ordered to turn his shirt inside out and go home from school.  This all happened because of how someone was “offended” by a t-shirt.  Davis stated “Most people have shed the absurd notion that an 11^th grader in a public school has the exact same First Amendment rights as an adult in the outside world.” (Argument! 343).  This statement speaks for the whole column because it is so true and outrageous at the same time.  From the beginning of our adolescent years we as Americans have had our rights taken from us with out really even noticing it.  It all starts in schools where they are trying to teach you “right from wrong” and how to progress through life successfully. When in all reality, school are teaching you to allow someone to control you and basically mold you into not taking a stance and fighting for your rights because there will be consequences even though you are not doing anything wrong?  When will it stop? The government has allowed schools to take away your freedom of speech but telling you what you can and cannot wear or say.  Even after graduation into the “outside world”, the government is slowly taking away our rights.