Reply to Antisemitic incident at Blair

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Again, I'm curious what people feel would be appropriate punishment for this, and whether it matters to them if there is any context we might not yet understand.[/quote]

OMG. What did I just read?! In no context is a Nazi salute OK.[/quote]

What if they weren't doing a Nazi salute. What if they were recreating a dance move and got the angle of their arms wrong. They didn't say "heil Hitler). They held their arms up.[/quote]

And what if someone said the n-word but they were just reciting lyrics? Or they said gay but they meant happy?

Or do you just try to rationalize it when it’s antisemitism.[/quote]

A better comparison is what if someone was accused of saying the n-word but it turned out they were saying another word that got misheard.

Gay isn't a slur and [b]actually it does mean happy[/b]. So if a kid was called homophobic for simply saying the word "gay," id for sure want more context before deciding it was a homophobic act.[/quote]

At least in the US, nobody has used it to mean happy for at least 50 years.[/quote]

Actually, they have. And again, not a slur -- it's okay to say gay, unless you're Ron Desantis. Context matters in these situations, which is why some of us feel that it's important to get more context in this particular situation before jumping to conclusions about exactly what happened. I've never met a Blair student who I would believe would intentionally do a Nazi salute, unless they were playing a Nazi in a school production of the Sound of Music or something. So the idea that a group of kids got together to do it is very alarming to me and I'd like more information about exactly what happened.[/quote]

No, they haven't. Nobody with even the slightest bit of awareness of American English language usage has said, "We had a gay time at the party on Saturday," and sincerely and unambiguously meant they had a merry/happy time at the party, in the last 50 years.

And it may not be a slur, but people sure try to use it as one.[/quote]

I've heard people reference things like "gay Paris" and mean the original meaning, not gay activities in Paris. Or reference the song "I Feel Pretty" which uses gay with its original meaning. Most adults know that gay used to just mean happy, even if they don't use it that way.

A lot of words (and gestures) have complex meanings. Things are not always as straightforward as we want them to be. Obviously kids using a Nazi salute is a major problem and needs to be addressed, but I am bothered by how many people on this thread are willing to accept a somewhat vague account of what happened without further inquiry, and seem to be mad that consequences haven't already been issued. There's no video or pictures. High school students are not always perfect witnesses. I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm just saying we need more information and that the context is relevant.

I didn't realize that was a controversial position.[/quote]

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