Newton North High School Senior Banned From Prom For Writing Pro Democracy Propoganda In Chinese Textbooks While Studying Abroad

Boston.com – Newton North High School senior Henry DeGroot was visiting a school outside Beijing on a semester abroad this year when he decided to have some fun and also make a point by writing prodemocracy messages in the notebook of a Chinese student. “Democracy is for cool kids,” he recalls writing. “Don’t believe the lies your school and government tell you,” said another message, and “It’s right to rebel.” But when Chinese school officials found out, he had to serve five hours of detention. And when he returned home, it got worse: Newton school officials barred DeGroot from his prom. Newton school officials say he violated semester abroad rules, embarrassed the principal of the Chinese school that was hosting Newton students, and showed so much disrespect for the Chinese that the longstanding relationship with the school may be harmed. He says his rights were abridged by the Newton school system. The school system, he says, taught him the importance of civil disobedience and speaking his mind, but then punished him when he practiced what he learned. Instead of the prom, DeGroot said he and his date, dressed in formal attire, went to Five Guys, the local burger restaurant. “I’m missing a lifetime of memories,’’ he said. Newton School Superintendent David Fleishman said the problem is not that the 18-year-old expressed his opinions but that he did so on a school-sponsored semester in China, violating a code of conduct clearly spelled out to students before they left. “We certainly want our students to be thoughtful and critical thinkers,” said Fleishman. “We encourage that, and we pride ourselves on giving students that opportunity. But this is not about free speech.”

I pretty much hate everybody in this story if we’re being honest. Like if you go to China on some student exchange program where I’m sure they Chinese people treated you like royalty it’s kind of dog shit to start writing shit like “Fuck the Police” in your textbooks and shit. Just rabble rousing for the sake of rabble rousing. But that doesn’t mean the Newton handled this correctly either. I mean basically the Newton Superintendent is saying we’re all for freedom of speech, critical thinking and expressing your opinions as long as we say it’s okay to express yourself. But if we tell you to shut up you need to shut up. So in other words the exact opposite of free speech. Say whatever you want as long as we are cool with it. That’s school administrator 101. No different than China or any dictatorship really. Whatever they say goes and if you don’t like it then they punish you.

The bottomline is this. The people who dropped the ball here were the pussy Chinese people. They should have thrown the kid in the clink and let him rot. Like you want to come over here and then flaunt democracy in our faces and make fun of Socialism? Fine we’ll treat you like we treat people who talk shit.  Now you die in jail. I would have had no problem with that. But Newton punishing him for being pro democracy is a joke.

PS – Going to 5 guys in formal wear is such a hardo move. Made me hate this kid double time.

Double PS – Who does a semester abroad in high school?  How about playing a sport dude.