Massachusetts college removes American flag from campus

[millefleur 5,047]

my mom and dad never divorced, are still together. my mom never worked outside the home my entire childhood.and i played both of them like a fiddle for the entirety of my teenage years. just saying, the grass is always greener. helicoptering in this instance speaks more to the college's administration than to their students, imo.

That's true, a lot of the helicoptering is going on in schools and colleges nowadays. My college didn't even have an American flag anywhere that I remember and most of the student body were international kids from East Asia, lol. I guess it's happening more at these insular, little utopian colleges hidden from the outside world.

[bcking 3,157]

Huh?

Helicoptering a kid...

When you take the child's arms in your arms, and then spin around fast enough that the kid raises in the air and ends up looking like the propellers of a helicopter.

Don't do that until the child dies.

EDIT:

For serious though, I'd love to see our country get up to date with the rest of the world when it comes to parental leave. 6 weeks is a joke. I know it wouldn't solve all the issues but good active parenting in the first year of life sets the foundation for the future. We need to catch up with the rest of the world.

Edited November 23, 2016 by bcking

[Teddy B 17,252]

Maybe it's not a popular opinion but I think a lot of the absentee parenting is sometimes a result of the the working mom and high divorce rate. My parents divorced when I was 9 and I definitely felt at times that there was a huge lack of guidance during my teenage years due to my mom being too busy at work or trying to find a new boyfriend/husband. My dad ended up moving three hours away so he basically wasn't in the picture on a day to day basis. Of course moms should be allowed to work, I'm not saying we need to go back to the dark ages, but the idea of the mom having to be the sole or main breadwinner puts a huge constraint on being a mom, which is already an intensely hard job.

When I compare my upbringing to my husband's (who comes from a very loving, large family with married parents and has his grandparents even still around) it's s stark contrast. I'm not sure the absenteeism is always about laziness...and I certainly don't blame my parents, I'm glad they got divorced because they were a terrible match. But when I look back on it, the absentee/laissez-faire parenting can definitely be a problem. It's all about the balance between that and helicoptering. But the whole situation is kind of complex, I'm a bit skeptical to just blame the parents...I think there are greater factors at play a lot of the times.

There are always other factors to consider when these problems exist. I wasn't attempting to throw a blanket over any certain group and call them lazy. My post was directed at the ones that are in fact lazy and simply pawn their children off on others because they can't be bothered.

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

It starts before college though. If you helicopter your kid to death or don't care to raise your kids and be an actual parent... this is what we're left with.

or they should use a different helicopter

[Dakine10 5,452]

Or cut all federal funds until they are willing to fly the flag again.

Enforcement of the federal flag code is handled at the state level. I'm not sure what federal funds the university gets, but they would have to change existing law to cut funds over this. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens.

[Voice of Reason 10,298]

Doesn't really matter either way. The USC calls for punishing those who destroy or mutilate a flag, with prison and financial penalties, but those have been deemed worthless by lawyers. Do whatever you want to a US flag, except steal it. No harm, no foul.

Enforcement of the federal flag code is handled at the state level. I'm not sure what federal funds the university gets, but they would have to change existing law to cut funds over this. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens.

[Dashinka 24,960]

I agree, it appears as if many colleges in the country are treating students like 1st graders, they are doing nothing but raising a generation of wimps

Or participation award winners!

[Dakine10 5,452]

Or participation award winners!

I think that's getting old. Watching my 8 year old son going up against kids up to 15 years old in his tae kwon do class, I don't see any less competitive drive in these kids than in any other generation. They all go all out for the grand prize of nothing. The younger kids have no chance at some of the competitions they do, but you would never, ever know that by watching them go at it.

The fact that they emphasize working together is not a bad thing either. Watching these bozos in congress butt heads over everything tiny detail, unable to come together on anything, I actually would look forward to the day that these kids get grow up and get a crack at it. Except for the fact that I'll be dead by then of course. I have no doubt they'll do a better job than our generation did, especially with the bar set as low as we did.

[MarkPerry 488]

It starts before college though. If you helicopter your kid to death or don't care to raise your kids and be an actual parent... this is what we're left with.

You could be correct.

When I went to college back in the late 80's we were taught to think for ourselves, to question things and make our own decisions. We were taught you no longer live with mommy and daddy and it's time to be your own person. Make your own way in life.