What, Of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?

“The [American] flag uniquely symbolizes the ideas of liberty, equality and tolerance - ideas that Americans have passionately defended and debated throughout our history. Thus, the Government…should protect the symbolic values of the flag” wrote Justice John Paul Stevens in the Texas v. Johnson (1989) Supreme Court Case (History of Flag Burning). Justice Antonin Scalia agreed, “If it were up to me, I would put in jail every…wierdo who burns the American flag” 9. However these Justices may have felt personally, this was not the result of the vote. In 1989, the Supreme Court defended flag burning as part of the First Amendment freedom of expression.

Acceptance, a word with so much meaning yet so little impact. The world struggles to accept one’s choice of words to their race. In the text “American Flag Stands for Tolerance” by Ronald J Allen, “Texas vs. Johnson”, and “My so Called Enemy” by William J Brennan demonstrate how people should be accepted and along with their opinions. We as human beings must be willing to accept people or opinions that are different from ourselves.

A meaningful quote by Barbara Jordan, thats goes unnoticed by many “We as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” “American Flag Stands for Tolerance”, “The Lottery”, and “Texas V. Johnson Majority Opinion” are three different stories that all talk about being able to be yourself. These three readings all relate back to the quote about accepting others, being different, and having an opinion without being discriminated for it.

Does American Flag discriminate other people why or why not? On page three line two “A person has a right to express disagreement with governmental policies by burning the American flag. The next piece of evidence, On page two the caption says Dallas police arrest Gregory Lee Johnson for burning an American flag outside the 1984 Republican National Convention. Gregory Lee Johnson started a court case cause he burned an American flag. So he was treated for burning the American flag.

In the texts and videos the authors and directors explore the idea of accepting others by providing evidence of discrimination and the negative impact of it when there are riots, beatings and segregation.

What if there was a world where everyone was accepting of each other, there was no judgement, and no one ever thought of putting others down. Would you want to live in that world? Barbara Johnson states that “We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves.” This quote sums up the movie Bullied, the movie trailer, My So Called Enemy, and the short story, American Flag Stands for Tolerance.

In what ways would you like to be accepted? Based on all three texts we viewed “My so called Enemy”, read “Texas vs. Johnson’’ by William J. Brennon, and “American flag stands for Tolerance” by Ronald J. Allen. All three texts supplied strong information about how different people should be accepted, how the First Amendment protects our freedom of speech and how the American Flag should or should not be treated. Not everyone thinks the same about how to accept others or what opinions are different from others.

Acceptance, a word with so much meaning, yet so little impact. The world today struggles to accept, from ones choice of words to their race. The texts analyzed are “My So Called Enemy” by Lisa Gossels, “Texas vs. Johnson” by William J. Brennan and “American Flag stands for Tolerance” by Ronald J. Allen in which they demonstrate how people should be accepted along with their opinions. Instead of judging each other we should be coming together to help one another find a way to accept our diversity.

Tolerating those who you do not agree with is a difficult task. Although, sometimes tolerating those that we despise is a necessity. In the story “The Interlopers” by H. H. Munro, Munro develops the idea that regardless of conflicting opinions, occasionally we are forced into a situation where it becomes difficult to continue to let differences prevent you from tolerating those who you truly need.

In societies, individuals interact with one another based on commonalities they identify within them. As differences become apparent, it can be difficult for members of societies to cooperate with each other. Acceptance can be a hard concept for people to grasp, especially in societies where prejudice influences the views of many. Texts such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelve Angry Men, and Texas vs. Johnson exhibit how the rejection of differences among a population can lead to an inhumane community. These differences in race, ideas, and background often create barriers between people in society. However, when people are accepting of others, an empathetic society can be achieved.

practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher”. This quote really spoke to me because it has an influential message. What the Dalai Lama is saying in the quote is that tolerance is about being accepting of everyone even if you don't really like them. This quote reminded me of another quote by Barbara Jordan which says “We, as human beings, must be willing to accept people who are different from ourselves”. I agree with what Barbara says because if we can accept ourselves no matter what good or bad thing we do, we can do the same and accept other people without judging them. In this essay I will analyze a documentary “My So-Called Enemy” by Lisa Gossels and an editorial “American Flag Stands For Tolerance”

Decker’s english classes asking two of her senior classes first and second period than sophomore class during seventh period “What does tolerance mean to you?”. In both classes students wrote on pieces of looseleaf paper , what they felt tolerance meant. It was a great surprise the vast amount of students who explicitly thought of tolerance in connection to

“Each individual is to have the freedom to develop by his or her own lights, and not by the command of officialdom.” says Ronald J. Allen on the topic of the controversial flag burning case Texas v. Johnson. What he means is that it would be unethical for an official force to restrict a person’s freedom and that instead they must tolerate the act. Allen also states that “A decision contrary to the one reach would have been a definitive step away from our national aspirations.” Most people, with a few exceptions can easily tell the difference between right and wrong, but in the event that we encounter an individual who cannot, a judgement of whether the act should be tolerated or punished must be made. The key to teaching or learning tolerance is really rooted in a person’s ability to determine what is ethical or

Furthermore, in the “Texas v. Johnson” court opinion, William J. Brennan publically acknowledged, “Our decision is a reaffirmation of the principles of freedom and inclusiveness that the flag best reflects, and of the conviction that our toleration of criticism such as Johnson’s is a sign and source of our strength” (16). He influenced many significant court decisions leading to the freedom to burn an American flag. The founding fathers were determined to ensure the basic rights of citizens and included the right of

“Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society. When an immoral society has blatantly and proudly violated all the commandments, it insists upon one last virtue, tolerance for its immorality. It will not tolerate condemnation of its perversions. It creates a whole new world in which only the intolerant critic of intolerable evil, is evil.” -Hutton Gibson. What is tolerance? In today’s society it is something that everyone seems to glorify, and worship as a seemingly powerful, helpful, and good moral. Quiet frankly, and much to the opposite of E. M. Forester’s essay, tolerance is what seems to be the world’s bane, and one of its most horrific and perverted lies. Throughout history, it can be argued that it was tolerance that messed up everything that became impure. Most importantly, tolerance can be proven to be the poison that is killing love.