Freedom of expression received another blow Feb. 17, when a junior at Dearborn High School in Michigan was asked to either leave school or change out of the antiwar T-shirt he had on. The shirt, worn by student Bretton Barber, had a picture of President George W. Bush on it with the words “International Terrorist” underneath the picture. Barber chose to go home rather than surrender his freedoms, according to The Detroit News.
Although the message Barber was conveying stirs up controversy and breeds discontent, that is not a reason to ban him from expressing those views. At a time when people are beginning to explore their own political opinions and preparing to become active voices in the community, discouraging them from communicating those beliefs could stifle other students’ opinions for fear of the same treatment, as well as preventing the censored individual from further political activity.
Barber’s opinion may go against the American majority, but it should not be ignored.
A topic that arouses such controversy and scrutiny as war demands analysis and criticism to insure that the best decision is made. Without the percentage of the population that will undoubtedly question the nation’s entrance into war, haphazard decisions could be made by the Bush administration. It is not only beneficial, it is absolutely necessary for the public to question the government’s actions and express whatever sentiments it might have. Barber was simply exercising his rights and, although his opinion may not represent all Americans, his right to share that viewpoint is a part of what makes him an American.
School spokesman Dave Mustonen told The Associated Press that “emotions were running high” and he felt it was easiest to eliminate the problem at its source by banning the shirt. Although the atmosphere was probably intense, the feeling of discomfort felt by those who are closed-minded should not be a basis for censorship. The teachers’ fears were simply unfounded, according to one student who spoke with The Detroit News, Lindsey Hoganson.
“I didn’t hear anybody say anything about the shirt until we heard the administration was making him change it,” she said. High school students are at a point in life where their characters are formed, and the faculty of Dearborn High School taught them to not question mass opinion or the government.
Students will be discussing the potential war with Iraq with or without one student wearing a T-shirt to class. Barber gave students an alternative perspective from what the majority of Americans believe. He didn’t ask them to agree or make a scene; he was making the point that other countries may see the United States as a terrorist nation, just as we see others as terrorists. The legitimacy of his argument is not the basis for debate, but simply the fact that he has a right to make an argument. Furthermore, Barber told the AP that he had done a presentation earlier that day on comparing and contrasting Bush with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and had worn the shirt for that purpose.
The issue of a looming war with Iraq is not one that can be neatly explained by propaganda T-shirts or one student’s opinion. Barber most likely does not understand the level of political complexity involved in the decision to go to war. However, he does understand that he has a right to disagree. Denying any American the right to express his sentiments about a probable war, sensible or unfounded, contradicts the ideas this country was founded upon.