Student Respect for the First Amendment is Dropping?

The nation continues its downward spiral into titanic stupidity.

The AP via MSNBC: First Amendment no big deal, students say

The way many high school students see it, government censorship of newspapers may not be a bad thing, and flag burning is hardly protected free speech.

It turns out the First Amendment is a second-rate issue to many of those nearing their own adult independence, according to a study of high school attitudes released Monday.

...when told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high school students said it goes “too far” in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories.

"These results are not only disturbing; they are dangerous," said Hodding Carter III, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which sponsored the $1 million study. "Ignorance about the basics of this free society is a danger to our nation’s future."

The students are even more restrictive in their views than their elders, the study says.

When asked whether people should be allowed to express unpopular views, 97 percent of teachers and 99 percent of school principals said yes. Only 83 percent of students did.

THESE PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED AND EXPECTED TO FUCKING VOTE.

The results reflected indifference, with almost three in four students saying they took the First Amendment for granted or didn't know how they felt about it. It was also clear that many students do not understand what is protected by the bedrock of the Bill of Rights.

Three in four students said flag burning is illegal. It's not. About half the students said the government can restrict any indecent material on the Internet. It can't.

Actually, the federal government has shown little respect for the restrictions written in the Constitution for quite some time, so I hold little regard in what it "legally" can and cannot do. It makes and enforces the laws at the general behest of a majority of the voting population, so the real outcome is anything goes. And as a direct counterpoint to what the Associated Press reporter(s) say, the feds have censored the Net and they will continue to do so.

The survey, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut, is billed as the largest of its kind. More than 100,000 students, nearly 8,000 teachers and more than 500 administrators at 544 public and private high schools took part in early 2004.

The actual report (PDF) from the official website has this to say:

The majority (58 percent) of students surveyed have taken classes in high schools that dealt with the First Amendment. A slightly higher percentage of public school students (59 percent) than private school students (54 percent) have taken classes that dealt with the First Amendment.^{page 21}

It doesn't say whether kids going to private schools valued the 1st Amendment higher than those in public, something I'd really be keen on knowing.

The study suggests that students embrace First Amendment freedoms if they are taught about them and given a chance to practice them, but schools don’t make the matter a priority.

Students who take part in school media activities, such as a student newspapers or TV production, are much more likely to support expression of unpopular views, for example.

About nine in 10 principals said it is important for all students to learn some journalism skills, but most administrators say a lack of money limits their media offerings.

More than one in five schools offer no student media opportunities; of the high schools that do not offer student newspapers, 40 percent have eliminated them in the last five years.

I call bullshit. You don't need to enroll in a class that teaches how to run or operate a newspaper, television station, or radio transmitter to understand the importance of the freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion. All you need is to gather all the kids in one grade together in the cafeteria or auditorium and let them hang out for 10 minutes.

Let them relax and chat with their friends. Then, send in police to block off the exits. Explain to the crowd that anyone caught saying any of such and such will be forcibly silenced by the police. Explain that anyone caught being friends with or helping those unlawful Freespeakers will be forcibly removed from their presence and seated elsewhere. Give the crowd a minute to think about this, and then begin the crackdown.

Simple exercises like that ought to drill into their obtuse and airy minds the vast importance of the freedoms in the First Amendment. Afterwards, once the outrage has died down, explain to them that the reason why what the school did was wrong was because you, the police, and the other school officials were participants in a gross violation of the children's right to self-ownership.

If they don't "get it" at that point, they're hopeless. And dangerous.

I said it once and I'll say it again: The 1st Amendment does not go too far!

Posted by Drizzten at February 01, 2005 09:03 AM