Colonel Reb Argumentative Essay
This school was named after a hero. A man who made mistakes but tried to fix them. He was one of the first men in this city after the civil war to try and unite the black and whites together. But do you think he would be happy having the school he was named after divided because of the reminders of the war? Though he was a rebel, that does not mean we have to stay the rebels. It is past the time for a change. We need to stay up to date in our teaching methods as well as our social understanding for one another. We should not forget our past, but we do not need to live in it daily or have a reminder of it daily. Our goal as a school is to teach the students. But if something is impacting their learning ability and we do not do anything about
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it we have failed at our job. If a student feels unsafe then he won't want to learn and he might lean to defending himself which can cause us as a school more problems. We do not want that, but that is what we have because we are not changing with the rest of society. The effect the continuous effort reminder of the flag, calling ourselves the rebel, and having a rebel mascot is unfair to our students and should be changed. Colonel Reb is used to rally the students during games and pep rallies.
To many blacks he is a reminder of disregard their ancestors were treated with. Whites don’t have a reaction to him because the group of people he represents were on the whites’ side. Many black were killed, tortured and severally injured by confederate soldiers. Knowing this, these students have to go to school and see this mascot portrayed as a fun loving person. But in some cases he killed family close to these students. We as a school board need to protect the mental health of these children, white and black. If a simple mascot affects even one student negatively then our job is done correctly. This is the case here, but on a much bigger level; 400 of our student don’t want the mascot we have because the person representing our school does not represent all of the students. Many other school in this district have mascots that don’t have a significant meaning behind them. As much trouble as it would be to change the mascot, the profit businesses in our city make will go up because not just 70% of the students will buy merchandise representing the Nathan Bedford Forrest High School but 100% of the student body. Because they will be more happy to show off their pride of the school not the history connected with
it.
It is against the United States law to burn or let the American flag touch the ground. But the flag that belonged to the Confederate states of America is being waved around by students who don’t fully understand the meaning behind it. It is being used in a disrespectful way.That flag meant a way of life, the men who carried it would die for their freedom. Now we are allowing students to use it to rally up other students. But at the end of the rally it is put in a corner not to be thought of again till the next game. Where is the honor in that? Much like the American flag, the Confederate flag belongs in a museum, it can even be hung in the school, but it does not belong in the hands of somebody who doesn’t understand its meaning. If the banning of letting the flagged be waved at rallys increase the amount of students who go to it them we have accomplished one of our goals. Making the children feel safe in this building.
Lastly there is the issue of team name. Rebel by definition means “a person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler”. We are a long standing school, one the prides it self with following the rules. We were formed after the Brown vs. Board of Education case. A time when the country needed to come together under the rule of the government. But we are showing ourselves as different. Not in a good way though, we still need to unite, to put aside our differences and come together as equals. How are we supposed to do this when we are stuck in the old way, “rebeling”. The student body choose the current team name. When this was an all white school, but times have changed and we need to change with them. We are the only school who has such a mascot. We used to be proud of that, but now knowing that many of the students don’t like the mascot I’m ashamed it hasn’t been changed yet.
it we have failed at our job. If a student feels unsafe then he won't want to learn and he might lean to defending himself which can cause us as a school more problems. We do not want that, but that is what we have because we are not changing with the rest of society. The effect the continuous effort reminder of the flag, calling ourselves the rebel, and having a rebel mascot is unfair to our students and should be changed. Colonel Reb is used to rally the students during games and pep rallies.
To many blacks he is a reminder of disregard their ancestors were treated with. Whites don’t have a reaction to him because the group of people he represents were on the whites’ side. Many black were killed, tortured and severally injured by confederate soldiers. Knowing this, these students have to go to school and see this mascot portrayed as a fun loving person. But in some cases he killed family close to these students. We as a school board need to protect the mental health of these children, white and black. If a simple mascot affects even one student negatively then our job is done correctly. This is the case here, but on a much bigger level; 400 of our student don’t want the mascot we have because the person representing our school does not represent all of the students. Many other school in this district have mascots that don’t have a significant meaning behind them. As much trouble as it would be to change the mascot, the profit businesses in our city make will go up because not just 70% of the students will buy merchandise representing the Nathan Bedford Forrest High School but 100% of the student body. Because they will be more happy to show off their pride of the school not the history connected with
it.
It is against the United States law to burn or let the American flag touch the ground. But the flag that belonged to the Confederate states of America is being waved around by students who don’t fully understand the meaning behind it. It is being used in a disrespectful way.That flag meant a way of life, the men who carried it would die for their freedom. Now we are allowing students to use it to rally up other students. But at the end of the rally it is put in a corner not to be thought of again till the next game. Where is the honor in that? Much like the American flag, the Confederate flag belongs in a museum, it can even be hung in the school, but it does not belong in the hands of somebody who doesn’t understand its meaning. If the banning of letting the flagged be waved at rallys increase the amount of students who go to it them we have accomplished one of our goals. Making the children feel safe in this building.
Lastly there is the issue of team name. Rebel by definition means “a person who rises in opposition or armed resistance against an established government or ruler”. We are a long standing school, one the prides it self with following the rules. We were formed after the Brown vs. Board of Education case. A time when the country needed to come together under the rule of the government. But we are showing ourselves as different. Not in a good way though, we still need to unite, to put aside our differences and come together as equals. How are we supposed to do this when we are stuck in the old way, “rebeling”. The student body choose the current team name. When this was an all white school, but times have changed and we need to change with them. We are the only school who has such a mascot. We used to be proud of that, but now knowing that many of the students don’t like the mascot I’m ashamed it hasn’t been changed yet.