A suit over a Halloween costume?
22 February 2007 by Naomi
Lawsuit: School Banned Jesus Costume…
I’ll see what you say, before I weigh in on the issue. But is there anyone that is right? The kid? The fundie mom? The teacher? The principal? The school board?
(BTW, my brother-in-law carved that pumpkin one year, back when they lived in a neighborhood that had children trafficking in “sugar”…)
22 February 2007, on 4:57 pm
The school was wrong – they should have accepted the kid as ‘Jesus’, nailed him to a tree, then all the other kids dressed as demons and witches could have danced around screaming and laughing.
Seriously, if I read the report correctly, only kids who wanted to take part in the Halloween party had to dress up – if one didn’t want to dress up, then the school had made other arrangements (the computer room). Further, whether the kid was really supposed to be jeebus or a Roman Emperor is irrelevant – neither of those are normal Halloween costumes! Incidentally, I don’t believe the ‘Roman Emperor’ crap – why not send him as Superman, or some other more usual dress-up persona that kids go in for.
Frankly, I see the fundie mother as the real culprit here, and the one deserving disapprobation, since she clearly and deliberately staged the whole incident to suit her own agenda – making a phoney Xtian claim of persecution.
If I were the judge hearing this complaint I would throw it out, with costs to the defendants, take the child into care, and have the mother incarcerated in a secure mental facility.
So, now let’s hear your POV, Naomi.
22 February 2007, on 5:26 pm
I think children should be allowed to dress-up as any mythological character they wish.
Anyhoo, Mom considered Halloween to have overt “pagan” overtones but didn’t want her child “left out”. WTF? Grab a clue asshole. You’ve already insured that the child will be “left out” by his fundy upbringing.
22 February 2007, on 5:27 pm
Don’t you mean “left behind”? har har!
22 February 2007, on 5:34 pm
I believe there are several elements that are explicitly wrong and more that are implicitly so.
The fundie mom gets the lion’s share, of course. It was possibly not the child’s idea to dress as jeebus. She disses paganism, and when the teacher informs her (while the child is still at school, presumably) that her son will not be allowed to flaunt her beliefs by wearing his full costume in order to “parade”, but can, instead, join others in the computer lab, she gets huffy.
Did she throw a tantrum in the principal’s office? You betcha! Did she run home and call xian-legal-aid (with operators available 24/7, to help you deal with your “Life as a Persecuted Xian”), or did she call her handy pastor, who guided her to xian-legal-aid? Only she knows–and she’s not saying, and even if she did, she’d be lying… Really, how does a mom from Philly know about a law firm in Phoenix???
The Guardian reports:
That says the mom (or the attorney) made it sound like punishment.
Now, if the teacher told the students to wear a costume that portrayed their favorite “fairy-tale” character, jeebus would work out well. And mom would have nixed the jeebus costume! My question: how clear is the policy on religious displays? If the fundie mom knew but deliberately flaunted her disdain for the policy, then she bears 100% of the blame. Everyone else is “not guilty”, except for xian-legal-aid, for enabling her.
When these things come up, I am always interested in the child and its reactions and motivations. A video of the scene in the principal’s office, with the kid the sole focus of the camera lens, while the adults are arguing this out–what were his facial expressions and body language saying? How thorough has her brainwashing been? How close to being a Xbot is he?
Given a choice, most kids just want to be kids–not proxy warriors for jeebus.
22 February 2007, on 5:47 pm
The boy and his mother are Christians who object to the pagan elements of Halloween, but the mother did not want the boy isolated for refusing to wear a costume, according to the lawsuit.
These fundies want their superstitious beliefs, but also want the “pagan” fun as well. Dressing her son up as Jeebus makes it somehow less pagan? And if they are “true believers” what example is that saying to her kid? Maybe it is a good thing it all happened because later on when the child grows up he might think back on the controversy and maybe understand the contradiction and hypocrisy of his mother’s dumbass religion.
When we lived in another suburb when our kids were small, there was a woman who lived a few houses down who only handed out xian propaganda tracts to trick-or-treaters, HOWEVER, she dressed her little daughter as a pumpkin and went door-to-door with her to collect sweets from everyone else! AND, as she walked away from our door, she reached into her daughter’s bag and pulled out a candy, unwrapped it and ate it as they walked to the next house!
22 February 2007, on 6:23 pm
[...] Thanks to God is for Suckers! we are directed to this story about a kid who tried to dress up as Jesus Christ last Halloween. The details: A Christian legal group has sued a school district on behalf of a 10-year-old boy who claims his rights to religion and free speech were violated when he was not allowed to wear a Jesus costume during Halloween activities. [...]
22 February 2007, on 6:24 pm
I agree with the general idea that the child should be able to dress in any crazy way he wants. But the crown of thorns is a problem… you could poke your eye out with that thing.
There is also a matter of Violation of the Laws of God in this case. See:
http://gregladen.com/wordpress/?p=390
22 February 2007, on 7:14 pm
This is just plain dumb. Kids apparently could go in costume. So who cares about the costume?
So what if the mother wanted to make a statement. Is that any worse than parents who enter their little girls in beauty contests, you know like the famous murder case in Colorado?
But frankly, the news story is too short to really make an opinion on the supposed manipulation of the child by his mother.
In any event, I think the boy would have had a better chance of self-discovery if he had been accepted in his costume and it be recognized as any other costume. This result will most likely enclose him more in his apparently xian environment.
Furthermore, I don’t see how this is promoting religion as the Principal seems to imply. It seems to be a question of freedom of expression. It was participation in an event and in no way implied school approval.
Finally, why is this just reported now? Was the suit filed immediately, or did the parent wait this long to do it?
22 February 2007, on 8:51 pm
Blame:
- The fundy mother, for saying one thing and doing another. What an example to her child of lack of integrity. Regardless of where you get your morals from, you should practice what you preach, or at least acknowledge and apologize for your lapse when you don’t.
- The teacher and principal, for willfully and in my opinion, ridiculously going overboard on separation of church and state. It’s Halloween, for Isis’ sake, a once-pagan-but-now-secular holiday! A kid dressing up as Jesus and parading side by side with witches and devils is just as religious as the frieze of influential lawmakers on the Supreme Court building in D.C., where Moses stands cheek-to-jowl with Hammurabi. If it were any other day or even a specific religious holiday and he arrived at class dressed as Jesus handing out Chick tracts to anyone who asks him about his outfit, then he’d be violating separation of church and state.
Heck, like Spirula says, it does a heart good to see a mini-jesus hanging out with other mythological and fantasy figures!
Hopefully, like Star says, this will begin to show the kid the insanity of religious beliefs.
22 February 2007, on 9:20 pm
Would have been funny if the kid went as Jeebus, and everyone thought he was Slartibartfast.
22 February 2007, on 9:58 pm
Lessee, Mom didn’t want her kid to be because he wasn’t dressed for the parade and party, but she involves him in a LAWSUIT???
I agree that he should have been able to wear a jeebus costume for Halloween. Futs right in with the witches and devils and other mythical creatures.
Poor kid’s just a puppet in his ma’s freakshow.
22 February 2007, on 9:59 pm
Hmmm, that should have said didn’t want her kid to be isolated…
Lost a word somehow on posting!
22 February 2007, on 10:05 pm
Legally, I think the school was wrong in this situation. If the kid went in costume to participate it Halloween events, then a Jesus costume is ok since the school would not be violating church/state separation by allowing it (and the costume is very apt considering that it fits so well with the rest of the fictional characters). Now, if the kid and/or parent used it as a platform to try to convert other kids or intimidate other kids with messages of fire and brimstone, then that is where the line is crossed.
22 February 2007, on 10:11 pm
The kid should have been able to go as any character he wanted. It isn’t the school’s job to act as Halloween fashion police. It isn’t as if the kid showed up naked and said he was the emperor (oh ho ho ho I kill me).
The whole thing seems odd to me… Wouldn’t it be more likely that a very religious Christian would want to ban kids from dressing as Jesus? It would probably be considered a kind of golden calf-style sin.
Regardless, the law on this one is pretty clear: The school must be secular but not the students. My opinion is that the principal made a mistake.
-Riskable
http://riskable.com
“POTUS: Politician Obfuscating Truth and Undermining Science”
22 February 2007, on 10:16 pm
How this probably went:
Kid: “Mom, there’s gonna be a Halloween party at school! We get to wear costumes, and there’ll be candy and punch and-”
Mom: “No, you’re not going to that party. We don’t celebrate Halloween in this house.”
Kid: “But Mooooooom!”
Mom: *sighs* “Oh, alright, but I get to pick your costume.”
22 February 2007, on 10:40 pm
Riskable:
You kill me too!
22 February 2007, on 10:46 pm
Okay, I see your points about “it’s just a costume, on a non-secular, fun holiday”. That makes sense.
However, like the BigAss Crosses, I’m inclined to not want to see that shit and will admit that I may have overreacted.
But I see Mom as the villain of the piece. I suspect she was trying to precipitate an incident, just because she could. For all we know, she’s an attorney.
Or she could just be a xian stooge for one of the most tight-ass BIG denominations.
Or Jerry/Dob/ertson’s mistress. Ewww!
22 February 2007, on 11:09 pm
…they should have accepted the kid as ‘Jesus’, nailed him to a tree, then all the other kids dressed as demons and witches could have danced around screaming and laughing.
Git, you really crack me up…too much, dude…this killed me…
Anyway, my straw poll: leave the kid alone, and let him dress as he wants. If he showed up with another outfit and a lightning bolt and called himself Zeus, no one would care…
So, give him the thorns and the stigmata, and tell the kid to knock himself out…
22 February 2007, on 11:26 pm
I wonder what the mother would have done, if the teacher had said nothing. Do you suppose she would have waited for the next opportunity? And the next? I do feel strongly that she created this contretemps.
23 February 2007, on 12:03 am
True, Naomi; instead of just being a hypocrite, she could be both a hypocrite and an instigator…
23 February 2007, on 1:47 am
I wonder what would’ve happened if a known atheist kid had gone to school dressed as Jesus.
What would the unnamed Christian mother think about that display of religious freedom?
If I could hazard a guess, I’d say she wouldn’t be too keen on the idea.
Of course, the atheist kid could simply remove the crown of thorns, wipe off the stigmata, and say, “I’m Bluto from ‘Animal House.’”
“Toga! Toga! Toga!”
23 February 2007, on 1:55 am
Good point, Rev! When the shoe’s on the other foot, it usually pinches…
23 February 2007, on 2:27 am
I can’t help remembering how much simpler things were in my 1940s & ’50s Catholic school days; although, I can’t remember whether we actually wore our costumes to school on Halloween which was “All Souls Day”, we may have even been off that day. The day after, we were definitely off from school for the observance of “All Saints day”, considered a ‘holy day’ by the RC Church.
As for costumes and trick or treat; I do remember it being “no big deal” at all, regarding the silly stuff that today’s extremist Fundies get there panties in a twist about. Ghosts…Shmosts!, Devils…Shmevils!…Hobos…Shmovos! And we made up our own costumes, too!
[Not much choice in those days, of course! Well...rubber masks, I think, did come in around 1950?]
I admit, though, that nobody would think of being Jeebus, Mose-ass…
and most certainly NOT Mohammerd, Zeusie, Apollo, Thor…Bigus Dickus?…yada, yada!
To play, again, on Jack Nicholson’s famous “Mars Attacks” line:
“Can’t we all just…
bob for apples?”
[You older guys probably remember that quaint little game!...No?...
screw you!]
23 February 2007, on 4:54 am
Yes, Chuck, I remember bobbing for apples, or ‘dooking’ (Scots for ducking)as we called it – also another game over here: buns smeared with treacle hanging on a string from ceiling or crossbar, which you had to eat blindfolded without using your hands. What a right old mess that was.
That was the nearest we ever got to ‘trick or treat’, but I’m sorry to say that repulsive US custom has now spread here.
23 February 2007, on 4:56 am
As has some other repulsive US customs – a leader who worships a mythical bogey-man in the sky and who is guided by this non-existent object, invading Iraq illegally, planning to bomb Iran, etc.
23 February 2007, on 7:06 am
God “told” him to invade Iraq.
The president wouldn’t lie about such things.
So there’s absolutely no chance that he’s schizophrenic and hears voices in his head.
Sets my mind at rest…
Thank Gawd.
23 February 2007, on 11:23 am
No no no, the SCHOOL, as in the STATE, can’t promote religion, but a kid attending the school can surely dress as Jesus. And is it even religious to do so? Is it promoting religion? Nah. It’s a gag, if anything. If the kid had a T-Shirt on that said, “I Love Jesus” the School, as in the State, can’t stop him. That would infringe on his religious beliefs. The way it’s working in this case is backward. You can stop the school from promoting religion, but the school can’t stop you from practicing your religion.
23 February 2007, on 11:53 am
I wonder what really would have happened if the kid had been allowed to wear the jeebus costume? The mother was worried about him being “isolated” for not wearing a costume, but she didn’t even stop to consider the repercussions from classmates had he worn the jeebus costume. I mean, it would have looked so bizarre and funny. The few people I have seen dress like Jeebus for Halloween in my experiences have been hilarious looking.
(When we were still xians, one of the churches we went to had a church-sponsored Halloween party for the kids but no jeebuses were allowed because the pastor said it was “blasphemous” for a kid or anyone else to parade around in fun while representing jeebus.)
23 February 2007, on 11:57 am
Well, the school COULD stop such things in the form of clothing, by adopting across the board standards, such as no logo Tshirts or something.
23 February 2007, on 12:03 pm
“buns smeared with treacle hanging on a string from ceiling or crossbar”
“EEEWWWW”!!!
Oh, I see, Old Git…
you mean the ‘buns’, as in Monty Python’s Church of the “Cream bun and jam” type buns.
I was temporarily “Kung Fu-sed”.
“I was lost (blindfolded?)…but now I see!”
Yeah…”Halloweenja!”
23 February 2007, on 12:41 pm
Well, the school COULD stop such things in the form of clothing, by adopting across the board standards, such as no logo Tshirts or something.
Many kids and teachers wear necklaces, pins and earrings with crosses, or “Jesus loves me” jewelry, etc. As for t-shirts and clothing, our school district has banned the wearing of t-shirts/sweatshirts with any sayings at all on them.
23 February 2007, on 1:17 pm
More like the Church of the Divine Looney, Chuck.
23 February 2007, on 1:27 pm
ROTFL, just heard this on an episode of MXC
“Calvin Clone Intelligent Designer jeans. Jeans that complex just don’t happen by accident.“
23 February 2007, on 3:24 pm
Glad you worked out that ‘buns’ was not a euphemism for mammaries, Chuck.
24 February 2007, on 12:09 am
“The principal, Patricia Whitmire, told the boy’s mother that the costume violated a policy prohibiting the promotion of religion, according to the lawsuit.”
Well, I think it is the fault of whatever numbnuts evaluated the policy. A child who attends the school dressing up as Jesus in no way represents the school as promoting religion. It’s not like a teacher or the principal dressing up as Jesus.
As usual, everyone involved is totally overreacting. Yes, the mother is off her rocker and totally harshing the kid’s mellow, but eventually he will see that. Or he won’t and he will be one more drop in the fundie bucket- so the fuck what?
Atheists overreacting to crap like this plays right into fundies’ hands. What difference does it make if the kid dresses up like Jesus, so long as he isn’t leading prayers on school time! Jeez!!!
24 February 2007, on 1:07 am
Yup, Holly. Sounds about right. Clearly the mom’s a nut. But that’s nothing new. As for the school, it’s not really clear whether or not the “policy” refers to the school or the kids in it, but either way it does give the fundies more anti-athiest ammo for their bullshit discrimination claims.
My question is, what if an athiest had dressed up as Jeebus? Would that have been okay? Or would that be a no-no, too? Obviously we can’t really know, but I think it’s key to understanding the school’s messed up motivation in all this.
(Guess we can consider the whole thing small potatoes compared to what might have gone down if the kid had dressed up as Mohammed in an Islamic area.)
24 February 2007, on 2:53 am
Nicodraxus, I have a question. Since we know how to put together a costume to be jeebus, and cat-licks, mormons and amish are easy–
–how do we dress as an atheist?
(BTW, please excuse my nitpicking, but: it’s a-THE-ist…)
24 February 2007, on 3:42 pm
Naomi- That’s easy. You just wear a t-shirt that says “What soul? Where? I didn’t see any soul.”
24 February 2007, on 7:19 pm
Holly,
You misread the school drug-dealer’s t-shirt: it actually says, “What sold? Where? I didn’t see any sold.”
25 February 2007, on 1:36 am
Ouch! Thanks Naomi. Hardly nitpicking, really. What the hell are my fingers doing? But it’s made all that much worse by the fact that I work as an editor! (I’m truly ashamed, here.)
It’s my day off… that’s my excuse. Yeah. That and the beer…
Fantastic, by the way. The question is like a Zen koan. It kind of put me into meditative state. I may have seen Gawd.
Oh, nope. Sorry, my mistake.