Jewish kid kicked off Anderson HS robotics team for making anti-Semetic joke

[Beau Vine 54274]

Doesn't anyone have any gotdam sense in this world?

Quote

You know what’s great about being a federal judge, I mean in addition to never-out-of-style black robes and lifetime employment?

Federal judges get to hear and decide interesting cases. Here’s one from two parents who have made a federal case out of their son’s dismissal from Anderson High School’s robotics team.

It’s an interesting topic, one that raises interesting questions about who can say what, as well as the rights of others to be free from hearing offensive comments, regardless of who utters them. I’d be interested in your thoughts on this.

But first, the facts, as offered in Rick Mendelssohn and Amy Birnbaum v. Austin Independent School District and Vincent Wrencher Sr. Mendelssohn and Birnbaum filed the suit on behalf of their son, identified in the filing as J.M.

At the time of the incident that sparked the Tuesday lawsuit, J.M., now 18, was “a junior and star member of the Anderson High School Robotics Program,” a team that has won state and national honors and advanced to international competition, the suit says. Very impressive.

 

Also pertinent is that J.M. is “of Jewish heritage, descent, culture and religion.”

“Around November (2018), while in robotics lab,” the suit says, “J.M. saw a few coins on the ground and said something to the effect of ‘Guess I should pick them up since I’m the Jew.’ ”

The suit says a volunteer mentor (who, if pertinent, is not Jewish) with the program “apparently took great exception to this joke” and reported it to Wrencher, who’s in charge of the school’s robotics program.

The Austin school district, through spokesman Eduardo Villa, said Wednesday that it had been served with the lawsuit but would have no comment.

“Wrencher threw J.M. off the team ostensibly because he and (the mentor) deemed the joke to have anti-Semitic overtones,” the suit says. “Now thrown out of the program he loved and separated from teammates and friends, he is isolated and alone. Moreover, he is unable to participate in valuable competitions that would enhance both his standing for acceptance into a college program and scholarship availability.”

It also says Wrencher, who told me Wednesday that he has no comment on the litigation, has declined to write a recommendation letter for a robotics scholarship.

“Worse yet, Wrencher wrote a letter to a national organization attempting to blackball J.M. from robotics competitions forever,” it says.

Let’s stop here for the usual caveat about lawsuits. They are one very one-sided recitation of the facts. We don’t know what we don’t know. That’s why we have trials and, sometimes, out-of-court settlements.

The lawsuit includes many pages detailing what it claims were missteps by the school district in its handling of the matter.

But what caught my eye, piqued my curiosity and made me wonder about these kids today was this on the ninth page of the lawsuit:

“This high school environment is somewhat typical in today’s current cultural and social climate. Students use the ‘N’ word often endearingly to all students, not only those who are African-American but even those who are not. Sadly, it has become part of the accepted vernacular unless it is used as the part of an actual race-based animus and only then will a school district official formally act.

“The same can be said for calling someone or something ‘gay’ or ‘that’s so gay.’ It too has become part of a high school student’s common speech and also is left unchallenged by school officials unless it too becomes part of actual sexual harassment.

“Likewise for the term ‘retard’ which is now also accepted as a synonym for something seen as foolish, stupid or dumb. It too has become part of a high school student’s daily speech and it also is left unchallenged by school officials unless it too becomes part of a greater part of bullying and harassment based on disability.”

So, the suit would have us believe, school officials only intercede if a word is uttered in an unwelcome fashion or part of larger offensive behavior or actions.

In the instant case, according to the lawsuit, we have a Jewish kid attempting a joke based on an offensive Jewish stereotype.

“To the knowledge of the family, no other student on the team or their parent nor any Anderson HS administrator notified J.M. or his parents that this joke was offensive,” the lawsuit says. “In fact, through December of 2018 and January or February of the new year (2019), J.M. continued to travel with his robotics team, winning awards without issues or concerns from anybody, until March 2019.”

It’s important to note that Rick Mendelssohn told me he’s told his son to cease and desist on these kinds of attempted jokes. “In the privacy of your own home, it’s one thing,” he said his son has been told. “But in school, watch your mouth, cut it out. Be sensitive to the people around you.”

Mendelssohn also told me a school district hearing on the matter is scheduled for March.

The suit says some meetings were held, including one at which J.M. said when he was in elementary school “people made Jewish jokes all the time, and he hated it” and “I do it first so that others won’t do it.”

According to the litigation, Anderson Principal Sammi Harrison said that because there had been only one incident, J.M. would be permitted to participate at an upcoming international competition and rejoin the team.

Wrencher, however, according to the suit, subsequently said he’d no longer supervise the team if J.M. was involved.

“As an obvious target of scorn and retaliation by Wrencher,” the lawsuit says, “J.M. became a pariah. No one wanted to have anything to do with him. He was forced to abandon high school robotics for his senior year of high school. And that is a tragedy.”

The bottom line, J.M.’s parents allege, is that he was “singled out for making a self-deprecating joke about Jewish culture, while other students using offensive language about race or sexual orientation or disability are not.”

 

[Js1 85437]

Bullshit.  You a Jew, you can make that joke. 

[Brisketexan 105161]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

Bullshit.  You a Jew, you can make that joke. 

Jew sure about that?

[Parliament 14262]

How is this different than african-american folks using the N word?

[Huckleberry 33024]

Actually, I can see taking the hard stance that absolutely nobody can make that kind of joke at school or a school function. I have no issue with that.

But the punishment here is so outlandishly excessive that somebody should have snapped out of it at some point. If you have that kind of zero tolerance policy then make the kid write "I will refrain from offensive jokes" 50 times on a sheet of notebook paper and call it a day. More realistically, if you're the adult then you just walk up to him and say "You can't say that here, even as a deflection or defense mechanism." Then the kid probably wouldn't do it again and the situation is over before it started.

[Sgt Hulk 13793]

anti insert race is anti insert race, regardless of your race, the exceptionary bullshit and defining requirements for who can say and cant say shit is stupid as fuck.  but in this case dude literally did nothing wrong, he just called himself out.  story is stupid

[smwhorn 482]

Just now, Parliament said:

How is this different than african-american folks using the N word?

Or gay students saying to each other that is so gay?  

[Js1 85437]

1 minute ago, Sgt Hulk said:

anti insert race is anti insert race, regardless of your race, the exceptionary bullshit and defining requirements for who can say and cant say shit is stupid as fuck.  but in this case dude literally did nothing wrong, he just called himself out.  story is stupid

Just a little self deprecating humor. 

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

What a scheister that wrencher must be. 

[workswithseed 2112]

3 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Actually, I can see taking the hard stance that absolutely nobody can make that kind of joke at school or a school function. I have no issue with that.

But the punishment here is so outlandishly excessive that somebody should have snapped out of it at some point. If you have that kind of zero tolerance policy then make the kid write "I will refrain from offensive jokes" 50 times on a sheet of notebook paper and call it a day. More realistically, if you're the adult then you just walk up to him and say "You can't say that here, even as a deflection or defense mechanism." Then the kid probably wouldn't do it again and the situation is over before it started.

You can say that all words or jokes are allowed, or none. 

[Chuckie Finster 22702]

Reading the title, I assumed it was an oven joke.  But a money joke???  I've made that joke about myself more times than I can count.  And I don't want this to go CR, but as a Jew I have to say that the over-protection of Jews by non-Jews is really weird in this country.  I know the alternative is worse, so I'm not complaining, but something doesn't sit right at times.

[Sgt Hulk 13793]

5 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Just a little self deprecating humor. 

exactly, we all do this to ourselves amongst friends, well those of us with a sense of humor.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Sgt Hulk

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

4 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Reading the title, I assumed it was an oven joke.  But a money joke???  I've made that joke about myself more times than I can count.  And I don't want this to go CR, but as a Jew I have to say that the over-protection of Jews by non-Jews is really weird in this country.  I know the alternative is worse, so I'm not complaining, but something doesn't sit right at times.

Do you often find yourself gesticulating wildly that you don’t understand things?

[jimmyjazz 45986]

6 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Actually, I can see taking the hard stance that absolutely nobody can make that kind of joke at school or a school function. I have no issue with that.

Sure, that could be a school's chosen policy.  There would be about as much chance of reasonable levels of enforcement as stopping digital file sharing in the days of Napster.

A far better approach would be to teach kids that, as they are becoming adults who will have to interact with other adults in business and society, it would be prudent to wean one's language of words and phrases that, whether self-deprecating or not, address an individual's race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc.

I think this teacher is going to really regret his actions on this one, and rightfully so, if the story is being correctly related.  What an amazingly over-the-top, stupid reaction.

[conVINCEd 21469]

I bet the kid was banging Wrencher’s wife.

[F250 28788]

15 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Bullshit.  You a Jew, you can make that joke. 

[Beau Vine 54274]

Sure, that could be a school's chosen policy.  There would be about as much chance of reasonable levels of enforcement as stopping digital file sharing in the days of Napster.
A far better approach would be to teach kids that, as they are becoming adults who will have to interact with other adults in business and society, it would be prudent to wean one's language of words and phrases that, whether self-deprecating or not, address an individual's race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc.
I think this teacher is going to really regret his actions on this one, and rightfully so, if the story is being correctly related.  What an amazingly over-the-top, stupid reaction.

You're post is soooooo retarded.

[Chuckie Finster 22702]

7 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Do you often find yourself gesticulating wildly that you don’t understand things?

[Lhorn 4919]

Have we lost our minds? Next thing you know a dentist will no longer be able to make dentist jokes.

[Js1 85437]

2 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

6 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Sure, that could be a school's chosen policy.  There would be about as much chance of reasonable levels of enforcement as stopping digital file sharing in the days of Napster.
A far better approach would be to teach kids that, as they are becoming adults who will have to interact with other adults in business and society, it would be prudent to wean one's language of words and phrases that, whether self-deprecating or not, address an individual's race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc.
I think this teacher is going to really regret his actions on this one, and rightfully so, if the story is being correctly related.  What an amazingly over-the-top, stupid reaction.

You're post is soooooo retarded.

*Your

**mentally disabled

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

I have to believe that there is something else causing this teacher to have animosity toward the student because his reaction is so over the top

[Anastasis 23478]

Stupid move by the school. Very shrewd move by the parents to leverage the situation to cover college expenses. You see a free college education laying on the ground, you pick it up.   

Edited March 2, 2020 by Anastasis

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

22 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Jew sure about that?

Ohhhh Jewwwww....

[Vito Andolini 9126]

The timing is weird. The kid made the joke in November of ‘18, but then remained on the team, and participated in events until he was finally kicked off in March of 2019? 

Perhaps he did something else to get kicked off, and the parents want to blame the Jewish joke.

If the “joke” was the impetus, then I agree with what Huck wrote above, the advisor should have said, “J.M., let’s not do that type of humor, and that goes for everyone” and then left it at that.

[crash_davis 23114]

HOLY SHIT.

so what would you think of the story if the teacher, Vincent Wrencher, is African American?

https://www.andersononline.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=372528&type=u&pREC_ID=1002277

 

So does he give D-Hall to every black student who uses the N word? Or every Asian student who complains about his Tiger Mom? 

Where does this fucking insanity end?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

I mean I thought it was their sense of humor that sustained them for over 2, OOO years ??

[crash_davis 23114]

What if the African American teacher hates Jews and this is his way of getting back at them?

Afterall, Jews sank the Titanic.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Just now, crash_davis said:

What if the African American teacher hates Jews and this is his way of getting back at them?

Afterall, Jews sank the Titanic.

And here I thought it was just a bunch of Drunken, Belfast Micks 

[Girdwood 118]

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

3 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

I mean I thought it was their sense of humor that sustained them for over 2, OOO years ??

Well it wasn’t their luck

[Vito Andolini 9126]

2 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

HOLY SHIT.

so what would you think of the story if the teacher, Vincent Wrencher, is African American?

[DDD Dad 14343]

37 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

Doesn't anyone have any gotdam sense in this world?

 

Semetic?

Is that masturbatory or something?

[Billy Pilgrim 1976]

Sounds like Wrencher is actually the anti-Semite 

[BabaYaga 15301]

This topic and thread are f-ng regarded

[futureman 22494]

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

45 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

Actually, I can see taking the hard stance that absolutely nobody can make that kind of joke at school or a school function. I have no issue with that.

But the punishment here is so outlandishly excessive that somebody should have snapped out of it at some point. If you have that kind of zero tolerance policy then make the kid write "I will refrain from offensive jokes" 50 times on a sheet of notebook paper and call it a day. More realistically, if you're the adult then you just walk up to him and say "You can't say that here, even as a deflection or defense mechanism." Then the kid probably wouldn't do it again and the situation is over before it started.

 

That is going to do less than nothing to stop the behavior. This guy was a teenager for christ sake. 

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

 

I'm not buying it that if a kid says the n word, retard, or gay, out loud, in class, nothing is done.

[Kel Varnsen 8539]

38 minutes ago, F250 said:

Came here to post this

[Dahobbs 17625]

There must be more to the story. The fact that the teacher refused to continue with the program if the student rejoined suggests that a lot more happened than this one comment. 

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

27 minutes ago, Vito Andolini said:

The timing is weird. The kid made the joke in November of ‘18, but then remained on the team, and participated in events until he was finally kicked off in March of 2019? 

Perhaps he did something else to get kicked off, and the parents want to blame the Jewish joke.

If the “joke” was the impetus, then I agree with what Huck wrote above, the advisor should have said, “J.M., let’s not do that type of humor, and that goes for everyone” and then left it at that.

 

I bet the teacher kicked the kid off when it happened, parents complained and got kid back on team, then it took until "Jan or Feb" for the administration to decide to go with the teacher's punishment.  Or the kid didn't stop with the Jew jokes.

 

 

Also, somewhere there is a Cartman joke, but I cant' quite get to it.

 

 

 

[crash_davis 23114]

4 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I'm not buying it that if a kid says the n word, retard, or gay, out loud, in class, nothing is done.

Are AA athletes kicked off the team when they say the N word? 

[jimmyjazz 45986]

3 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

I'm not buying it that if a kid says the n word, retard, or gay, out loud, in class, nothing is done.

Two of my sons' closest friends are (one) black and (one) gay.  I have heard the language when driving them about to soccer, etc., although my son keeps his mouth clean around me.  I have no doubt that in private he's just as guilty with his usage, though.  He's a bit of a follower, anyway.

You can't regulate kids taking offensive language and defusing it by using it on each other.  You CAN tell them that it has no place in the classroom, and issue warnings followed by appropriate punishment (in-school suspension, etc.).

[Beau Vine 54274]

1 minute ago, Dahobbs said:

There must be more to the story. The fact that the teacher refused to continue with the program if the student rejoined suggests that a lot more happened than this one comment. 

Don't we have several posters who have kids at Anderson HS?

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

33 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

HOLY SHIT.

so what would you think of the story if the teacher, Vincent Wrencher, is African American?

https://www.andersononline.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=372528&type=u&pREC_ID=1002277

 

So does he give D-Hall to every black student who uses the N word? Or every Asian student who complains about his Tiger Mom? 

Where does this fucking insanity end?

 

 

Plot twist: Wrencher is a black Jew!

 

 

[Beau Vine 54274]

1 minute ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

Plot twist: Wrencher is a black Jew!

 

 

Wrencher?

Edited March 2, 2020 by Beau Vine

[High Plains Drifter 11050]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

 

You can't regulate kids taking offensive language and defusing it by using it on each other.  You CAN tell them that it has no place in the classroom, and issue warnings followed by appropriate punishment (in-school suspension, etc.).

 

Exactly. If a teacher overhears an AA student say the n word to his AA friend during lunch, no big deal. If he says it out loud in class, its a big deal.

 

[Beau Vine 54274]

10 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

I'm not buying it that if a kid says the n word, retard, or gay, out loud, in class, nothing is done.

Shit, I had a student (junior/senior in college) come into my office last year who said some variation of "Oh, that was so retarded of me" 2-3 times in about 5 minutes.

[crash_davis 23114]

So if an Asian kid on the team said, "Hey we have to win this competition, if not, my Tiger Mom will beat me." would he get kicked off the team?

[Beau Vine 54274]

6 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

 

Plot twist: Wrencher is a black Jew!

 

 

This is a very interesting list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_African-American_Jews

[Deej 76842]

38 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

What if the African American teacher hates Jews and this is his way of getting back at them?

 

Professor Griff?