Pushing to Bring Back Segregation in Transportation: Passengers Beg Airlines for Child-Free Flights

Every day thousands of planes take off from airports across the globe.  Each plane is jam packed with a variety of passengers, who cannot seem to coexist. Each one has their angry way with each other in the thick of stagnant, bacteria ridden air and plane travel becomes quite a nightmare. Other passengers tend to moan groan when they see a child walk on board, due to the stereotypes that have lead many to believe that all children on airlines are bound to cause discomfort and disruption. Some even become so fed up at a child's slightest action, that they will resort to unnecessary physical assault upon the child. Some even file lawsuits and make the most imbecilic arguments against a child.
One woman claimed that she suffered hearing loss on a flight from New York to Australia due to a 3-year old being to loud on the plane and filed a lawsuit against the family. A 42 year old woman harshly grabbed a 3 year old boy for kicking her seat. Many unhappy passengers without children of their own have organized and begged airlines to include a child-free flight option, which would be more expensive. Others have asked for segregated seating, in which children would be seated in a separate area on the plane.
Some will cringe the second a child gets on an airplane. These people argue that any child on a plane will automatically be disruptive and inconsiderate and many have claimed to have endured countless flights where such has taken place. According to one survey, 59% of passengers surveyed supported segregated seating on planes, and as much as 20% supported child free flights and said they would pay extra.
The truth is, even if an airline created child-free flights and child seating, there would be no guarantee of a nuisance free flight. There are disruptive travelers of all kinds, including adults. Having segregated seating would be practically useless because any screaming child would still be present on the plane and perfectly audible.
Scheduling would be a nightmare, as many families enjoy traveling during the holiday season. Having segregation on planes would bring back the segregation era, of having children and adults sit in different places on the plane, a problem previously endured in the past with whites and blacks on busses. Child free flights would increase negative and false stereotypes and discrimination against children. The concept of paying extra is apalling. Is this supposed to mean that child free flights are better? Absolutely not! Chances are having a child on the plane will make no difference.
Not every child will cause disruption on a plane, and it is unfair to make such an assumption. Every child should not have to suffer for the mistakes of some of their peers, and most disruptive children learn from their mistakes on the plane after suffering consequences.

Travel is a invaluable resource, which serves many a lifetime and travel is no place for prejudice.

Free Speech 4 Students Rally - MSNBC Coverage

 Free Speech 4 Students Rally - MSNBC Coverage: "This took place in Juneau, Alaska. This student was harassed by the government simply because his age(18) and because he wa..."

The Killers Who Live Long at Large in America's Schools

Kara hated school. She would make any excuse in order to stay home. She would dump chicken noodle soup all over her designer bedspread, and she would break countless thermometers placing them against her pink fluorescent lamp. Her mother asked her why she continued to fake these illnesses. She refused to answer and went reluctantly off to her middle school. The second she walked in the door, she was bombarded with ridicule and abuse. A tall girl, Katie pushed her to the ground and stole her backpack. Other kids egged it on.
For the first two periods, she sat in the bathroom sobbing. When break came around, she sat alone with no food.
Other kids claimed that she was too spoiled, stuck up, skinny, and a honkey. because both of her parents made six figure income, she ate wisely, and she was fair skinned with blond hair and blue eyes. Throughout the rest of the day she was bullied in the hallways and in classes. When she told the teachers they simply laughed and did not believe her. When she came home that day, her mother consoled her and asked her what had happened. This happened daily. She told her, and her mother immediately called the school outraged. The school calmly agreed to sign some paper work and report the issue and that was it. The bullying still continued, and Kara's mother was simply beside herself.
 When she went to pick Kara up from an orchestra rehearsal at her school, she took her and went into the principal's office. She was immediately sat down with the principal, a few of Kara's teachers, and the safety supervisor. When both Kara and her mother brought up the issue, the school officials said, "We cannot discuss this with you.", and pushed them out. Kara's mother demanded something be done. Security led them both out. They went home. Soon the bullying reached Kara's social networking accounts. She was receiving constant cyber-bullying.
Then one day her mom came home after grocery shopping. She had gotten Kara's favorite food in order to cheer her up. She called her name. No answer, then she shouted louder. Still no answer. Then she went up to her room. The door was locked. Kara's mother busted down the door to find her daughter hanging lifeless and blue on her ceiling fan with her old karate belt. Her mother screamed in horror and took her daughter down. She called an ambulance and
gave her CPR in the meantime. When the ambulance arrived it was too late, she was pronounced dead. Kara had been bullied to death.

This is what many children and parents across America deal with daily.

A bully is a person who regularly uses verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse or all three in an attempt to intimidate another person or people and get something they want from them. Bullies often choose people who have something that they envy, or who are different in some way. Bullies also look for vulnerabilities, such as low self esteem, emotional sensitivity, a hard time standing up for his or herself or a physical disadvantage such as a disability or small stature, although at times bullies pick their targets entirely at random. Any type of person can be a bully, male or female, short or tall, black or white, it does not matter. Bullies sometimes prefer to bully in large groups who overpower one or two people. Bullies seek a difference in power from their victims, bullies like to feel in charge and in control. Often times when a victim finally stands up for themselves, or a friend does so, the bully will stop, because the victim is no longer less powerful than them.
Many once thriving children have their self-esteem stripped from them due to bullying from their peers who are insecure themselves. The school is the heart of bullying. A national survey showed that 30 percent of children grades 6 to 10 had bullied or had been bullied or had been bullied at some point in their lives. 13 percent reported bullying others, 11 percent reported being bullied, and 6 percent reported having both bullied someone and having been bullied.  An I-Safe survey conducted in the 2003-2004 school for children grades 4-8 year showed that bullying occurs more often with boys than with girls. The reason. Statistics on cyber bullying are higher. 42 percent of children reported having been bullied online. 35 report having been threatened. 1 in 5 report having it happen more than once. 21 percent of kids have received mean or hurtful messages, 53 percent admit having bullied someone online, and 58 percent admit not telling a parent or teacher about being bullied.



Why has bullying continued to go on at these alarming rates in the schools?


It's because most schools expressly refuse to put a stop to it and prevent future bullying. 35 states have some sort of law passed preventing bullying. 15 states allow and do not prohibit bullying. 11 states prohibit bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity, 4 states prevent bullying based on sexual orientation, 4 required that bullying be addressed as well as prevented, and 16 states prohibit bullying but give no specific categories of protection. Others have considered legislation, but it has failed to go into effect.

                                                    Bullying By State
Red(15 states)- Bullying is not prohibited
Navy Blue(11 states)- Bullying is prohibited based on sexual orientation and gender identity
Yellow (16 states)- Bullying is prohibited but there are no guaranteed categories of protection
Aqua(4 states)- Requires that bullying is addressed and teachers and students follow an ethical code
Turquoise(4 states)- Bullying is prohibited based on sexual orientation


Many people, including many school officials commonly share an absurd misconception that bullying is just a normal and harmless part of childhood. Many consider it a "rite of passage" or just "boys being boys". Many parents will ignore it when a child comes to them for help for bullying. Even schools in the 35 states that have laws against bullying tend to ignore it all together, or lie about their actions to prevent bullying. Many parents and students who tell school officials are pushed off and nothing gets done. Some parents even go on famous talk shows to spread awareness and hosts and experts belittle their opinions. Many times schools do not want to get involved in a bullying situation, or do not want to get involved in a lawsuit. They are either too lazy to do so, or do not want to risk their image. Some schools are afraid to intervene, or even state their bullying policies to the victim or their parents because of confidentiality issues. Why should confidentiality override student safety? Why should pure laziness override saving a student's life?
In fact, bullying severely damages self esteem and causes depression and can ultimately lead to suicide. At times the bully can kill its victims by accident, some of which is seen when sororities and fraternities recruit college students when hazing goes too far. Some victims end up permanently disabled, and many who survive bullying have emotional scars that last a lifetime. Those who are bullying already have lowered self esteem.
A survey showed that 60 percent of people who bullied others while in school ended up with at least one violent criminal conviction, some go on to lead lives as adult bullies, and many end up bullying their children. This means that more than half do not grow out of the behavior, and that there are deeper problems besides simple immaturity.
Specific environments serve as breeding grounds for bullies. For instance, a child in a home filled with anger, violence and tension may feel that violence is the only way to get what they want. Bullies may have endured traumatic experiences in which they had no control, so they may seek that control from bullying. Bullies who have neglectful parents bully as a way of getting attention. Many of those who are bullied end up becoming bullies themselves and endangering lives as well.
Bullying is a cruel and unethical practice that schools cannot afford to keep ignoring. If it continues, teen suicide rates will continue to rise, school shootings will occur more often, and overall parents and students will not feel safe inside the walls of a school. Bullying is detrimental to the learning process. A child who is bullied often cannot focus on school work for fear of their next attack. A bully who never learns how to treat others properly will do poorly in school due to a poor attitude.  One of the primary goals of a school administration should be to make the students feel welcome and safe while they are learning there. If not students will not want to go back and may seek home schooling, or even drop out.

The primary purpose of school is to provide an education in which students can use to their advantage to pursue life long goals. School is a place for learning and friendship and is not a place for cruelty and intimidation.

Shouldn't Schools be beyond this?

Protecting Children and Free Speech Online

Yes. The US government should not be sticking their nose in America's business concerning what they watch.

The Free Speech of Students: Not a Laughing Matter

   Schools serve as prisons for outspoken students.

The granted right to free speech first came about when the US Constitution was put into effect in 1789. Opinions were mixed, sporting many supporters and many opposers. Blood has been shed, many lives have been lost, many have been censored, ridiculed and punished informally. Free speech in the school at first was considered a laughing matter. People could not begin to imagine the two coinciding. Before the 1960's school was a rare opportunity and a privilege. Students were just grateful to even have an education, and fairness took a back seat. Students were thought of as inferiors(and still are), and the majority followed rules.
Many were not outspoken. Those students who were received harsh punishments not only from teachers and principals, but from peers, friends and parents as well. Even to this day, where school is an opportunity granted to nearly every American child, students are still censored and punished for their thoughts. "Offenses" can be anything from the word crap or gay, to the most degrading racial and homophobic slurs. Students are often attacked if they write, or state any controversial ideas in any way. Students in preschool and elementary school receive the strictest of censorship, and the strictest stifling of creative thought. Censorship in schools stretches across all forms of free speech including T-shirts, visual art, writing, and computer projects. A child in the 1st grade will receive more harassment for their outspokenness than a child in the 5th grade, whereas a college student will most likely be guaranteed the same rights to free speech as their parents.
Dress codes limiting which messages can be displayed on clothing , and limits of lengths of shirts and pants are universal.
In the visual arts department, you may have seen a picture hung up with nipples, breasts, genitalia, or weapons slapped tastelessly with a thick coat of white out. You may have seen stacks of confiscated laptops, and dozens of angry children lined up in the principal's office who do not belong there. School officials often have the misconception that younger children have no business knowing or speaking of thoughts which do not conform to the mentality of the christianized American society. Schools wish to prevent it's students from hearing of anything that may be controversial, and certainly do not want them speaking of it. School officials see outspoken thoughts coming from young children as "age inappropriate", and blame it on the responsibility of the parent. Thoughts which would not be given the time a day had it come from an older student or parent.
Many loving parents who want only the best for their children are wrongly accused of child abuse and their children get blackmailed, and shunned from the school community. Some school officials even go as far as to report the child exercising his or her 1st Amendment rights to CPS(Child Protective Services), or to local authorities to be arrested and prosecuted for hate crimes and repeated disorderly conduct in the classroom. Many students have appeared on the news, being harassed by their school for things as harmless as hanging their country's flag on their bike, or for refusing to partake in the US Pledge of Allegiance.
While it is rare for a child to run into legal trouble due to 1st Amendment rights, there are many   unfair decisions made by school officials, where children have to endure constant day to day harassment. Schools simply spend too much time and energy on a child who does no harm to the well being of other students, yet they simply ignore children who consistently bully others and expressly refuse to stop actual harm.
It seems as if the US government has thrown the 1st Amendment straight out the window when it concerns students. Though free speech theoretically does not exist, students should not be subject to the unharmonious end of that spectrum. When schools stifle the creativity of its students, students are taught from the time they enter that they must conform, and that their opinions are wrong, and should be corrected. They are taught that human tendencies such as sex, body parts, representing your nation, etc. that have existed for ages are morally incorrect, and inappropriate to speak or write about. And thus, children who are creative, after being stifled time and time again have their dreams crushed, and eventually have a desire to be like everybody else.
Controversial ideas should be welcomed and cherished. Schools can in fact use a student's outspokenness to their advantage for activities such as debate teams, writing competitions, etc. The controversial opinions of most students would not cause any physical harm, or emotional damage to anybody. Being offended is a completely different action which is taken by choice, and is not the same as harm and trauma. An example of harm speech would include yelling "fire" incorrectly in a movie theatre, or bullying someone to the point of suicide. Speech that does not harm, yet is offensive to many includes reference to sex, violence, or bodily functions. Speech that does not cause actual harm should be allowed. It is virtually impossible to come up with speech that does not offend at least somebody.
Students should be treated with the same respect that adults get and do not deserve to be censored-period.

A Glimpse Into The Daily Lives of Many Children

I picked up the belt. Its silver studs glistened in the bright white light, and its pink leather irritated my palms. I knew I was going to regret this later. I gripped hard with unrelenting rage.

“Bend over.” I said.

“No! I only ate a little bit.” My son said.

“Pants off! Now, Garret!”

“Please, I won’t do it again.” He said, pulling down his brown skinny jeans.

I pulled back and took my first hit. The belt slapped down loudly and my rage had instantaneously traveled through the belt and onto his skinny pale thighs as a red welt.

“Ouch!” He yelped

“You know better than this! You are going on fourteen years old!”

“Stop! Please! I’ll do anything!”

“You know better than to go through my stuff, you little bastard!!” I said, whipping him in the face. He turned back around, blood trickling from the corner of his sad blue eye.

“I’m sorry, I just thought it was a regular cookie! It was out on the counter!” He wept.

“No, you knew! I’m sick and tired of dealing with this! I pay good money! In fact, 54 dollars straight out of my wallet for that cookie. It’s high quality you know. I have to travel into the city. 54 dollars which go straight to your medical bills!” I yelled, rapidly striking him three more times, twice in the face and the third on his bare buttocks.

“I’m sorry.” He lamented loudly.

“No you’re not. You knew that was a northern lights cookie! It had a label! In plain English, in bold green letters! You knew! You just like getting on my nerves don’t you? You like getting a reaction from me! If that’s how you want to play with me, then you can just pack a little suitcase and get the hell out of my house! You’re not even my real son! I don’t need you in my life!” I screamed

“No! I swear, I thought I may have been green tea flavored! Just relax!” He screamed, tears of pain streaming down his face.

“There are no green tea cookies, you dumb little ass!” I said, spitting on him.

“I’m sorry. Please, I’ll do anything to get you to stop this right now. I’ll watch no television for a week, I’ll clean the house for a month. Just stop hurting me!” Garret screamed.

“Do you like getting heart palpitations? Do you like being paranoid? Do you like eating until you throw up? Do you like being at the hospital getting your stomach pumped?” I screamed.

“No.” He said.

“Well if you do, then you might as well keep on prowling through my stuff then, I just might have to get used to that! Because the world only revolves around Garret! Wrists out and shirt off!” I said. He reluctantly removed his shirt, and put his wrists before me. I then lashed his wrists until they gushed with blood, then I lashed his back leaving several streaks of rage. Then I wrapped the belt around his I squeezed tighter and tighter. I was so through with him, I just wanted him gone. He gasped for air. The sharp studs on the belt dug into my hand and three broke loose. My hands sweated against the hot leather and the sweat seeped into the weak spot toward the middle, and the belt snapped in half. Garret gasped for air, blue, and terrified. He ran off into his room and locked the door. I stared at my bleeding hands in terror, my rage gone; yet guilt overwhelmed me. I then walked away, holding my own tears back.

This is a short story I wrote as a character development exercise. This story symbolizes only some of the abuse children endure every day. This is what countless children in the US have to endure daily, and the government does little or nothing about it.

The Cruelty Still at Large Behind Closed Doors: The Alarming State of Corporal Punishment in the US.

Corporal punishment is defined as a physical retribution for an offense. Corporals are considered to be those of a low status, a term often used in military rankings. Corporal punishment has existed since the very beginning of human civilization, often being used in the courts, in schools, and in the home. Its first recorded incidence was in 10 BC. In ancient times Sparta was known for the harshest physical punishments, which its leaders believed to build high pain thresholds and increased willpower and perseverance.
Some countries practice judicial corporal punishment, in which criminals are tortured as their punishment. Corporal punishment in the US was at high popularity during colonial times and during the 19th and 20th centuries. Common 19th century punishments in the US included whipping, and striking the knuckles with a ruler. Common reasons included, swearing, talking back, boys playing with girls, and disruptive behavior. In the 20th century, popular methods included spanking, paddling, belts, hot-saucing, and soap in the mouth. Children are sometimes asked to choose their weapon, the parent sometimes giving them a choice of a particular belt, soap, paddle, or switch.
Popularity has largely decreased since the 1960's, yet it still has many advocates and people who practice it. Implements such as paddles, whips, switches, belts, cleats, logs and many more are universal among punishers, though many prefer to use their bare hands. Others include washing the mouth out with soap, swallowing soap, squirting hot sauce in the mouth, drinking a bottle of hot sauce, and drinking salt water until vomiting occurs.
Common anatomical targets include the buttocks, wrists, thighs, neck and even the face. Corporal punishment is often referred to as "spanking", "the swish", or "paddling".
Many parents, teachers, and care-givers prefer corporal punishment because it is quick to administer, cost-free, and straight to the point. They find it too time and money consuming to talk to the child, or pay for detention programs, school-wide lecturing programs, or character development classes. Despite the legality, many parents opt to to inflict the punishment in private, for fear of embarrassment. Another common belief is that children will not understand why their action was wrong or inconsiderate if spoken to or grounded and find that children will only refrain from undesirable action if pain is inflicted. Many believe than pain will instill fear and achieve desired results right away.
 Many commonly misinterpret religious texts as advocates for corporal punishment. Many Christians and Catholics believe that the bible instructs them to punish children in a physical way. This is a false and secular belief of some religions, often used to control its members. Many religions actually incorporate corporal punishment for children as a punishment for violation of religious rules.
Corporal punishment is entirely legal in 20 US states. Corporal punishment is most popular in the south, hence 12 southern states abusing more than 1,000 school children in the 2006-2007 school year alone. In those 20 states some school districts have banned corporal punishment. In 30 states corporal punishment is only illegal in schools, and may be practiced freely in the home. No restrictions are placed on the methods used for punishment. Corporal punishment is illegal in most of Europe, being only allowed in France and the Czech Republic, and at least being banned in schools in 17 countries. In Canada, corporal punishment is allowed, yet there are many restrictions. Only a parent or legal guardian(and nobody else) can spank their children aged 2-12 using only bare hands. Implements(paddles, whips, etc.) are strictly prohibited. Face blows and punches are unacceptable, and any punishment inflicted may not leave even the slightest mark(welts, scars, cuts, etc.) Provinces may place tighter restrictions at their discretion, and must at minimum place these restrictions on corporal punishment.

Number of students who suffered corporal punishment(2006-2007 school year) 

Orange(12 states)-1000+ students

Light Orange(8 states)-less than 1000 students

Yellow(30 states)-Banned

Corporal Punishment Legality in Europe

Green(18 countries)-Corporal Punishment is Prohibited in both the schools and the home

Blue(17 countries)-Corporal punishment is prohibited in schools only

Red(2 countries) Corporal punishment is allowed

Legality in the United States.
Red(20 states)-Corporal punishment is completely allowed in both schools and homes, yet some school districts ban use. 

Blue(30 states)-Corporal punishment is not allowed in schools, yet may be used freely in the home.

The US department of Health and Human services reports that annually, an average of 142,000 children are seriously injured from corporal punishment. 18,000 are permanently disabled, and between 1 and 2,000 children each year die from corporal punishment alone. 70% of CPS(Child Protective Services) cases stem from corporal punishment, 41% percent of testifying parents say that they were just "disciplining" their children, and that they "accidentally" killed them, and some are proven not guilty. 99% of prison inmates have been subject to some form of corporal punishment at some point in their lives.

Studies show that 50% children who are physically punished grow into aggressive adults. They are taught that violence is the only way to get what they want, and that violence is the only way to resolve conflicts. Many people that were physically punished as children end up repeating the cycle of domestic abuse with their own children.

Corporal punishment has been shown to lower self-esteem, and is detrimental to the intimacy, love, and warmth of the relationship between parent and child. It causes the child to have a lack of trust and confidence in the parent, making the child afraid to come to the parent for help, ask questions, or trust them.
How is it that so many believe that criminals should not be tortured, yet they openly believe in corporal punishment when it concerns children? How is it that many parents who were abused as children fail to remember the pain it caused them, and openly abuse their own children?

Corporal punishment does not teach children to behave out of genuine interest and reason to do so, instead it causes children to behave out of fear that they will be hurt, and thus they do not learn the real reasons why they should behave, and end up "misbehaving" once they leave their parents. 

Though the physical damage may be temporary, corporal punishment leaves lasting emotional scars that can never be erased.

Corporal punishment is a cruel abuse of power, and a violation of human rights. It is a punishment in which no human deserves and should ever be forced to endure. Children are no exception.

No person, not even a parent or a teacher should have the right to lay hands on a child other than in a caring and affectionate way. Parental guidance should be composed of caring, kindness, patience, enlightenment, and instruction, and not cruelty, humiliation, fear, pain, trauma and rage.

Why have we failed to realize cruelty when we see it?