Plano Senior High School NHS Students Not Allowed To Wear Honors At Graduation, How The Incorrect Politically Correct Is Killing Our Spirit
In a politically correct move that curls your toe hairs, this year’s graduating seniors from Plano Senior High School will not be allowed to wear their National Honor Society recognition stoles when they graduate because school administrators want “everyone to feel included in graduation and not single students out.” What does it mean when the lives of many are affected by rules meant to assuage the feelings of a few? We’re finding out.
First Step’s a Doozy
Plano is not the first situation where this politically correct phenomenon has reared its ugly head; it is only the latest. It began with participation ribbons. Seemingly innocent enough, it started with kids’ feelings being hurt, then parents complaining, then the volume of the peanut gallery grew and grew until changes were made to be more “inclusive.” So instead of awarding the one or even the top few who earned the honor of being the best — which involves effort and focus and competition, three things paramount to success in life — whether it be for a small sports event or a classroom event, everybody got a participation ribbon.
Then it grew to team trophies. On a larger scale, the same thing was happening. Hurt feelings, complaining, then taking it to the next level — social media — where every armchair expert could give their opinion about topics and situations they knew nothing about, but were determined to comment on anyway. Because they had a voice and they were going to use it! With pressure comes change. Not necessarily good change, but apparently politically correct change.
The premise was that instead of giving to those few who worked hard, put the extra effort in, went above and beyond and earned an honor or recognition, there would be no individual honor, and everybody would get recognition. Whether they worked hard, put little or no effort into an activity, or even cared about the recognition at all, they received a participation token to appease the politically correct decision-makers.
But wait, there’s more. That kind of outlook is bad enough. However, even that behavior is changing.
Slippery Slope
Those Plano high school kids joined the National Honor Society to accomplish something and give more of themselves. Not everybody is accepted into NHS; it’s an honor. But with this new “inclusive,” politically correct way of thinking, instead of letting children learn how to compete, how to make an effort, how to focus and apply themselves to accomplish something, and how to lose graciously— which are all mandatory characteristics for them to have in order to grow into responsible adults — people have decided it’s better to give to those who don’t try or make an extra effort, and haven’t earned the honor or recognition, just so their feelings won’t be hurt.
Wake County Schools: You can't be Valedictorian but you have your choice of restrooms. YaY! https://t.co/GfugygB3Kg
— Richard L. Isaacs (@richisaacs) May 21, 2016
Not only in Plano, but after 2018 in a North Carolina high school, they will stop naming valedictorians and salutatorians, which are usually “the top two most prestigious positions in a graduating class based on grade point average,” because having only two students awarded that recognition is not “inclusive enough.” So now they are taking away from those who worked hard and deserve recognition, in order to make others feel better about themselves.
It’s as if “competition” and “accomplishment” are pariah words, and the effort that goes into each one of those seems meaningless. Why compete if everybody gets a ribbon? Why try harder if everybody gets a trophy? Why try to better yourself if you won’t get the honor of being recognized for that tremendous effort? Why try if it doesn’t make a difference?
Life is not fair, and people are not always nice. Sometimes, there’s pain. Kids need to learn that when they’re young so they can handle it when they are older. It’s like the line in The Princess Bride: “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
— Creedence Queer Otter Revival ? (@DadeOtter) May 25, 2016
The decision-makers, instead of comparing what they are making decisions about to the initial foundations of what is right, are comparing data to the previous decision that was made saying, “it’s only a tiny bit more/less/different than it used to be,” but that is actually highly inaccurate. You can change something only one degree at a time, but if you change it once a week over the course of one year from an original 45 degree angle, it doesn’t end up one degree from where it started, it ends up 52 degrees from where it started. That is a tremendous difference.
We’ll have to see what happens with these Plano Senior High School students and the administrators who think being politically correct over doing the right thing is better, but we need to carefully watch where decisions continue to go, and not only what decision-makers want to give out, but what they want to take away, all in the name of politically correct “inclusiveness.” What are your thoughts?
[Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images]
