Kid mocked for homemade Tennessee shirt gets heartwarming response from UT; faith in humanity restored
A heartwarming story during this bye week. A young student in Florida wore a homemade Tennessee Vols shirt to school for collegiate pride day, and was left in tears after some students mocked him for it (he attached a piece of notebook paper that said "UT" to a plain orange tshirt). His teacher decided to contact UT about it, and not only did the school send him a full box of Vols swag, but they actually designed an official UT shirt for their store that's based off the kid's homemade design. I'm as cynical as they come, but I'll be damned if this didn't make me a little misty eyed on a Monday morning. Hats off to UT on this one.
September 9th, 2019 at 8:53 AM ^
Sorry, should have been marked OT, can't edit post title now.
September 9th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
No problem, OP. The title is informative, and a CFB-related story of humanity, action, decency and class certainly seems on-topic enough for me.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Dave Brandon would have sent a harsh letter to the boy threatening legal action for unlicensed logo reproduction.
Have to protect The Brand.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:32 AM ^
I actually laughed out loud at this. I can totally see Brandon telling the kid to go to bed and stop whining in the cease and desist letter.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:37 AM ^
OT is a trigger word until we shake off the near debacle vs. Army.
September 9th, 2019 at 8:57 AM ^
That's a really cool thing for UT to do. I don't know about anyone else, but I sure didn't have any university T shirts growing up in rural CA.
On edit: I didn't realize that the article continued
The principal of the boy’s school objects to the characterization that he was bullied, and told Fox News in an email the situation was simply that “the girls teased the boy about his shirt.”
bullying
Definition of bullying (Entry 2 of 2)
: prone to or characterized by overbearing mistreatment and domination of others
That principal sounds like a fucking idiot.
September 9th, 2019 at 9:40 AM ^
yeah saw that as well, sounds like a great leader for that school (obvious /s)
September 9th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
My son came home from school once and told me that some girls in his 2nd grade class called him a baby because he had a Paw Patrol water bottle. And that "only babies like Paw Patrol." Kid was in tears because he never said anything mean to anyone and here these little cunts are making fun of him for a stupid water bottle, and what's double stupid is he asked to take a water bottle to school so my wife just grabbed the first one she could find in the cabinet.
Is it really a big deal? No. Kids get teased in school and that's part of life, but "Just teasing" for kids is a hell of a lot different that teasing for adults. That principal is a clown and in the wrong field of work.
September 9th, 2019 at 9:57 AM ^
You called some 8 year old girls "cunts"... not sure if I'm supposed to thumb up or thumb down. I'm going thumb up because Paw Patrol are some pretty badass first responders and deserve our respect.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:00 AM ^
In that moment, they were
September 9th, 2019 at 10:33 AM ^
Well, possibly more like 8 year-old brains trying to reconcile a world where they, as females, are solely judged by their appearance but give'm a few years, right?
September 9th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Alrighty, imagine you are the dad of a 7 year old who just lost his baby sister a few months earlier and is suffering from depression because of it and is truly the sweetest kid you could ever meet and then find a better word you would have used.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:39 AM ^
Assholes, jerks, brats, vicious little girls, etc. I get it, horrendous situation and I feel for you and your family. I'm truly sorry. But, you're still the adult, act like one. Better word use.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:03 AM ^
It’s just a word describing a situation, get over yourself.
September 9th, 2019 at 12:18 PM ^
First of all, it's actually a word describing some girls who were acting like real jerks towards a kid who did not deserve that mistreatment, not a situation. Second, it's not an appropriate use of the word in the situation, that is all I was saying. Feel free to do what you'd like, obviously. I'd just like to think that we can be civil and have some decency, even in the face of bad situations like the one that's been described without resorting to calling 2nd graders c*nts. But hey, why not just act like the 2nd graders we're admonishing as long as we feel morally justified.
September 9th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
You’re acting pretty cunty right now too
September 9th, 2019 at 12:55 PM ^
I dunno, they kinda sound like cunts to me...
September 9th, 2019 at 1:27 PM ^
C an't
U nderstand
N ormal
T hinking
I'd say the word applies to you in this situation. He was referring to how he felt about the little cunts, not actually calling them cunts to their face. Get over yourself.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
Logan... you lost. Shut the Fuck up you Cunt!
September 9th, 2019 at 1:22 PM ^
Only a cunt would choose this hill to die on.
How about you worry about the language coming out of your mouth, not other people who also have freedom and free will to choose how they represent themselves.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:25 AM ^
I'll leave it at this word: strong.
As i'm sure your son, and you as well, must be stronger for what you had to endure.
Probably strong enough to realize what people "say" about your appearance doesn't mean that much.
September 9th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
I think that an adult calling 8 year old girls Cu%&s is way worse that 8 year old girls teasing an 8 year old boy. Maybe the girls learned disrespect from seeing adult examples like yours. There is simply zero excuse for that. Period. It is never OK to do write what you wrote.
September 9th, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
There's not a single person reading this who knows who I'm talking about. I never once said that out loud to anyone (other than my wife, who had far more words than I did). If you think that normal people don't think things like this given certain circumstances then you and everyone else complaining about my choice of words on an anonymous message board are utterly delusional.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:48 PM ^
And there’s not a single person who knows the identity of your son (at least I hope not) but the anonymity of the victims doesn’t excuse what was said by the girls or by you. The difference is that they are 8 years old while you’re a grown man. Act like one. You should apologize for what you wrote rather than try to rationalize and excuse it.
September 9th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Seeing your child hurt because of the cruelty of other children is one of the most painful/infuriating/helpless experiences a parent can have. Add on unspeakable personal tragedy . . . you're a better man than I for not going berzerk. Some people don't like the descriptor "cunts"? Fine. How about twats? (Digging into tje Britishisms here).
September 9th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
You should NEVER use the "C" word.
It is reserved for my ex-wife.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:55 PM ^
Not just your ex-wife
September 9th, 2019 at 10:09 AM ^
Thumbs up for sure
September 9th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^
I'm learning a lot about elementary school culture right meow.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:26 AM ^
Here's what you need to know - it sucks. And you learn really quick which shitty little 8 year olds are going to grow up to be shitty teenagers and then shitty adults.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:03 AM ^
This is so true. I taught at an elementary school once and knew that a couple of those 5th graders were going to be bad adults. Not to my surprise, saw one of the worst two kids in court roughly ten years later on a murder charge. Confirmation bias, I know.
September 9th, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
and people sometimes question the decision to home school. see candid discussion above.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:34 AM ^
It's a horrible word for sure but that doesn't mean it's not the truth.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
I just finished the boys on amazon prime so cunt is like my favorite word right now. Don’t go to England or Australia, that word is a term of endearment over there
September 9th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
You aren't kidding... I did part of my MBA in France and there were quite a few Aussies there. They casually threw around "cunt" like it's "fuck penn state" on these boards.
... and that was just the women.
Hot women!
September 9th, 2019 at 9:59 AM ^
I agree with you, doubly so in this situation. Here's a kid who clearly loves a school and is almost surely too broke to afford a real school shirt (why else would he not have one), yet still wants to participate, and he gets shit on for his janky homemade shirt.
This whole thing has class connotations to me, and that hurts when you're a kid.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:14 AM ^
Being poor and being made fun because of it has a lasting impact, and for many, this stays with them well into adulthood. I grew up poorer than poor in Flint. We couldn’t buy anything that was branded and my first licensed Michigan coat was stolen. It wasn’t made by the popular “Starter” brand either. I built credit card debt in college buying clothes and shoes to fit in. I’m 41 and I still worry about what others think of my gear.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:41 AM ^
Truly love the honesty here. Tons of courage.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
JPC: The whole licensed garment thing is indeed out of control, imhe. I have plenty of Michigan stuff. But looking for something new while at the game Saturday (a dri-fit XXLT Navy shirt with a block M,) they sure are not cheap. And kids know what is "real" and what is not, and already are pretty class conscious. The days of cheap Michigan t-shirts are no longer here.
Oh, and I absolutely loved this post, and that teacher, and the creativity and heart of that kid. And I also think that this was mean spirited bullying and teasing. Yeah, the boy will have to deal with that, but kids can really be mean.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
Shitty situation, but that's ridiculous that you called a group of 2nd grade girls the c-word. Classy bro. I get it's emotional for you as a parent, but come on.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
It’s just a word dude. Get over it.
September 9th, 2019 at 1:22 PM ^
It's just a word *on the internet.*
I don't think he's in any way advocating calling them cunts around their young ears.
September 9th, 2019 at 10:08 PM ^
Haha. There is a Curb episode where Larry David uses the word cunt and a bunch of idiots overreact.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:26 AM ^
I think about that too. My son is almost 16 months, and is a really sweet kid (I don't know how sweet in comparison to other kids) but he's always smiling and happy, around other kids, never fights, pushes, or complains about sharing toys and books. So as he gets older I am already worried about that happening...some other kids, stealing his joy or treating the things that bring him happiness as "childish" or "stupid." Random thoughts and all, and probably a nugget in the back of the mind of most parents.
September 9th, 2019 at 1:30 PM ^
Teach your son to plant his feet and ask them “What do you like?” We get teased because they are jealous. Include them and they melt.
September 9th, 2019 at 1:19 PM ^
I've had to explain to my kids before that what we often believe to be mere teasing is in fact bullying if the other party isn't a willing participant. You and your friends may rag on each other, but it's all in good fun because you know it comes from a good place. If the other person doesn't take it in good fun, then it wasn't done in good fun, so know your audience because a funny throw-away joke you made about some kid's haircut could have ruined his entire day.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
I understand your frustration with the idea, but as a teacher I understand where the principal was comming from. He was trying to make a distinction between teasing and bullying. Teasing is a one time thing that should be stopped, dealt with, and consequences should be given. Bullying is countinous teasing over a period of time. For example, teasing is making fun of a 2nd grader for having a Paw Patrol water bottle. (My favorite is Marshal by the way). If it continues the next day, and the next, then it is a patten of behavior and considered bullying. Or if one child consistantly teases other children, that child is bullying. In a national story, I could see how the Principal would want people to think this was a single incident that was dealt with, and that the school does not have continuous behavior problems.
September 9th, 2019 at 8:44 PM ^
Thank you for this. I haven't seen coverage of the principal's comments, but it's also highly possible that this specific comment was cherry picked inciting OuTrAgE.
Yes, bullying is bad. But no, not every incident of teasing is bullying. If it were, pretty much every kid at my kids' school could be considered bullies for that mean thing they said that one time.
September 9th, 2019 at 11:50 AM ^
Thought the same thing when I came to the end. Really ended it on a sour note. What a clueless POS too worried about how it will look that someone was bullied in his school rather than how good it looks that he has a great and compassionate teacher working for him.
September 9th, 2019 at 1:40 PM ^
In a school setting at least, there is a difference between bullying and teasing, with the primary indicator being that bullying is chronic. This is an important differentiation because the consequences are different, and there are greater implications about the character of the child(ren) involved when it is bullying.
It comes across as a CYA as written in the article, which it may well be. It might also be that he feels that the girls are being mis-characterized. I don't have nearly enough information to make a sound judgement.