So I’m typing this in Word and I trying to do research on my phone about something that is old news but that has really been bothering me. On August 20th the news story that caught my attention said, Kaitlin Nootbaar, Oklahoma High School Valedictorian, Denied diploma for Using “Hell" in Speech. I listened to the story, which I believe was on The Today Show and when it happened I thought, ”I should do a blog post about this!” but I never did because life got in the way as usual. So now that I’m making a concerted effort to avoid life in order to blog, I thought I would go ahead and write this.
Internet is back Jack!!!
Ok, so anyway back to Kaitlin and her speech. What bothered me about it is that they requested a copy of her speech prior to graduation for approval. In the copy she gave them, she used the word heck. Did she intend to use the word "hell" all along? Was it in the "heat of the moment" as the media is saying?
I know this really isn't that big a deal and the media has sensationalized it beyond belief, but what really bothers me is whether or not this girl who was a straight A student was dishonest in straying from the speech she had submitted for approval. If she was, then she doesn't seem like Valedictorian material to me.Should she have to apologize? I say yes. There were lots of people there that may have been offended or shocked by her use of that word. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but I see with my own mom how it might affect someone elderly. There have been a few times that she and I have gone to our local burger place to get an ice cream cone or a milkshake. This place is a local gathering place for high school and college age kids. It never fails that there will be a crowd of boys and girls that are using really vulgar language and I see how it offends and scares my mom. There is a time and place for everything but a public forum where there are parents, grandparents and children is not the place for a four-letter word! Yes, Kaitlin should appologize, it would be the decent thing for her to do. And just because the First Amendment gives you Freedom of Speech doesn't mean you have to exercise it.
Should the school withhold her diploma? No. What Kaitlin did and what was in her mind and heart is known only to her. If she misled the school staff by showing them a speech with the word "heck" and then purposely changed it to show how cool she was by quoting a scene from a movie and using the word "hell" instead of just being intelligent and creative and writing her own speech...well that is something she will have to live with. Myself, if she had been my daughter, I would have counseled her to apologize.
So what say you? Was she right or wrong? Should she apologize or not? Should the school give her the diploma or not?
I only know the story from what i just read on your blog. Personally, I don't think the word, "hell" is offensive or vulgar or bad. I guess it depends on the context in which it was used, but still.....for me I don't think it's a big deal. Should she apologize? Well was it just one word only that she changed in her speech or a whole sentence or paragraph or phrase? I think if it was just the one word then I don't think an apology is necessary but I do agree with you that if she changed something purposely, more than just one word, then she is not valedictorian material, at least from a character standpoint. This is just my opinion. It doesn't mean I'm right.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you JarieLyn, hell isn't all that bad. To me it's the fact that she submitted a speech for approval, then went against the speech and now feels wronged for doing the wrong thing. I think she should be given her diploma, you can't force an apology out of someone. She doesn't feel she was wrong, she doesn't feel she should apologize, end of story, give her the diploma and let it go. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteThis is a hard one. I don't think her diploma should be withheld. It's quite possible that she was carried away and never meant diverge from her planned speech. Believe me, no one up here would blink at the use of 'hell' in a valedictorian speech. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad. I think when you are young you don't realize the impact your words have. I know I was just as guilty of talking ugly and being a drama queen when I was a senior in high school. I guess that's why they say, "With age comes wisdom."
DeleteI am offended by vulgar speech, but hell, isn't one I consider vulgar. I agree though, out of respect she probably shouldn't have used it. But it seems a farce to make such a big deal over this when our govt. officials, the media and just about everyone else have mainstreamed the use of the word. I definitely disagree with withholding the diploma. She deserves the diploma, even if she had used the f word, the diploma was earned. Did the kids who used any of those words in the halls at school have their diplomas withheld? I doubt it. And what I hear from the mouths of kids is very offensive!
ReplyDeleteNow...what do you think about the little boy named Hunter who is being pressed by his school to change his name to something less violent? THAT is ridiculous in my opinion.
Hi Rebecca,
DeleteI had not heard about Hunter but I googled him and watched the interview on The Today Show. That is ridiculous! The poor boy should be able to sign his name the way he always has. What is the world coming to!
I also don't think it's a big deal - although it would have been better if she hadn't done it. I don't think it needs an apology. It should just have been ignored as a juvenile error of judgement.
ReplyDeleteI agree, what gets me though is the dad not seeing that the speech was pre-approved and then she chose to say what she wanted to. I understand it being a juvenile error of judgement on Kaitlins part, but what excuse does the father have?
DeleteReally interesting story! I think the school should give her the diploma because she earned it and it is up to her if she apologizes or not. I don't believe she meant any harm.
ReplyDeleteThat seems to be the majority vote...lol. Well at least she and her father had their 15 minutes of fame. :)
DeleteWho are you and what have you done to my good friend Alicia?
ReplyDeleteAlicia, you have offended the master of the profane with this prissiness.
My world is falling apart. I will burn in heck forever.
Hold on to your heart, take that nitro pill, actually I agree with what you said about the public use of profanity, and it is not always by youth. I do not like public profanity especially the queen mother.
But holding a diploma back? C'mon. The word was hell. Everyone could get real offend and shocked at the graduation and go home and turn on General Hospital or any other day time soap opera or prime time show and find out why Sonny is pissed off with that son of bitch Joe Jr in those terms at 3 PM in afternoon.
Should have the principal pulled the girl over to the side and reamed her ass out after the speech? Sure! But there is nothing more effective to ruin one's argument than making an excessively big deal about it and laying on huge punishments. The Russian punk Pussy Riot is a demonstration of that. Is this principle so worried that the quality of language at the school is going to go into the gutter because the girl used hell?
If it were me, and the principal chewed my ass out privately after the speech, I would have been mortified. But once you make national news out something as stupid as this, my reply would to take your two bit diploma and shove it where the sun don't shine.
I may not have all the details of this story right, but it just sounds to me like a big deal was made when an ass chewing would have sufficed. It is more of this zero tolerance thinking that allows a school to expel a kindergarten student because he brought a plastic fireman's axe with his fireman halloween costume. Zero tolerance on weapons. Or charge a first grade boy with sexual assault because he nuzzled his teacher's breasts when she comforted him after he got hurt on the playground. Zero tolerance for sexual harassment. We have lost our common sense.
Hahaha, I was waiting for your reply. It's exactly what I imagined it would be. You know I'm not prissy. It's not even the word that bothers me. It's the fact that she strayed from the approved speech and she did it intentionally and also the fact that a graduation is not the forum for any type of four letter word, even one as mild as HELL.
DeleteI agree, they should just have pulled her aside privately and chewed her ass out. But like everything else in this world it just becomes a media circus *sigh*.
Thank God, I was afraid you had been possessed by goody -goody spirits. In all fairness to you, I wrote the comment without reading any of the others. After I commented I read the others and found that I had over reacted to what you meant.
DeleteGlad I lived up to your expectations!
I always like to reply to a post before I read everyone else's comments too! Great minds think alike! It was kinda fun writing this one and getting such great feed back. I'm working on a how old is too old to drive post. Hope to finish that one up today.
DeleteI do not find the word "Hell" to be profanity...But I believe if the speech was required to be pre-approved and she was aware of the fact that it had been approved, than changes would be inappropriate. I believe more than likely she will eventually receive the Diploma in the mail.
ReplyDeleteIn the real world if your boss requires you to do a presentation and tell you he must approve the presentation and you change it after it has been approved then of course there will be repercussions. School is meant to prepare us for the real world.
Amen my sista! That is a good point. High school is meant to prepare us for the real world.
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