Are minors people?

[lordblazer]

I wouldnt necessarily say that freedom of speech rights are totally removed more when you are in highschool, (comming from a student who attends a private school) but in Elementry school, can we safely say that a child does not have the logic or skills to comprehend with certain situations, and can we safely say that the consequences of a childs act are not as sever as to an adult? Thus, removing certain rights must be necessary

Plus, youre not a full citizen until you are a full adult, 18

bah the consequences of kids are starting to get worse.You heara bout how this one kid's mother put a knife(a butter one)in her son's lunch bag on accident and the kid gets kicked out of school I mean wtf?That is crap.If you cuss out a teacher in kansas you go striaght to jail for two weeks and once that happens you get treated like crap.And adult can cuss out a teacher without going to jail.They might get sued but they won't goto jail.

But kids don;t fully understand the world yet which I am glad the surpeme court actually made an ammendment that mattered.YOu know the one were its illegal to trial a minor as an adult...Thats some good relief especially if a 9 year old child was gonna be trialed as a adult and put into a prison to get passed around.

[Big D]

Let's look at what happens if kids are given full, unrestricted access to the basic human rights, either in the US Consitution or the international treaties like the ICCPR. In particular, let's see what happens if those rights are abused by school pupils:

Freedom of association: Kids are allowed to bring their KKK or neo-nazi skinhead uncle to school for company.

Freedom of expression: Kids get to write essays and projects that are full of profane and pornographic content, and the school can do nothing to stop them. Similarly, at any time during class, a kid can stand up and start yelling verses from the Satantic Bible.

Freedom of movement: They can just stroll away from school whenever they want, thereby getting no education and no discipline.

Freedom of thought and opinion: Kids already have this. Schools can't censor what you think, only what you express. It's the same as the adult world.

Right to bear arms: More innocent kids get slaughtered. This happens too often already, with 10 American children getting shot dead every day.

Freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention: Schools need a specific law entitling them to impose detention on troublemakers, and kids have the right to appeal their detention through the courts.

Right of peaceful assembly: Kids can get together for a meeting with each other in the middle of class.

To put it simply... if you give children the same rights and freedoms, to the same extent that adults have them, then you end up with an entire generation that is both uneducated and undisciplined. In order to teach, schools need the power to force certain behaviour from their pupils.

[Shlup]

Kids lack the ability to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions. They have an inflamed sense of self importance, and a need to rebel in order to help them develop a sense of self. Not having all of the right of adults may suck, and often times adults ignore students entirely where they should at least listen to them, but I fit's better now than it would be if we really allowed children these "rights" when they are in school.

[War Angel]

No, those are priviledges.

I say again - no right is naturally given, and no right cannot be taken away. The right for life can be taken away by a killer, the right for respect can be taken away by someone humiliating you, the right for education can be taken away easily, etc... if you don't have enough power to defend your rights, or someone else that will do it for you (i.e, soldiers, lawyers, etc), then your 'rights' aren't worth much.

[Madame Adequate]

Right to bear arms: More innocent kids get slaughtered. This happens too often already, with 10 American children getting shot dead every day.

First, could I have some proof of that statistic?
Second, I'd take issue with that theory. Would all those kids doing the killing be as ready to if they knew it was possible their target was armed?

In general, though, I find it very distasteful that kids have to be forced to do stuff, but a necessity nonetheless. My problem isn't that kids are expected to be reasonably calm and controlled in school, but more than schools often greatly overstep the boundaries (Uniforms, excessive amounts of homework, making kids get up at an unhealthily early time, and so forth.) and kids are ignored when they complain. What do kids know, right?

No, those are priviledges.

I say again - no right is naturally given, and no right cannot be taken away. The right for life can be taken away by a killer, the right for respect can be taken away by someone humiliating you, the right for education can be taken away easily, etc... if you don't have enough power to defend your rights, or someone else that will do it for you (i.e, soldiers, lawyers, etc), then your 'rights' aren't worth much.

I find the opposite to be true. All rights are naturally existing, and only through an 'unnatural' (It's not the best polar dynamic, because killing is natural, but you know what I'm getting at.) means can those rights be taken away.

[War Angel]

I find the opposite to be true. All rights are naturally existing, and only through an 'unnatural' (It's not the best polar dynamic, because killing is natural, but you know what I'm getting at.) means can those rights be taken away.

Whatever, it still doesn't change the fact rights can be taken away. In the wild, no creature has 'rights'. There's only survival. Therefore, no right is natural, only the ability to defend yourself through society and your own means.

[The Unknown Guru]

About the butter knife, I heard about a kid who brought NAIL CLIPPERS to school and got expelled. Also, thx for telling me about the "you become a citizen at 18" thing, I didnt know that. And all you people who say kids dont understand the consequences, i agree. I am talking about (usually) mentally mature middle/high schoolers. And, um, Big D, I think that is exaggerating it a bit too much... I mean, any parent with brains would'nt keep a lethal weapon in reach of their kids. Plus, how many people do YOU know with a KKK uncle?
Sorry for causing all the controversy, every1

[Endless]

Whatever, it still doesn't change the fact rights can be taken away. In the wild, no creature has 'rights'. There's only survival. Therefore, no right is natural, only the ability to defend yourself through society and your own means.

That's one of the differences in what is considered a right in the US or in Europe (and I suppose Israel, then): roughly, in the USA, the rights are here before there is a form of government, laws, etc..., and people choose to give up some of their rights or limit them. In Europe on the other hand, people have given up all their individual rights, and the government (in the wide sense of the term) gives people various rights, and can take them away.

*agrees with Shlup*

[Teek]

That's one of the differences in what is considered a right in the US or in Europe (and I suppose Israel, then): roughly, in the USA, the rights are here before there is a form of government, laws, etc..., and people choose to give up some of their rights or limit them. In Europe on the other hand, people have given up all their individual rights, and the government (in the wide sense of the term) gives people various rights, and can take them away.

What is a 'right'? Something that a government (i.e. a body or group of people; i.e. other people) can distribute? Of course not. All rights are natural and individual. And they all stem from one right - the right to his own life. Which means that a man is able to take all actions necessary to preserve, enjoy and fulfill his life.

If a person screams that no rights are natural and that they do not exist unless "society" (*cringe*) tells them otherwise, they are stating one of two things. Either they view reality as grim and depressing and seek to hide from it ("How do you know anything?/How can we be anything worthwhile?"), or they really do fundamentally believe in tribalism and gang warfare. That is, that they think that everything is a handout rather than earned.

Do minors lose "rights"? Not fundamental, natural rights. However, certain controls are placed on them in order for them to understand better the world. It's not done correctly, however. Children are not asked to speak their minds, to learn about the world; they are bound by traditions and church-driven thought. However, just as a man can't teach himself to be taught, so too can a minor not be a functioning member of society unless he learns the rules of living in a society (which is not established by society, but rather, by reality).

[lordblazer]

I agree with that but laws such as a student cussing out a teacher landshim a spot in juvy is really really dumb.And if does draw a picture that kids need laws like this to help them get better which isn't true at all that law is crap.