Lu, who is now a fan of yours on facebook-http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thank-you-Will-Phillips-Your-only-10-and-you-stood-up-for-gay-rights/192948592256?ref=search&sid=100000638324304.1470701855..1&v=wall

Any how, you have the respect and support of about 75 % of the population of Denmark (i now were small but that’s still a lot of people ;)). I can vouch for that.

So go do your thing. Be freethinking, logical and kind, and don’t surrender your principals because some people give you a hard time about it. I still can’t believe that your teacher would try to force you swear the pledge of allegiance. Again, I now that you’re very big on patriotism in America but that just seems wrong. Embrace the diversity America! Cus that’s what makes you great! :D

Over and out

To everyone else, I would like to say that while Will’s actions are special and take a lot of determination and strength, he is not the only 10 year out there with a good understanding and well thought out opinions. If you treat kids like human beings, give them a chance, and really listen, you can learn a lot. They do understand. We should encourage them to think for themselves, and we should listen to them.

Also, the “United States” is not some God-given natural entity that fell out of the sky. It’s a bunch of random borders some rich white guys drew on a map after plopping down on top of a bunch of cultures that had existed here hundreds of years before Europeans.

The United States was built on the mass genocide of Native Americans, and our wealth was built on the backs of black slaves. If you think this country would be half as “great” without its great history of oppression, you’re simply wrong.

And bless this kid for standing up against that history.

America: Love it or leave it.

You’re gonna grow up to be a fine, young redneck! *sarcasm font on*

Got your four-wheel pick-up truck and back-window gun-rack picked out yet?

@ everyone criticizing his “method” – Can we stop the activist infighting? There will always be disagreements over method, but this has obviously been successful at getting attention, which means it was effective, full stop. I don’t think we should bash the effective advocacy campaigns of other activists on our side – if you feel differently, work on something parallel (like a rewording of the pledge to be distributed however you see fit). The pledge has many meanings for many people – it’s not productive to argue over it.

In any case, there is so many appalling ignorance in this country about basic thiongs like healthcare and the putred Right wing economic situation. Even adults arte to busy trying to make it presumably to say NO! AMERICA IS FUCKED UP!

P.S. Teachers, there’s a need for you here: STOP LETTING KIDS CALL EACH OTHER GAY IN YOUR PRESENCE, AND PUNISH THEM. I have no idea how the anti-gay slurs have been allowed to become such a frickin’ hideous epidemic in K-12. Wait, I do: because douchebag conservatives, from teachers and administrators to politicians, think it’s funny and “harmless harassment” for those less-than-human gayfolk who deserve it anyway. Ugh. I wish I could pull the kid out of there and put him up on a platform to give speeches.

He doesn’t even know what sex is — how can he have any honest opinion?

Like it or not ten year olds do know what sex is. And beyond that he doesn’t need to know what sex is to be accepting of people based on their sexual orientation. Saying that is like saying that men cannot stand up in support of women because they don’t have a vagina

Does this young gentleman have any plans to run for office when he comes of age? I’d vote for him. Indeed I’d likely vote for him right now over many current office-holders.

For what it’s worth, I agree with you. I think ideologically this kid is light years ahead of his age; it’s WONDERFUL that he supports the LGBTQI community as far as he is able. However, his methodology is a little backwards (though again, one of the only tools available to him, so I get it.)

Basically, thumbs up William! Equality is awesome, and though the avenue he’s using doesn’t necessarily make sense to me, it’s working out for him, and his voice is being heard, which is what really matters.

Umm…how long have you been suffering from acute homophobia?

Michelle

It would be like Jennifer Aniston refusing to eat meat because she loves animals, while wearing a real fur coat, then telling people they shouldn’t smoke while puffing on a cigarette. Finishing up her protest, she tells people they shouldn’t vote because this government isn’t worth voting for. While it may get the point across, it just does so in a completely backwards way. If you don’t like the government, you don’t refuse to vote… because voting is our only power as individuals. Give up that right, and you’re essentially giving your thumbs up to everyone in power. Nobody is saying this kid SHOULD pledge the allegiance. I never said it, at least. But if he is going to refuse to pledge allegiance, his message should be about not having to be forced to pledge allegiance at all, not about what the allegiance stands for.

Imagine for a moment that I created a pledge called, “The Pledge Of StareClips.com”. And the pledge went something like this: “I love freedom. The end.” And you, then, refused to recite this pledge because you don’t feel this current administration is allowing us to be free enough. How is this a protest? Why should the current administration care one way or another whether or not you say the words, “I love freedom. The end.”? It does nothing to the government. The only thing you refused to do was say words that, incidentally, you probably believe in. So, to others, it might look like the reason you refuse to say the words is because you actually don’t love freedom. This makes freedom lovers worried, because they think maybe you want to take away their freedoms. It just sends a whole bunch of mixed messages.

The kid only refused because, basically, he doesn’t believe the government is holding its end of the bargain of the pledge. Then what he should have done is insist that the members of government stop reciting the pledge… or else, if they do recite it, start acting like it. Instead, his protest sounds more like it was done by a 10-year-old. Which is OK, because he is 10. But to think we have adults who are applauding him and saying “you go!” while not recognizing the fact that his logic is flawed… just shows why our government is the way it is.

People forget that the government consists of “we, the people”. The people in the government are human beings, born in this country. They are people like you and me. They were chosen by people like you and me to run. Then, they were voted by people like you and me to gain their positions. If the government is doing a terrible job, it is a reflection of the fact that we, the people, are really screwed up. And it’s like the same people who are applauding a 10-year-old to have no respect for authority. Should he also refuse to follow the teacher’s lesson plan because he doesn’t feel his teacher is really doing her job well enough? Maybe you think so. But how is blind rebellion a good thing? I’m all for resisting the system when the system is wrong, but I’m for it when it involves deep thought, well laid out plans, etc… not a torch and pitchfork movement by a 10-year-old mentality… from a 10-year-old or not.

Then, “It also seems that you skim over words. You missed my use of the word ‘perhaps’.” … the word “perhaps” did not appear in the comment I was replying to.

I will repeat. I never said it’s worrisome that you disagree with me. You quoted me: “On the other hand, you have continued to counter my opinions, suggesting my opinion is somehow ‘wrong’… or that I just need to have the same opinion as you. That’s a whole lot more worrisome of an attitude than simply reciting the pledge of allegiance and, perhaps, enhancing a child’s memory and recall function.”

You followed up by saying, “You obviously thought it was ‘worrisome’ that I disagreed with you…”

Obviously, to a closed mind. But the part you’re completely ignoring, which is convenient, is this part: “suggesting my opinion is somehow ‘wrong’”

I stated my opinion. Period. All you would have needed to say was, “That’s your opinion. I disagree with you. It looks like we disagree.” That’s it. Instead, you keep coming up with a laundry list of why my opinion makes no sense, then countering with your opinion and why it must be fact. That puts me on the defensive, clarifying what my opinion really is (because you take it out of context)… which you then counter by, once again, bashing my opinion. What do you gain by “proving” my opinion right or wrong?

If I saw a movie and said, “I didn’t really like that movie. I thought the special effects could have been better.” If you DID like the movie, would you say, “What!? Are you CRAZY!? That movie was awesome! The plot was great!” Then, I’d follow up with, “No, I thought the plot was fine, too. I just didn’t like the special effects, and it ruined it for me.” You’d follow up with, “The plot didn’t ruin it for me at all!” This goes back and forth for a while until I just tire of the fact that you have no reading comprehension skills and are a terrible listener, all while you continue to tell me my opinion of the movie is wrong and that I clearly don’t know a good plot when I see one, when my only beef with the movie was the special effects.

Case in point. Here is the next quote from you: “And some of the stuff you wrote really is wrong.”

Wrong? Based on what scientific book? Is there some scientific book out there where you can point to evidence that proves my opinion is somehow wrong? I just don’t get your fascination with my opinion.

The very first thing I said about this article was: “I absolutely applaud this kid for standing up for what he believes in.”

I finished the post with: “So, again… while his actual protest is misplaced… by stirring the pot, he’s made his voice heard. So, the outcome is still a good thing.”

And finally summarized, “Keep making your voice heard, kid!”

And yet, you ignore those parts of my post and just attack the part where I disagree with his method. You seem to be more focused on me than on him, which I think distracts from the real issue. Let’s put this back on topic and applaud this kid already… keep your insecurities to yourself, or at least take it to another thread where it will be more on topic.

Will, you are so strong… and you are RIGHT! I used to sing the National Anthem for sporting events when I was in high school and college, and stopped doing so because I also do not believe our country is the “land of the free” for everyone, as the song goes. I commend you. You are inspiring people and children all over the country. I hope one day you read Howard Zinn’s book “A Young People’s History of the United States”. You’ll love it! It’s often young people who push for and make change.. yet go unnoticed. As you get older, it might get harder and harder to stand up for what you think is right, even when you feel like you’re the only person doing it. But as one of my college professors said to me (and I printed it out and put it on my wall), I will say to you- DON’T shut up!!! ~Albany, New York