Kill them with kindness and facts - Opinion
You know what I love? I love watching someone stand their ground about an important issue. But I love it most when the person stays calm, smart, and kind about it…when they're not ruffled by the other side's nonsense…when they know they're right but don't get all arrogant about it…when they deliver their side of the story with intelligence and quiet determination to not back down.
That's why I loved watching the now-viral video of Colorado student Jaiden Rodriguez and his mother, Eden, in conversation with a school official over Jaiden's display of a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. School personnel mistakenly associated the historical “Don't tread on me” flag with slavery, and told Jaiden he needed to remove the offensive patch. In actuality, the flag was flown during the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies and a warning to the British to leave Americans and their freedoms alone.
Eden is not seen in the video — you only hear her voice — but that's really all you need. She explains the ultra-historical facts with ultra-calm, and doesn't go out of her way to embarrass the school, which, let's face it, would've been easy to do given the gross historical inaccuracy of the educational institution's claim. She stands up for her son's rights without putting anybody down.
What a great example this mother sets for her son in this meeting. You speak up when there's an injustice taking place, and you don't back down when you know you're standing on solid factual ground. But you can do it in an even, level-headed way in which your equanimity only adds to the strength of your position. Jaiden follows her lead by also speaking non-confrontationally about how his choice to display the flag is well within his rights.
We see plenty of examples in the world today of people who feel the need to shove their "rights" in other people's faces and make a big noise about it all. How powerful to see a young boy and his mother who know their rights, but who seem more interested in being able to simply and freely exercise them than in forcing others to approve of them.
And you know what? In the end, Jaiden got to keep the flag patch on his bag — a triumph for the facts and for cooler heads.
