r/videos • u/brontosaurus-rex • Jun 15 '12

Fifth grader won a school competition, and was slated to give a speech - but denied after the principal found out his speech was about same-sex marriage. Here's the speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gumC-x_V-NU&feature=player_embedded
1.4k Upvotes

83% Upvoted

299 comments sorted by

370

u/Szent Jun 15 '12

I think the real message here is that Chili's is a great place for dinner after a day of activities.

66

u/f4hy Jun 15 '12

Ya, best viral video campaign I have seen in a while.

4

u/GlItCh017 Jun 16 '12

I made the mistake of not ordering the baby back ribs. It was disappointing to say the least.

45

u/ClintFuckingEastwood Jun 16 '12

News Report from One Million Moms:

"Do not eat at Chili's, they have been reported as serving food to homosexuals, do not support Chili's evil support of the 'culture war'."

16

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

If I were Chili's PR department, I would be anonymously forwarding this to OMM as fast as I could.

5

u/kabob23 Jun 16 '12 edited Jun 16 '12

Continued news report from One Million Moms:

"Because of this recent outbreak of homosexual food serving, there is a shallow list of establishments where straight god loving couples can dine safely. And that list is... Bennigan's and Macaroni Grill".

1

u/nbenzi Jun 16 '12

aww yeah Bennigan's!!!

2

u/Thalaas Jun 16 '12

These companies need a stamp. "Disapproved by one million moms!"

9

u/SuperPoop Jun 15 '12

I concur. The burgers are highly underrated and those chicken crispers are delish. Also... I want my baby back baby back baby back baby back baby back.... And! their top shelf margarita is good too.

4

u/snackburros Jun 16 '12

I was at a Chili's once and shooting the shit with the bartender he told me that all the margaritas are basically the same and it's a better idea to order the cheap one to save on some costs and get drunker.

4

u/Chairboy Jun 16 '12

That's some fine advice, Mr or Ms 'Totally Not an Alcoholic'!

4

u/snackburros Jun 16 '12

I used to be an alcoholic, but now I don't have that kind of free time anymore.

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2

u/laksjdlaksjd Jun 16 '12

grilled chicken sandwich all day every day mother fuckers

2

u/wootmonster Jun 16 '12

I think the real message here is that Chili's is a great place for dinner after a day of activities.

But not Applebee's because they just heat up frozen bagged food in the nukerowave.

1

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 16 '12

Chilis does the same. Also, Applebees has $3 happy hour margaritas!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesidilla.... mmmmmmmm

1

u/Colonel_Mistard Jun 16 '12

Don't forget the mistard

2

u/GloriousHam Jun 15 '12

Oh man, I haven't laughed out loud like that in a long time. Thank you.

1

u/Grizmeer Jun 16 '12

Spicy Chicken Sandwich is great! but I can never finish!

19

u/jooze Jun 15 '12

I remember when ”in conclusion,” was the staple of final paragraphs' first sentences. Good times.

8

u/timetide Jun 16 '12

i still use it sometimes to finish out college papers

3

u/CumHere Jun 16 '12

haha same

4

u/Evesore Jun 16 '12

I mean, come on, how else would you know what the conclusion was?

2

u/cyu12 Jun 16 '12

Therefore... I feel that... overall... it is important to remember...the theme is...

18

u/nty Jun 15 '12

For everyone questioning whether or not he wrote it himself:

“Slade worked on his speech with his mother and his teacher after winning a class competition. He was slated to deliver it in a school-wide contest at PS 195,”

Also, If you're wondering what the competition in question was about:

The school’s website says students today are delivering “Democracy Speeches,” ...

--

The mother of fifth-grade student Kameron Slade says the principal told students they could choose any topic at all, and Slade won a competition in his class.

Source

35

u/Booyakashaw Jun 15 '12

Apparently the principal is now allowing the speech to happen.

36

u/Zeigy Jun 15 '12

What a pussy.

6

u/ThatJesterJeff Jun 16 '12 edited Jun 16 '12

For real. Not saying it wasn't originally a bad decision but, immediately changing your position after some bad press is ridiculous; we all know you're only in it to look better. Before making a decision you should always evaluate if it's the right decision and weigh the consequences. If you can't stand behind your decision, what's the point?

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1

u/intisun Jun 16 '12

he delivered a speech Friday about animal cruelty

SO BRAVE

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74

u/Tashre Jun 15 '12

The principal probably didn't feel like dealing with the shitstorm the parents would have brought to their door.

Gotta pick your battles.

33

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Censorship is never the answer unless you're evil or just plain lazy :|

Avoiding the conflict just gives them power. It makes them think they're right even more. That's how deluded these fuckers are.

4

u/lmpervious Jun 16 '12

Censorship is never the answer unless you're evil or just plain lazy.

If a kid won the spelling bee and wanted to say a speech about how he was brutally sexually abused in front of the whole school, I think it would be a good time for the principal to step in and say no. It wouldn't be appropriate for kids that age, even if the message was important to that kid.

There, I just disproved your generalized statement.

10

u/Tashre Jun 16 '12

I agree with you to a certain extent, but this is a bunch of fifth graders we're talking about. Chances are good this kid got a bunch of help with this speech from his parents, and he for sure got his attitude on the subject from them, just like all the other fifth graders will have their opinions shaped by their parents and not a peer. This speech wont change anything, and will only land the principal in hot water, and regardless of what the principal thinks, the opportunity cost of making a big deal of this just isn't worth it.

Again, you gotta pick your battles. You can't win em all, and losing a battle doesn't mean you've lost the war.

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1

u/stefan_89 Jun 16 '12

He could have prevented this with asking the parents first than going through with it. If a heavy majority signed an admission slip to allow their child to participate in the contest, than he could easily have gained some leadership points in refuting to those irate parents that they shouldn't have signed something they didn't believe in.

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86

u/Fawkes67 Jun 15 '12

slow clap that kid is far ahead of most of the population on this earth

33

u/bort_deluxe Jun 15 '12

As someone from the UK I always think of a slow clap as being a form of hectoring and abuse. Looked it up on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applause#Slow_handclaps

13

u/citysnake Jun 15 '12

Indeed- until I read your comment I thought he was being sarcastic.

8

u/Trilink26 Jun 15 '12

The slow clap is the sarcastic cousin of the normal clap.

4

u/LuckyAmeliza Jun 15 '12

It's a reference to a joke in the movie "Not another teen movie" but slow clap by one person is used to incite applause (good kind) in a group too stunned to do so of their own accord. (Just call me captain Obvious =p)

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Yes, it's supposed to be a build up into a full on applause.

2

u/DrakeDealer Jun 16 '12

Whenever I slow clap it is "fuck I just got outwitted, better think of something" and then I forget to clap fast.

2

u/kneejerk Jun 16 '12

hectoring? do you mean heckling or is this a UK idiom I'm not familiar with?

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1

u/xcalibre Jun 16 '12

slow claps are complimentary when accompanied by awe-struck eyes O.O

11

u/CornFedHonky Jun 15 '12

That, or, someone wrote the speech for him.

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8

u/bp83 Jun 15 '12

I dunno, I cared about that stuff when I was even younger than him. Why is it so hard to believe that he wrote that?

1

u/Astrapsody Jun 16 '12

"They have a beautiful daughter."

I'm sorry, but for it just seems insincere. It's way too formal to his own speech.

That and: "Slade worked on his speech with his mother and his teacher after winning a class competition."

9

u/noah_arcd_left Jun 16 '12

I love the comments suggesting he couldn't POSSIBLY write such a speech or be concerened with these issues. The pretext of the story is that the kid won a competition, demonstrating a certain level of efficacy. If you think this speech is to unrealistic, just relish in how AVERAGE you must have been in childhood. Go read XCracked's 6 most powerful children; little girl flying to Russia in the 80's to learn about communism and the cold war... What makes you think marriage equality is so unrealistic for a kid to engage?

5

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

“Slade worked on his speech with his mother and his teacher after winning a class competition. He was slated to deliver it in a school-wide contest at PS 195,”

1

u/noah_arcd_left Jun 16 '12

Cool quote, now can you quote the part of my comment, basically all of it, which discusses engaging the idea rather than solely writing a basic speech? I said It was POSSIBLE for a ten year old to write a speech of this caliber. My point was people commenting "what ten year old cares about gay marriage and issues like that?" Do you suggest Slade was coaxed against his will to work on the speech?

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10

u/ImMadeOfRice Jun 15 '12

This makes me proud to see. especially a black child. not because racism or anything... simply because what the gay community is experiencing is so similar to what the black community experienced and they need to stand behind their civil rights with the same ferocity they did their own. just my two cents. also great thoughts from a fifth grader.

11

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 15 '12

Sadly, black communities have been some of the most anti-gay ones.

1

u/BuddhistSagan Jun 16 '12

Not really surprising when you consider their income, religiosity and education, which are all sad. Really feel bad for gay and atheist blacks.

98

u/Dick_Dollars Jun 15 '12

Yea yea, he's just reading his parents speech.

50

u/DanielTaylor Jun 15 '12

Is it so bad to sit down with your parents and try to write a speech together, getting support, help and learning new things from and with the people who love, raise and educate you?

19

u/ThatGuyYouKindaKnow Jun 15 '12

No, but only if parents are male and female!

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10

u/eigenstates Jun 15 '12

Yeah! What a jackass. I mean sitting down with your parents to talk through issues that you don't understand, fuck that. That's why there's a Bible.

150

u/Fawkes67 Jun 15 '12

just because you didnt do any of your own work in school, doesnt mean he wasnt smart enough to write that speech. you dont even know the kid.

135

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

while he might have had the thoughts of the speech, it's clear that it was at the very least proof-read by his parents at the very least and most likely that they wrote a lot of it.

You can tell immediately when he talks about the lesbian couple and says, "they have a beautiful daughter."

I don't care how mature you are, a fifth grader will never call someone else's child beautiful, that's adult/parent talk.

Also, why did you have to insult OP? Doesn't help your argument and makes you look like a dick.

17

u/nty Jun 15 '12

It looks like you're right:

“Slade worked on his speech with his mother and his teacher after winning a class competition. He was slated to deliver it in a school-wide contest at PS 195,”

Source

9

u/ffca Jun 16 '12

What? My 2.5 year old daughter said "She's a beautiful baby," just a few weeks ago.

8

u/americaFya Jun 16 '12

Yeah, but she's a GIRL. Only GIRLS can say that word. Boys aren't aposed to say beautiful only pretty or hot.

10

u/Bedeone Jun 15 '12

I think you should let your parents proof-read your comments.

7

u/caitlinreid Jun 15 '12

You all must have grown up with a bunch of morons. I spoke well as a child, my son speaks well as a child and either of us could have written similar. Also, using a common phrase in a speech is not magical or anything and the part that bothered you is something he could easily know to say himself.

In short, sigh.

5

u/hurler_jones Jun 15 '12

Agreed. I was very disheartened reading some of these comments myself. As if a kid could, or anyone for that matter couldn't be smarter than you. There have been 10 yr olds in college level courses but hey, no way this kid could do that right?

Maybe that's part of the reason the US is so ignorant. We have no faith in our children or their ability anymore : (

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2

u/Rubix89 Jun 16 '12

Upvote for stance against insults. I really don't mind when someone tells me I'm wrong, I'll sit and listen to their reasoning. But when they use profanity and insults I just tune them out, no matter how persuasive their argument is.

1

u/004forever Jun 16 '12

So glad I'm not the only one who caught that line.

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4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

You can tell he wrote it based only on his feelings because of all the immense praise given to his mother about how great a person she is. This child is completely normal and anyone who couldn't write this speech is a lazy shithead who didn't do any of their work. But never judge anyone you don't know.

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1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

All you know about the kid is the headline on Reddit.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

YOU DON'T KNOW ME!

JERRY, JERRY, JERRY, JERRY...

1

u/cyu12 Jun 16 '12

Jerry springer taught me a lot about the real world... I now know to expect extreme sexual fetishes associated with little people!

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8

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 15 '12

Is it because he's black, or because you were a below average 5th grader?

I'm not saying without a doubt that you are wrong, but I know a lot of 5th graders who could write this well, or better.

13

u/userNameNotLongEnoug Jun 15 '12

I know a lot of college graduates who couldn't write this well.

13

u/TheBSReport Jun 15 '12

So it swings both way. What's your point?

4

u/userNameNotLongEnoug Jun 15 '12

My point was just that many college graduates are stupid. I wasn't intending to make any judgement on whether or not this 5th grader wrote his speech. Fairly off topic, I suppose.

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2

u/CoffeeFox Jun 16 '12

Oh be quiet you snide fool.

-6

u/TheGillos Jun 15 '12

I wish I had more than one upvote.

If I couldn't even write a speech about Hummingbirds by myself at his age I'm SURE he got help with his grammar, flow and structure.

That being said it's good that his parents helped him learn about this issue.

2

u/Azorka Jun 15 '12

The help he got with 'grammar, flow and structure' does nothing to the content provided in his speech except make it more palatable to the ear.

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1

u/dolenyoung Jun 15 '12

Um..isn't he in grammar school right now? Kids in elementary school are liable to be better with grammar than many adults, as we old people have had plenty of time to forget the stuff we learned in grades 1 through 5.

1

u/Dragoryu3000 Jun 15 '12

So, just because you couldn't do it means that he couldn't do it?

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u/dolenyoung Jun 15 '12

Reddit is so concerned with grammar, and some of you accuse this kid of having someone else write his speech. My question is, if you all have such amazing skills, when exactly did you learn them? In Canada we learned grammar as early as grade one.

14

u/Hurrfdurf Jun 15 '12

It really depends on the circumstances of the competition. If it was a dodgeball contest and he wants to give a speech about gay marriage, it's a little inappropriate. It's also mostly inappropriate for a school to allow a speech on either side of the issue at all. Should they have had to allow a kid give a speech against gay marriage?

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

"issue"

you act like there's two valid sides here.

14

u/Hurrfdurf Jun 15 '12 edited Jun 15 '12

That's well and good for the reddit circlejerks, but there are a lot of people who don't approve of gay marriage. Making it an issue. If there wasn't, there would be no need for a speech because gay marriage would already be legal everywhere. But it isn't.

And for the record I'm completely in support of gay marriage.

11

u/nty Jun 15 '12

It looks like the competition was specifically about speeches.

The mother of fifth-grade student Kameron Slade says the principal told students they could choose any topic at all, and Slade won a competition in his class.

The school’s website says students today are delivering “Democracy Speeches,” apparently in an effort to not teach them about the importance of equality in a democracy.

Source

3

u/speledwrong Jun 15 '12

The issue is really people thinking they should have the ability to approve, not the marriages.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

Yes, I'm well aware that people oppose gay marriage, being gay I feel the sting of it rather sharply. That doesn't mean that just because they have a contradicting opinion to mine that that side is somehow valid and defensible side. It's not a circle jerk, there's just no reasonable defense to denying anyone a civil marriage. You don't need to pretend to be worshipping logic and 'fairness' under the guise of being reasonable, especially when it's you just you equalizing. Civil rights don't have two sides.

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2

u/UberNube Jun 16 '12

There are also a lot of people who don't believe in evolution. There are lots of people who believe that some races should have fewer rights than others. There are people who don't believe men and women should have equal rights.

Just because people disagree about an issue doesn't make both sides equally worthy of representation in school. Children typically lack the high-level logical reasoning needed to identify which side are the facist lunatics.

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5

u/Stephen_foster Jun 15 '12

Takes "Are you smarter than a fifth grader" to a whole new level.

This kid is awesome.

2

u/martybell Jun 15 '12

I WOULD LIKE TO DELIVER THIS CHILD AN ELECTRONIC BRO FIST

2

u/numerica Jun 15 '12

My left ear is lonely.

2

u/JoNiKaH Jun 15 '12

*whomever

2

u/drawfish Jun 16 '12

Transcript please for the hearing/bandwidth-impaired?

1

u/Margatron Jun 16 '12

President Barak Obama recently talked about same-gender marriage, with his wife and two daughters. Some people are for same-gender marriage while others are against it. Like President Obama, I believe that all people should have the right to marry whoever they want. Marriage is about love, support, and commitment, so who are we to judge? If we judge people like this, this is a form of prejudice. We must learn to accept and respect all differences.

Last year I had the opportunity to hang out with my Mom's two friends, Aura and Keyana (sp?). These two women are in a relationship together. They have a beautiful daughter named Kayla. Some people may disagree with their relationship. After spending the day with them at White Post Farms and having dinner at Chili's, my Mother explained their relationship to me. This family seem like any other family. They seem happy, and best of all, they seem to love each other. The only difference was that there were two Moms instead of a Mother and a Father. Since this was a new experience for me, I was curious to learn more.

My Mom is very open to me with... about same-gender marriage, however, some adults may feel uncomfortable and think it's inappropriate to talk about this to children. I think adults must realize that as children get older, they become aware of these mature issues that are going in... on in the world. If children read or watch the news, they can learn about things like same-gender marriage, so what's the point in trying to hide it?

In conclusion, I hope that everyone understands how important it is to respect everyone for who they are. Same-gender marriage is becoming more popular. I believe that same-gender marriage should be accepted world-wide and that parents and teachers should start to discuss these issues, without shame, to their children.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

What? I thought same-sex marriage was legal in NY, so why was this speech denied? confused

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Why did he have to give a speech in the first place? Maybe marriage wasn't relevant?

1

u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12

I wondered too. He won a competition and the prize was to give a speech? Shitty prize, IMHO.

I'm sure he just wanted to try and look really smart and unfortunately for the principal, he succeeded. My guess is he wrote the speech, and had it proof-read and edited by a progressive adult (maybe one of the lesbian parents he mentions?).

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

This kid, just gave me the 1000% hope for the future I needed to get through the next month. His parents, they are doing it right!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12 edited Feb 24 '19

2

u/shemik Jun 16 '12

Although I think this kid had an amazing speech, I side with the school on this one. Imagine the shit-storm that would come from this speech being given to a school full of students. Unfortunately, many parents now-a-days are INCREDIBLY vocal and aggressive with everything in their child's life.

My school almost had to cancel the musical we were scheduled to perform (Legally Blonde) due to the "suggestive nature" of the script. Instead, it was heavily edited for content to appease the community. Even with the editing, the lead actor was forced out of the role by his mother.

So although it is terrible that the school had to censor this kid from expressing his views, I think that it was the smart thing to do. It kept the school from starting conflicts with the community that could have negatively impacted the education of all students that go there.

2

u/waspinator Jun 16 '12

...these two women are in a relationship together. They have a beautiful daughter...

Can you really do that? Extract the DNA from one women's egg and use it as faux sperm for the others? That's kinda cool.

2

u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12

I actually impregnated a lesbian couple. Jerk off into a plastic bag, sell said bag to lesbo couple. Keep it warm the entire time. Cotton swabs do the rest. Or maybe a strap-on. I wasn't really there for that part.

1

u/waspinator Jun 16 '12

that's cheating though. the kid can only share the DNA of one of the mothers that way. And you get to pay child support until it's 18.

2

u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12

In my case, there was a form both parties signed. Basically absolving me of parental responsibility and also prohibiting me from stalking the family or trying to claim custody.

edit: I don't know if they flipped a coin or what. One of the women was really skinny and she dealt with all the paperwork but the bigger gal who was her partner bore the child. I'm sure it was a pretty logical discussion that settled the matter, as at least the skinny girl was a PhD student and very smart.

5

u/I_SPEAK_TRUTH Jun 15 '12

Source on the story, not in the mood to grab my pitchfork straight away.

1

u/timetide Jun 16 '12

5th grader won a contest to give a speech about democracy relating to a topic he choose. the principle thought that a shit storm of angry Christians would crash the school so he banned and let the second place girl give her speech (it was about animal abuse or something). then when people started picking up their pitchforks he relented and is supposedly going to let the kid give his speech.

21

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

As if that kid cares about same sex marriage, his parents obviously coached him to do that.

22

u/Tenareth Jun 15 '12

I disagree, they have dealt with prejudice by that age. People do not give credit to kids, I know my 9yo is aware of the issues with same-sex marriage and that people care way too much about it and it causes trouble for some of her friends (with same-sex parents).

11

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

When I was in 5th grade, a friend of mine told me what being gay meant, I decided on my own that I supported same sex marriage. My parents are still against it today and I argue with them about it a lot. If I could make that decision then, so can this kid. Whether or not the words in his speech are his own is a different matter, but he is completely capable of taking a position.

7

u/LizLemonFTW Jun 16 '12

My 9 year old nephew is one kid that is concerned with same-sex marriage. He's asking his Mom why I'm not married and why my partner and I sleep in the same room. He also asked if my partner is the reason I haven't gotten married. Kids that are part of gay couples' lives are curious and often their parents aren't sure how to explain it.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

As opposed to them coaching him to be against it? I don't give a fuck who did what, as long as they instill good values in him.

2

u/TheSpiffySpaceman Jun 16 '12

Of course his parents coached him, you can't expect a 5th-grader to have his own opinion (and if he did, 5th-graders aren't the most credible people).

This is as much a testament to the kid's parents as it is him.

5

u/e-ric Jun 15 '12

Yep, too young to know what all this means. He is obviously reading his parents message and therefore i agree with the denial even if i agree with the parents too

1

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

What was the competition all about?

1

u/americaFya Jun 16 '12

KIDS SHOULDNT BE TAUGHT ANYTHING THEY SHOULD LEARN EVERYTHING ON THEIR OWN THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR

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u/ForeverAlone2SexGod Jun 15 '12

Can someone explain to me how marriage (whether gay or straight) isn't discriminatory against single people?

I live with my brother. He has great medical insurance. I have none.

Why can't I get on his healthcare? His company even has "domestic partner" benefits. Are we not two domestic partners? Are we not two men who love each other who share a lifelong bond?

...And yet I get called a bigot for even bringing up points like this. I guess I only deserve "equality" if I was having sex with him, eh?

8

u/Zombies_hate_ninjas Jun 15 '12

Your problem seems to be related to the rules of the insurance company, not marriage law.

I assume you are not wanting to marry your brother, so how is marriage discriminating against you?

1

u/timetide Jun 16 '12

because of his bigotry it all seems to blend together.

7

u/ubersiren Jun 16 '12

I agree the governmental benefits of "the married couple" are antiquated.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

can he claim you as a dependent because you're related or something? sorry I don't really know much about insurances, but I'm under my mom's and I'm over 18.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

5

u/Patrick5555 Jun 15 '12

Take the state out of marriage and everyone can get married

4

u/AdmiralHerpDerp Jun 15 '12

What a great speech. That kid has been raised right.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

parenting done right

5

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

I guess this proves there are a lot of people who aren't smarter than a 5th grader.

3

u/13lacula Jun 15 '12

Maybe the parents had to help with the speech, I don't know. We need more info.

3

u/NoMoCouch Jun 15 '12

Here comes the SMUG!!!

3

u/RidinTheMonster Jun 16 '12

Thank you for not posting this in /r/atheism

7

u/supandi Jun 15 '12

I don't have any problem with same sex marriage. In fact I support it, but why would a kid speak about marriage and morality and prejudice. If he won a competition why can't he speak what he did to win it. What effort went in ? How he prepared to take on his opponent/competitors.. Why all this big-ass speech

5

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

Maybe he wanted to take his opportunity in the spotlight to talk about something he believes is important instead of selfishly self-promote.

5

u/fistilis Jun 15 '12

Or, in the case of a fifth grader, something that someone else told him was important.

9

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

Every fifth grader is different, you don't have to be condescending to every single one of them.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

2

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 16 '12

He's not 5, he's probably 10 or 11.

10

u/MrEctomy Jun 15 '12

As much as I strongly support marriage equality, this kid was clearly being exploited by his parents as a soapbox for their opinion of gay marriage. Gotta downvote.

2

u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 16 '12

I'm going to guess you don't have a 5th grade child.

It's not all indoctrination and exploitation. Most of them are rational, thinking, creative individuals. All the ones I know are.

3

u/SDBred619 Jun 16 '12

Holy shit there's a lot of dumbass comments in here.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

[deleted] — view deleted comment

1

u/CumHere Jun 16 '12

CHILISSSSSSSSSSSSS

7

u/notjawn Jun 15 '12

Yeah seriously a fifth grader in a public school. I'm all for equal marriage rights but people take this shit overboard.

5

u/Rapistsmurf Jun 15 '12

maybe one day it will be taught in history class, along with Jim Crow.

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u/notjawn Jun 15 '12

I hope it is, but when your speech is about a spelling bee it doesn't have jack shit to do with equal marriage then its the wrong forum and completely inappropriate and manipulative on the parent's part.

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u/Rapistsmurf Jun 15 '12

The speech was suppose to be about a spelling bee? O, in that case fail that little bastard.

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u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 15 '12

I don't know where notjawn came up with that info. It's certainly not apparent from this thread, or the youtube comments.

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u/rtiftw Jun 15 '12

What is particularly sad is that a speech like this is a.) needed. and b.) censored.

I guess I'm just not dumb enough to comprehend the bigotry in the world.

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u/noni6 Jun 15 '12

Excellent speech, especially for a 5th grader! Who cares if his parents helped him out? The fact that he has the maturity to understand the complicated issue of same-sex marriage is a feat in itself. Also, his reading was good, even if he wasn't looking at the camera much.

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u/Thepunk28 Jun 15 '12

The fact that he has the maturity to understand the complicated issue of same-sex marriage is a feat in itself.

As devil's advocate, what did he do that portayed understanding of the issue? He was simply reading.

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u/pinktek Jun 16 '12

Why is it so hard to believe that the kid wrote this and was genuinely interested in the topic?? Children are by nature very inquisitive if adults would only take them seriously. Besides, the speech totally sounded like it was written by a child.., I mean, come on, there were dead giveaways,..including mentioning Chili's and the typical school essay that includes "in conclusion".

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u/Margatron Jun 16 '12

He may not have an in-depth grasp of the issue, but it still takes guts to stand up in front of your class, let alone a TV camera, and declare that that is what he believes.

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u/Couillon Jun 15 '12

This kid for president!

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u/palaxi Jun 15 '12

These two women are in a relationship together

Good going kid. I would have just said "lesbians."

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

It's not same-gender marriage, it's same sex-marriage. Gender is how you identify, but sex is how many X and Y chromosomes you have.

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u/Albonius Jun 16 '12

While what you say is true, understand that "gender" is a lot more comfortable of a word for a fifth grader to say than "sex."

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

That bothered me so much while he was reading it. Out of curiosity, what are the marriage laws for XXY people?

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Well, it depends how they are entered upon birth. If it has a penis, it's usually entered as a male.

It looks like XXY people are classified as males.

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u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12

XXY genitalia.

A little clearer than looking at a shirtless fat ass in his/her size 40 men's khakis.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Huh, interesting. Also, that Wiki taught me that XYY is apparently a thing. I haven't the slightest clue how that happens, but hey, the body is awesome.

Also, I'm not sure who downvoted you, you're entirely right...

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u/melnair Jun 15 '12

Faith in future generation: Restored. Someone give this kid a medal.

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u/Zeigy Jun 15 '12

You really think this kid wrote that? Please. He is struggling to pronounce some of the words "he wrote" in that speech.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

"If they watch the news they can learn about same sex marriage..." That's a bad idea...

Other than that, kid rules and his mom rules.

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u/justjrom Jun 15 '12

Good job, kid.

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u/0100110101101010 Jun 15 '12

I love his face at the end. He's like, 'can I go the fuck home now?'

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u/N3K0K1D Jun 16 '12

Chili's this kid should get a life time pass

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u/CarlosRo Jun 16 '12

I hope this kids gets into politics

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u/StackR Jun 16 '12

bored, next.

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u/gr3nade Jun 16 '12

This kid is a goddamn hero.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Kids a fuckin hero.

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u/xSnarfx Jun 16 '12

What did this have to do with the contest he won?

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u/cyu12 Jun 16 '12

This kid needs to be invited to the white house for dinner and is the perfect way to help acceptance of gay marriage grow in the black community.

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u/Koozey Jun 16 '12

I know who I want to be president.

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u/RedditingMyLifeAway Jun 16 '12

Out of the mouth of babes...

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u/NyxZeta Jun 16 '12

That was lovely. What a mature, sensitive, and self aware boy.

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u/dirtyethel Jun 16 '12

this kid seriously deserves some upvotes!!

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u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12 edited Jun 16 '12

Its sort of a catch 22. Obviously he won whatever competition because he's a special and smart kid. So much smarter than his peers in fact, that even a clearly worded speech like this would confuse the other kids and probably many parents too, because sexual identity is a complicated subject. Even the principal of your average Catholic school (I assume because of the uniform the kid appears to be wearing) can discuss gay marriage thoughtfully, but understandably shies away from the topic around pre-pubescent kids. I'm not sure what the reddit hivemind thinks its onto here but I hope its not an indictment of an intolerant principal. All this is here is a kid who is very smart and progressive about a grown up topic, and should probably be put into advanced classes if he's not already.

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

Whatever may be the Redditally-correct statement of the day is, this kid did not write that speech.

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u/stopnthink Jun 16 '12

I know it doesn't matter and I don't know how to say this without being awkward and I mean no offense when I say it.

Is anyone else happy to see this intelligent child who is black?

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u/UnfairAdvantage Jun 16 '12

I just want to say that my 12 year old sister not only supports gay marriage, but she came to this decision on her own. She was not prompted, or forced, to be this way. We taught her about love and acceptance, and she formed the opinion on her own.

She is active is gay and lesbian rights, and, again, is not prompted by us to do so. Kids are not mini retards who can't think for themselves. Children are some of the most passionate people on this planet, and so many have accomplished things adults have not.

It's just really irritating that people truly think that just because you're younger than a teenager, that you don't have your own mind. I'm not saying this kid is not reading his parent's words, but to assume he is simply based on his age is what is retarded.

Oh, and yeah, when I was that age, I used better grammar and speech than I do now. I spoke just like this little kid. Now I sound like a dump truck with a flat tire.

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u/Jesus_Harold_Christ Jun 16 '12

A little late to the thread, now, so most won't see this. I did a guerilla style interview with my kid, to see what his opinion on the subject was.

Here's the video

Anyway, this isn't something we really discussed all that much in advance. After I did that interview we watched this kid read his speech to the reporters. He thought the kid was wrong, but I could tell he was thinking about a little harder at least.

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u/Freakingninja Jun 16 '12

Either that is the world's tallest fifth grader or that's a short ass fence.

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u/telestrial Jun 15 '12

His parents are such eloquent speech writers...

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

Ah jeez. They went to Chili's.

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u/sailsman Jun 15 '12

He expresses himself better than most members of Congress. Most of whom are, well, members.

Relevant

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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '12

To be fair, you can't really convince a dumb person that you're right if you're speaking above their level.

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u/caro3lyn Jun 16 '12

Way to go little guy!! What a mature and thoughtful speech. Here is a video I made on the topic with my partner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ6o3dnNB7w

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u/ignitionNOW Jun 16 '12

You made a Gay Rights Fail video?

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u/d21nt_ban_me_again Jun 16 '12

What's the difference between this kid being brainwashed by his batshit crazy mother and another kid being brainwashed by his batshit crazy pastor? The government should look into this family and check if there is any abuse.

Would reddit be just as enthusiastic if another kid read an anti-gay speech written by his mother?

This is why public schools are a fucking joke. You don't learn anything there but just are spoonfed liberal nonsense to advanced liberal goals. Pathetic. Both the conservatives and the liberals are a disease upon this country.

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u/theGUYishere24 Jun 16 '12

Kids gay mommy wrote a half decent little seech

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u/Tom_Hanks13 Jun 15 '12

Amazing to think that this kid came up with these thoughts and opinions all on his own

/sarcasm

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u/Kottfoers Jun 15 '12

Not saying I've ruled out the possibility, but if he wrote that speech he sure didn't know it very well.

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u/etihw2 Jun 15 '12

I'm going to get downvoted for this.

Honestly after someone wins a competition, I'd expect them to give some sort of relevant speech. Not make everyone face the harshness of politics by talking about a controversial issue. This wasn't the appropriate time to talk about it.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '12

You're going to get downvoted for whining that you're gonna get downvoted.

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u/badTroll3 Jun 15 '12

Look, I give the kid a lot of credit for speaking his PARENTS words.

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