The Peace Shirt Controversy

Posted by Alex in Baby & Kids, Fashion, Politics on November 21, 2007 at 2:41 am



The Peace Shirt Coalition members: (back row from left) Michael Varde, Connor Barth, Cheyenne Riley, Lauren Runde, Kirra Scudder, (bottom from left) Siobhan Keenan and Skylar Stains. Photo: Meagan Happel/The Verge

Skylar Stains, a sophomore at the Cocoa Beach Junior / Senior High School recruited friends to wear homemade shirts emblazoned with the peace symbol and words. Little did she know that the "Peace Shirt Coalition" soon sparked a fierce controversy:

It all started when sophomore Skylar Stains decided to have Peace Shirt Thursdays. Skylar and her friend, Lauren Lorraine, started wearing peace shirts and soon recruited more friends to wear them. Now, the "Peace Shirt Coalition" as they call themselves, has close to 30 students from all grades.

"We’ve worn handmade peace shirts every Thursday since the first week of school, without fail," Skylar said. [...]

Soon, a second group started to wear Confederate flag shirts to oppose the peace group, Skylar said. She saw shirts with sayings such as "This is America, get used to it," and "If peace is the answer; it must be a stupid question."

"Now there are even ’support our troops’ kids who don’t like us because I guess they think you can’t say peace and support the troops at the same time," Lauren said.

Here’s an article, written by Meagan Happel, a senior at the school: Link


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COMMENT

27 comments to "The Peace Shirt Controversy"

  1. Tempscire
    November 21st, 2007 at 8:25 am

    Wow...stupid schoolmates.

  2. johnk
    November 21st, 2007 at 9:10 am

    Pshhh...We all know the only way to support the troops is to send them to die for oil!

    Unpatriotic tree huggers.

  3. booyah
    November 21st, 2007 at 11:01 am

    Let's get real. The blonde guy second from left joined only to get some action, preferably from the girl on the bottom right. The other guy (top left)? Well...he's just a wank.

  4. Monster
    November 21st, 2007 at 11:06 am

    I'm all for bringing the troops home and ending this unnecessary war, but... hippies just tend to get under people's skin, mine included. Seeing John Lennon glasses and medallions and "peace" hand signs all grouped together like that makes my stomach churn a little.

  5. L
    November 21st, 2007 at 12:33 pm

    Peace is now a BAD thing?

    No wonder our world is so screwed up.

  6. skh.pcola
    November 21st, 2007 at 12:43 pm

    Looks like they're members of FFHA...Filthy Future Hippies of America.

  7. munky
    November 21st, 2007 at 2:47 pm

    Tghese kids deserve support from all of us and a better hand than they're currently getting from their school 'establishment'.
    A country that worships war as much as the USA seems to needs to seriously think about the implications of raising Mars to be their god.
    Go Peaceniks go!

  8. Mr. Binky
    November 21st, 2007 at 3:09 pm

    I just don't understand how people can oppose peace... It's just reallly stupid...

  9. Andrew
    November 21st, 2007 at 4:06 pm

    on another note, Skylar Stains has to be the worst actual name I've ever heard.

  10. Moose
    November 21st, 2007 at 5:18 pm

    I'm going to start doing this. I wonder if I'll get the same reaction at my school. If it does, I'll fight it. I'm with them in spirit! Good luck to them.

  11. Leah Brooks
    November 21st, 2007 at 7:28 pm

    Thank you "Peace Shirt Coalition" for making a stand against hate...I'm wearing a peace shirt on Thursdays in support of you :}

  12. Chad
    November 21st, 2007 at 7:47 pm

    Ok someone answer this because it is seriously pissing me off! WHAT IN THE WORLD is wrong with ANYONE yearning for peace????? What complete and total moron equates a peace symbol with a lack of support for our troops?? out troops want peace as much as the damn hippies! What do you think they are fighting for? Sorry everyone I'm just getting a little sick of the completely HATE filled idiots that accuse anyone with a dissenting view of "hating America" or loving terrorists! the idea of peace is something every human on earth should hope for someday!

  13. Adam Stanhope
    November 22nd, 2007 at 12:29 am

    Peace should be goal #1 for everyone in our society - in every society.

  14. RF
    November 22nd, 2007 at 1:33 am

    Well, if, as an American, stomach-churning hippy crap like peace symbols bothers you, you can probably go ahead and breathe a big sigh of relief, because I don't think you'll be seeing much of it in the near future. Except perhaps in history books.

    Ahhh - that's better.

  15. ted
    November 22nd, 2007 at 8:44 pm

    The problem is, this sort of "demonstration" does absolutely nothing to promote the cause of peace.

    It grates on a person's nerves to be preached at by a bunch of silly teenagers with dubious motives and a simplistic understanding of world politics.

    "We made our own t-shirts to support peace".

    How about doing something practical to support peace, like selling cookies or putting on a musical?

  16. Chris
    November 22nd, 2007 at 11:14 pm

    why can't we be for peace AND support the troups? They're not overthere for war, they are overthere to bring back peace!

    (and I'm not naive, they are also overthere to keep the oil price down and thus our standard of living up, keep the defense sector afloat with tax money, and got Bush reelected as well.)

  17. Skylar
    November 23rd, 2007 at 7:07 pm

    I like my name!!!

  18. manny
    November 23rd, 2007 at 8:44 pm

    these kids have done what they can -- so for the cynical out there who think they should be having bake sales or that they are making a fashion statement -- you're just jealous that you're not 15 and care about world peace.

  19. Weakly
    November 24th, 2007 at 4:07 am

    Wow, it didn't take long for other students to declare war on the peaceful ones. What's so threatening about peace, again?

  20. Jared
    November 24th, 2007 at 6:58 pm

    Why is peace such an easy concept but yet so hard to establish? You got a great thing going Skylar, keep it up.

  21. Lauren Lorraine
    November 24th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

    I like her name too!

    and, just to let everyone know, just because we're young, doesn't mean we know nothing about the world. I am not ignorant. I just know a beautiful truth: that peace is possible.

  22. Marshalldoc
    November 25th, 2007 at 2:12 pm

    Congratulations to this democratically minded, politically motivated group of young adults. It's unfortunate that their 'baptism of fire' into the realm of political activism is so harsh (considering the mindless opposition by those whose idea of conflict resolution is to buy a bigger club and whose perverted concept of patriotism is "Oh Yeah? Well, take this! My country right or wrong.").

    Remember 'Illegitimati Non Carborundum'.

  23. Skylar
    November 25th, 2007 at 7:26 pm

    Hm, should I then reply...

    Nescis, mi fili, quantilla sapientia regitur mundus.

    It's appropriate.

    :]

  24. ted
    November 26th, 2007 at 12:11 am

    I was thinking more of going door-to-door selling cookies rather than a bake sale, but that's a good one, too.

    Sorry you missed my point. You seem to think people who think this t-shirt business is a stupid idea are against world peace, or think that it cannot be attained.

    This just made me think of the Little Rascals.

    "Gee, Skylar, how can we achieve world peace?"
    "Let's put on a musical! And if anyone doesn't like it, why, they're just cynics!"

  25. Sara
    November 28th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

    FUCK ALL OF YOU STUPID CONFEDERATE BITCHES!! WHY THE HELL DO YOU CARE IF SOMEONE LIKES PEACE?? SHUT THE FUCK UP AND DO YOUR SCHOOL WORK AND MAYBE YOU'LL FINALLY GET TO THE NINTH GRADE!! LAUREN IS AWESOME AND SHE IS WAYYYYYY BETTER THAN YOU! SHE IS SMART AND YOU ARE IDIOTS!! YOU PEOPLE ARE THE REASON THEY HAVE TO PROMOTE PEACE! FUCK YOU! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO HAVE SLAVES ANYWAY EVEN IF YOU WANTED THEM! MAYBE IF YOU PAID ATTENTION IN HISTORY CLASS YOU'D KNOW THAT!

  26. aussie folk
    December 23rd, 2007 at 10:52 am

    Without hope of peace there is no hope.
    If you oppose peace, then you support anger, ignorance and your own demise. But this seems an ongoing complex debate. One which peace will always win against hate.
    Go the coalition! Go Manny! Go Skylar! Go Cocoa Beach! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

  27. somearmyguy
    March 11th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

    i know every single one of the people in that picture...... they are not aginst america they are aginst violence...aginst hate.... i also know every one of those kids that wear the confederate flag shirts.... they think its cool to say that they are for america.... when in fact the south was aginst everything america stands for.... like i said i know them all i joined the army at the age of 17 because of people like that..... for every one of those hate mongering fucks that are all talk and dont join the army.... there has to be one of the people who used to be just like them till they decided to stop wallowing in their own ignorence and steps up to raise his hand to defend what we already have...... do i like war??? not at all... i know quite a few people who have died in iraq and afghanistan.... will i sit at home and yell at kids who dont want us there because they know people are dying.... absolutely not... im glad to go for them so they can continue to have the right to try and stop others who arnt prepared to go from goin.... anyone who says they are for the war will not join the army... they have no idea what it is like to see one of the people that trusts you with their life die.... not more than 10 feet from them... they will never know because they will continue to watch the news then go to school and yell at the other kids for wearing shirts that stand for peace because they are "hippies"... for those ignorant few... say what you want aginst peace... when the draft starts back up ill see you down range.....


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