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  • TUESDAY FEBRUARY 22 2005 2:39 AM

Teacher Yanks Chair Out From Under Student For Refusing to Stand During National Anthem

Submitted by Attack_Macaque

Edited by Sean

In an ugly display of hyperjingoistic douchebaggery, Stuart Mantel, a high school teacher and wanna-be drill sergeant in Brick, New Jersey, was recently filmed flying into an unhinged rage when one of his students failed to stand for the national anthem. The episode ended with Mantel yanking a chair out from under the student.

Indymedia.org has a copy of the film here, and it's not pretty:

The class started out that morning with Mantel yelling, "I don't want to hear a sound! Not a sound! Morning exercises will come on, you will stand, you will stand quietly, you will pay attention! Any Questions? ...Now stand up and keep your mouths shut!" Students stood up as the national anthem began playing.

In the middle of the anthem, Mantel walked over to Jay and demanded that he stand up. Jay silently refused, and Mantel yelled again, "Stand up!". Jay then said "I don't have to stand up". To which Mantel insisted "You have to stand." Jay said "No I don't". Mantel then reached over and pulled Jay's chair out from under him. Jay responded to Stuart Mantel's outrageous behavior by asking Mantel, "Are you serious?", to which Mantel yelled, "I am damn well serious."

Incredibly, Mantel remains unpunished for his abusive (and unconstitutional) actions, while the student who filmed the incident was suspended 10 days for "violating the teacher's constitutional rights."

According to the student who filmed the incident, this was not the first time that something like this had happened in Mantel's classroom, and the students decided to bring a camera into their classroom in case Mantel flew off the handle again, so they could have evidence of his behavior. When they presented their evidence to the school's principal, however, they were met with hostility:

"The teacher and school principals wanted him (Mantel) to press charges against us...they tried to blame it on us like it was premeditated, like we did it just to get him on tape, which is false. We knew he was gonna go nuts because he frequently used to," said Corey [the student who filmed the incident].

One of the hallmarks of fascism is hyperbolic patriotism, and another is compulsory patriotism. To see them both displayed in an incident like this is disturbing, but what's even more disturbing is the indifference of school administrators to behavior that is not only clearly inappropriate but also illegal. Worse yet is the possibility that episodes like this may be happening with less fanfare in classrooms all over the country.

Hat tip: PissedOffPollyana @ Daily Kos

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Comments
reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

FEB 22, 2005 10:54 AM

Racer_X said:
Am I getting this wrong , but do you really have any rights to free speech in a school unless you are 18 ?



Its not a free speech issue, its a compelled speech issue. Speech in school is subordinated to the orderly administration of the school, 18 or not. This doesn't mean they can compel you to make a political statement you disagree with, such as the pledge or the national anthem.

Kundalini

Kundalini

Kalamazoo, MI
June 2004

FEB 22, 2005 10:55 AM

I'm not justifying anything that teacher did in the video but I'd like to see what the students did to get him so pissed off. Most people don't go from calm to furious in one moment. Many high school kids will fuck with a teacher just to get a rise. Something tells me that this teacher was subject to a long period of general "jackassery" from these kids. His reaction was too strong for this particular moment caught on tape, but I'd need to see the whole context before I call for his job...

reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

FEB 22, 2005 11:03 AM

Racer_X said:
I don't think they should have to recite it, but I do think they should at least have to show enough respect to stand up...if only out of respect for those that have laid down to protect their right to not recite it.

To me it's sort of like having to remove your hat when you walk into a courtroom....while you may not agree with everything that goes on, or your reason for being there, you have to show respect for the institution.



What if you don't respect the institution, should you have to pretend?

bambam226

bambam226

Fort Worth, TX
December 2004

FEB 22, 2005 11:07 AM

Spike said:
eeek eeek
... Kids act up in class, that's just the way of the world


I hope you don't preach this to your kids. Maybe attitudes like this is why kids are so fucking disrespectful these days. You can't blame it on rap music forever! wink the kids were asssholes and so was the teacher. Both of them handled their situations like idiots.

DisasterMagnet

DisasterMagnet

San Jose, CA
January 2004

FEB 22, 2005 11:07 AM

2 questions for those with a legal background:

1) Is there some trouble the kid with the camera can get in for recording what goes on in the classroom without the teacher's knowledge? I remember some kid in my high school getting in trouble for tape recording part of a class and I never really understood why...?

2) Could an Assault charge be leveled against that teacher for yanking on the chair while the kid was sitting on it? Or would the teacher have had to say "If you don't stand I'll make you" or something more specific beforehand?

thanks.

[Edited on Feb 22, 2005 by CoreOfSelf]

bambam226

bambam226

Fort Worth, TX
December 2004

FEB 22, 2005 11:10 AM

CoreOfSelf said:
2 questions for those with legal backgrounds:

1) Is there some trouble the kid with the camera can get in for recording what goes on in the classroom without the teacher's knowledge? I remember some kid in my high school getting in trouble for tape recording part of a class and I never really understood why...?

2) Could an Assault charge be leveled against that teacher for yanking on the chair while the kid was sitting on it? Or would the teacher have had to say "If you don't stand I'll make you" or something more specific beforehand?

thanks.


The answer for question 1 is actually in the article. Yes they can because they videotaped him without his consent. Plus it was against scholl policies for students to bring such devices to school.
I'm not touching number 2.

RACER_X

RACER_X

Philadelphia, PA
February 2003

FEB 22, 2005 11:10 AM

reprobate said:

Racer_X said:
I don't think they should have to recite it, but I do think they should at least have to show enough respect to stand up...if only out of respect for those that have laid down to protect their right to not recite it.

To me it's sort of like having to remove your hat when you walk into a courtroom....while you may not agree with everything that goes on, or your reason for being there, you have to show respect for the institution.



What if you don't respect the institution, should you have to pretend?



Well when it comes to a courtroom , it would most likely behoove one to pretend.
biggrin

The classroom...well, I was never required to recite , nor was anyone else, but we were required to stand , and i didn't see anything wrong with that . So my answer would be yes, stand up, it's the least you can do.

DrStinkypants

DrStinkypants

Saint Paul, MN
October 2002

FEB 22, 2005 11:14 AM

reprobate said:

DrStinkypants said:

reprobate said:
I'm glad I have your permission, but if more people would, you know, think before they type, I'd have a lot less to work with don't you think? I tell you what, the next time you post something ridiculous I'll staple my reply to a Care Bear so I don't hurt your feelings.



oh you poor thing.
all the work!



And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.



sure. sounds good.
just to be clear, you mean contributing things 'of worth' like this?:

And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.

bambam226

bambam226

Fort Worth, TX
December 2004

FEB 22, 2005 11:16 AM

DrStinkypants said:

reprobate said:

DrStinkypants said:

reprobate said:
I'm glad I have your permission, but if more people would, you know, think before they type, I'd have a lot less to work with don't you think? I tell you what, the next time you post something ridiculous I'll staple my reply to a Care Bear so I don't hurt your feelings.



oh you poor thing.
all the work!



And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.



sure. sounds good.
just to be clear, you mean contributing things 'of worth' like this?:

And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.


zing! wink

reprobate

reprobate

New Orleans, LA
December 2002

FEB 22, 2005 11:29 AM

DrStinkypants said:

reprobate said:

DrStinkypants said:

reprobate said:
I'm glad I have your permission, but if more people would, you know, think before they type, I'd have a lot less to work with don't you think? I tell you what, the next time you post something ridiculous I'll staple my reply to a Care Bear so I don't hurt your feelings.



oh you poor thing.
all the work!



And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.



sure. sounds good.
just to be clear, you mean contributing things 'of worth' like this?:

And you can have a Care Bear too, the very first time you actually contribute something of worth to a discussion. You can call him Thinky Bear.



Not going to get a Care Bear that way, Stinky.

MrZablowdowski

MrZablowdowski

Edmonton, AB
December 2002

FEB 22, 2005 11:44 AM

If you don't have a teacher like that in high school you grow up soft, or worse, gay. smile

Bad_moon_Risin

Bad_moon_Risin

Hoboken, NJ
January 2005

FEB 22, 2005 12:01 PM

i definatly think the teacher had by then had it up to HERE, all the kids were laughing and being silly, im bettin there was somethin goin on well before the anthem that got the teacher that pissed...

edited to say .. and franky if you live in this Country and reap the benefits which are way to long to mention .. then honor the privelage by standing during the National Anthem.

(this doesnt mean the teachers screaming was an appropriate response to not standing but I think he was dealing with a greater disrespect than that, one in which we did not see)


[Edited on Feb 22, 2005 by Bad_moon_Risin]

Subrosa

Subrosa

San Francisco, CA
July 2004

FEB 22, 2005 12:12 PM

CoreOfSelf said:
2 questions for those with a legal background:

1) Is there some trouble the kid with the camera can get in for recording what goes on in the classroom without the teacher's knowledge? I remember some kid in my high school getting in trouble for tape recording part of a class and I never really understood why...?

2) Could an Assault charge be leveled against that teacher for yanking on the chair while the kid was sitting on it? Or would the teacher have had to say "If you don't stand I'll make you" or something more specific beforehand?

thanks.

[Edited on Feb 22, 2005 by CoreOfSelf]



A quick answer to question 2:
Yes. I'm not 100% sure what the definition of criminal assault is, but the definition of civil assault would be to be put in apprehension of immediate harm. Pulling the chair out from underneath someone would fall under that definition. That said, he probably wouldn't get more than a couple bucks in damages and would gaurantee that he'd be countersued for the unauthorized video recording.

Returning to the point, reprobate hit the nail on the head. The government cannot compel anyone of any age to adopt any political or religious stance. Even if that stance is as innocuous as "I respect the national anthem". This right to be free from compelled speech is virtually absolute for political matters and has been described by the Court as "cutting to the very core" of why we have the First Amendment in the first place.

Bad_moon_Risin

Bad_moon_Risin

Hoboken, NJ
January 2005

FEB 22, 2005 12:18 PM

I love having you as an in house lawyer Subrosa : )..

I still wish people had enough respect in them to stand~

beaky

beaky

Miami, FL
April 2003

FEB 22, 2005 12:20 PM

I didn't see any yanking

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