| Is It Discrimination
Or Not?
Today’s guests feel they have been discriminated
against on the basis of race, sexual preference
and weight. They’ve enlisted Larry’s
help in telling their stories as he asks, “Is
it Discrimination or Not?” You be the judge:
In recent weeks, the community of Puyallap, WA,
was a hotbed of debate after the school board
decided to cancel all Halloween festivities. The
school’s reasoning was three-fold: to avoid
offending the local Wiccan community and to offset
the educational time loss and the high price of
costumes. Parents like Loni and Staci appeared
on the show to express their outrage at the decision,
saying their children are being robbed of fun
traditions and that local Wiccans were in support
of the school’s celebration. However, Larry,
a local pastor, defends the school’s stance
and says that Halloween can plant harmful seeds
in children’s minds.
 |
Former teacher Brandy Stokes is suing the school
district that fired her on the basis of racial
discrimination. As a white first-year teacher
in a predominantly black school, Stokes says she
wasn’t able to command respect from her
students, who were constantly calling her a “honky”
or “cracker.” After Stokes incurred
an injury trying to break up a fight between students,
she took a brief medical leave but was told that
she wasn’t welcome back at the school. Now
Brandy is unable to teach in the state of South
Carolina and feels her firing was unjustified.
School nurse Beth Jones supports Brandy’s
assertions and agrees that the school is a house
of “pure chaos.” But today’s
guests Keith and Jacque aren’t so sure –
they believe that if Brandy was better educated
about black culture that she could’ve handled
the students more competently. Video Clip: Witness
the debate about Brandy’s situation.
When Marie was barred from bringing her same-sex
partner to the high school Homecoming dance, she
decided to take action. Marie staged a sit-in
inside the principal’s office to protest
his decision that dates from another school could
not attend the dance (rendering Marie’s
date unable to accompany her). Although the majority
of the student body sides with Marie, students
like Melissa and Torey say the new policy has
put a major damper on the Homecoming tradition
and their senior year.
 |
Imagine being bestowed with an “Employee
of the Month” honor – only to be fired
three days later! Welcome to Misty’s world.
When Ruby Tuesday recently introduced its low-carb
menu, Misty was told that she no longer met the
company’s image – presumably because
she is overweight. Though the restaurant has since
publicly apologized and offered Misty her job
back, she has refused. Larry surprised Misty with
a job offer from another local restaurant: Shells
BBQ.
Quick Clicks
We want to hear your opinion on today’s
stories! Click here
to sound off in our Show Talk forum.
For more information on Shells BBQ, visit:
http://shellsbar-b-q.com/contactus.htm
Have you been a victim of discrimination? Share
your story with us.
|
VIDEO
CLIP: 
