I work at a 3rd-6th public school in MA. I wore this hat to celebrate Pride month and last week of school. I am known for my 25 days of holiday hats I wear around the winter holidays. I do mostly Santa hats but also make sure to include secular hats/Hanuikka hats. No one has a problem with it and the kids LOVE it because the hats get progressively more outrageous the closer it gets to break.

So yesterday I get in the door and My Lead says “Do you have to wear that hat?” I replied “What? Its a rainbow hat for pride month?” And shrugged. Then my most vocal and conservative coworker came in and told me that “my hat is inappropriate”. I replied that d"iversity, tolerance, and inclusion is ALWAYS appropriate". She came back with " if it was just a rainbow hat but with the Pride sticker on there its not ok. You want tolerance and repect but you aren’t respected the other side. You know I dont believe in that and in front of the kids, its bad enough in front of us knowing we don’t believe in that." So I asked her if she wanted to bring it to HR. She said no and i offered to turn my hat around. Then My called HR who told her that my hat is fine. Lol.

The kicker is the coworker was wearing a Black Flag hat!

edit Black American Flag hat worn by conservatives in the US

  • themeatbridge
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    936 months ago

    You know I dont believe in that

    Yeah, that’s why the hat is necessary.

    • @Godnroc
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      306 months ago

      And if they tried to use the same logic with the Santa hat it would sound crazy.

      • @[email protected]
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        186 months ago

        Seriously. OP should strike up conversation next Christmas time while wearing the Santa hat. Causally ask them if they believe in Santa. Then when they inevitably say they do not, ask why the hat doesn’t offend them just as much as that rainbow pride hat did.

  • @[email protected]
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    816 months ago

    Exactly what doesn’t she believe in?

    That gay people don’t exist?

    Honey, have I got news for her.

    • @thesporkeffect
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      476 months ago

      I suspect she believes they shouldn’t be allowed to exist. 😮‍💨

    • mad_asshatter
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      6 months ago

      “Next thing y’all be learnin’ kids that Santa be gay, too!!”

      JesusMAGA

  • @voracitude
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    556 months ago

    Your coworker doesn’t know the first fuckin thing about Black Flag, apparently. I really hope she doesn’t ever find out about Rollins’ op-eds from LA Weekly or she might have a heart attack.

    • @[email protected]
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      256 months ago

      Can’t handle it? You move. Trust me, Canada won’t take you.

      I got a good chuckle out of that particular line.

    • @MutilationWave
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      96 months ago

      I had to reread that part of the post a couple times. Try to think of some other Black Flag it could mean. OP please read this if you don’t know what Henry Rollins and Black Flag stand for and educate your coworker!

      • @1void1loveOP
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        86 months ago

        Different Black Flag. The American one conservatives like to wear.

        • @MutilationWave
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          46 months ago

          Ah ok since you capitalized it we thought you meant the band. Too bad.

  • AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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    546 months ago

    You want tolerance and repect but you aren’t respected the other side

    By “other side” I’m assuming she means heterosexuals? If so, I’ll tell you as a member of that side that I think the hat is fabulous.

    • @NevermindNoMind
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      306 months ago

      The other side is bigots. Literally the intolerant asking for tolerance of their intolerance. Blows my mind.

    • @Mr_Dr_Oink
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      46 months ago

      It’s sort of ironic, isn’t it? Tolerance and respect work both ways. Like we all have to tolerate these homophobes. So she is arguing against her own argument by making the argument.

    • @RGB3x3
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      26 months ago

      No, she doesn’t mean heterosexuals. Because most heterosexuals don’t have a problem with LGBT+.

      She means bigots. She means that she expects tolerance and respect for the bigotry, so that she can continue to tell people being LGBT+ is a sin and bad for children or whatever.

      It’s an argument in bad faith.

  • @IzzyScissor
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    406 months ago

    PLEASE leave a copy of the U.S. flag code laying around somewhere. An all-black American flag ISN’T an American flag, and showing them how they’re breaking the rules of the flag they pretend to care about breaks their brain.

    The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding or drapery. The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

    • @craigers
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      156 months ago

      Dude black flag is a punk band

      • @IzzyScissor
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        116 months ago

        I was 50/50 on if it was the band or not. It didn’t seem to make sense for a callout for a band hat, so I assumed it was a black American flag. Could be wrong, though.

      • @kaffiene
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        66 months ago

        How likely is it that a Conservative Christian type is into Black Flag?

        • @[email protected]
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          46 months ago

          About as likely as a highly conservative states person saying that their favorite band was Rage against the Machine

  • @grasshopper_mouse
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    366 months ago

    Offering to go with her to HR about it was the right move. Let her dig her own grave right in front of them. With any luck, she’ll get fired.

  • Lemminary
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    296 months ago

    That is the most obnoxious hat I’ve ever laid eyes on. Well done.

  • @[email protected]
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    286 months ago

    The “other side” is the very definition of a lack of tolerance and respect so get bent, coworker!

    • @kalkulat
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      6 months ago

      They’re like thinking (OMG. Someone is different from me… someone doesn’t believe the same as I do … I can’t ever feel secure with that … got to … got to fix that … )

  • @RampantParanoia2365
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    216 months ago

    At least she has good music taste, I guess…surprising though considering her background.

    Oh, you meant a different Black Flag, didn’t you…?

  • Pennomi
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    156 months ago

    Oof it would have gone down very differently in a public school in Texas/Florida. Be grateful you’re in MA.

  • @Kiernian
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    106 months ago

    The kicker is the coworker was wearing a Black Flag hat!

    The band? The one that had Henry Rollins in it?

    • @1void1loveOP
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      46 months ago

      No. The American flag but all black/gray. Its a right wing conservative american thing.

      • @Kiernian
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        36 months ago

        Ohhh yeah. That thing is a straight up “I approve of cops murdering POC for no reason at all and would like them to do more of it.” symbol. Right up there with the punisher skull.

    • @Burn_The_Right
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      36 months ago

      And Mike Vallely? Mike would straight up knock a homophobe out under the right circumstances.

  • @aeronmelon
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    96 months ago

    That hat is made out of the same material as Marty McFly’s baseball cap in Back to the Future II.

  • @bobo
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    96 months ago

    When you asked if she wanted to bring it to HR, she probably thought you meant Henry Rollins and she knew that wouldn’t go well.

  • @[email protected]
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    6 months ago

    How many hats have you accumulated by now? Or do you sell them away once the holiday is over?

    • @1void1loveOP
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      46 months ago

      I have about 30. They fall apart amd get lost so I dont have too many saved.