Contradictions

[sabotabby]

Things the liberal commentariat tend to be kneejerkingly odd about:

• Police brutality
• School uniforms and discipline

Case in point: This post on BoingBoing. (Disclaimer: BoingBoingers are not uniformly–pardon the expression—progressive, nor is their commentariat that easily lumped together politically. However, I have noticed a trend towards mostly liberal with a large libertarian streak.) The very same group that was frothing at the mouth in opposition to TSA security policies*—and rightly so; it is entirely correct to call groping and pornoscanners "fascist"—appears to be, for the most part, generating increasingly bizarre justifications of authoritarianism in the schools.

I may be biased in this regard, as I went to a non-uniformed school where we weren't savagely beaten, and I somehow managed to emerge from this experience a civilized individual. But I also now teach in a school where the children display far less fashion acumen than we ever did, and they still manage, for the most part, to not riot. There is also a far greater wealth disparity than in the school that I attended, and yet when kids report bullying, the incidents never seem to have anything to do with clothing issues.

Not to single out BoingBoingers, or even liberals or libertarians, on their hypocrisy—socialists are just as bad, if not worse, with stranger justifications for why it is important to beat out any stirrings of individuality amongst today's youth.

Mismatched socks. Honestly. I can think of a million threats to the public education; socks do not even register.

* There is, of course, a strong element of classism and racism at work here. The TSA is staffed largely by underpaid, racialized individuals. School administrators and cops tend to be a whiter, more middle class bunch, and the worst abuses of power are acted out on the bodies of poorer, racialized children. So it's acceptable. Or something.

Comments

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Mismatched socks lead to mismatched politics. Trufax.

[sabotabby]

The people commenting on that post could do with mismatching their socks more often. Though I suspect they are of the "buy a package of white tube socks, wear nothing else" school. Probably because they had individuality beaten out of them when they were children.

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

I used to wear mismatched socks everyday, on purpose. I had themes!

So obviously, you can wear mismatched socks and still turn out perfectly- OH SHIT I FEEL A NEED TO RIOT NOW

[sabotabby]

LET'S OVERTURN A POLICE CAR AND SET IT ON FIRE! ANARCHY MEANS NO RULEZ!!!one!11!

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

Whereas my socks were always matched and I went on a few property-destruction streaks in my youth that not may people know about

YEAH THAT WAS ME with my socks

[sabotabby]

I know because your socks match these photos of police socks.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It has been my experience in the Boston area (and my observation in the Cleveland area) that the parents and guardians in disproportionately poor/disproportionately non-"White, non-Hispanic" communities tend to be strong advocates of school uniforms. The upside of school uniforms, according to those parents and guardians who advocate for them, includes a reduction in intra-student clothing theft.

As a rich white Anglo lady without children, I have no horse in this race, but I probably have a slight leaning toward letting students and their parents and guardians decide whether a school should do uniforms or not, as opposed to the administration deciding for them.

[sabotabby]

I'm pretty sure a lot of our parents would advocate school uniforms. But I don't see a lot of kids getting their clothing stolen. IPods and cells, certainly, but not clothes.

[springheel-jack.livejournal.com]

Do you have the thing up there where everyone has to have clear bags? I always thought it was self-defeating. You know Junior doesn't have a huge Bowie knife, but everyone also knows Junior has an ipod touch and a lot of lunch money, and can't lock anything on his person, because that's not allowed either.

[sabotabby]

WTF? No.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

But I don't see a lot of kids getting their clothing stolen. IPods and cells, certainly, but not clothes.

It is A Thing in some US cities. Desirable sneakers and leather jackets most particularly, but also desirable hats and sports jerseys.

[troubleinchina.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to figure out if it's okay because they'll never experience it (unlike the TSA scanners which anyone who flies will eventually have to deal with) or if it's okay because they figure kids deserve a hard time.

[sabotabby]

I think most adults just hate teenagers. Or hate their teenage selves, or something.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

Teenagers, UGH. They were bloody horrible at my school!

[lienne.livejournal.com]

Speaking of depressing things, good God.

[sabotabby]

Damn.

[lienne.livejournal.com]

Srs.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/09/conversation-school-uniforms

This appeared yesterday ish in the Guardian. It is vaguely interesting because the schools the two interviewees are from are very different. Fortismere is in a very middle class area indeed (where I walk my doggie lots - where I'd send my child to school if I had one and had the choice!), and has no uniform, and the girl is arguing that no uniform be better; the other school is in a very multicultural area with a lot of inner city poverty and quite a lot of violence, although a lot of cultual and student and arty stuff too, and the boy there is arguing for them.

It is arguing that children from wild backgrounds feel comforted by the discipline and sense of belonging a uniform gives them.

I think the latter school would have more in common with the demographic of your school, so it is nice to hear that you feel otherwise unifrom-wise!

I refused full stop to go to a school with a uniform. Ugh, I would have hated it.

A childhood friend of mine who went to a boys' public school was sent home for having hair a centimetre "too long" and told, "don't come back until you've had it cut," so said, "oh, ok," and just didn't. Heh.

[sabotabby]

Most of our kids are not in favour of uniforms, though last year, a girl started up a petition to bring them in.

I think a lot of people see it as a magic fix for issues brought about by culture clashes and income disparities.

[pofflewomp.livejournal.com]

Yes, every year at my school a few pupils would start a debate about bringing in uniforms, on the grounds that "poor pupils" stood out and felt bad about not having nice clothes. I found it extremely patronising, as I was probably the poorest pupil there and didn't give a toss about whether other people had issues about how expensive clothes should look!

There were quite a few fashion-obsessed girls at my school, to be fair - some whose parents were models or owned fashion shops, some whose parents were actors, etc..

My main problem with uniforms apart form them being evil authoritarian things is that it singles children out for getting attacked or whatever outside school. In London I know there are rival schools with gangs of teenagers roaming the streets looking for pupils from other schools to beat up. And drunken or crazy adults looking for young people to pick on. And paedophile types, though they might be rarer.

[erinlin-w.livejournal.com]

I spent two years of high school that had a uniform. The school was a shithole, discipline was terrible, and the other kids harassed me about what I wore. (bullies find a way!)

Then I transferred to a school with no uniform. It was lovely; the teachers were encouraging and I made friends for the first time.

In conclusion, school uniforms are BULLSHIT.

[erinlin-w.livejournal.com]

Sorry, that first bit should read "I spent two years *in* a high school that had a uniform."

[sabotabby]

Yeah, I went to a school with a lax dress code and very little bullying (but a strong academic program and a focus on the arts). We managed to dress ourselves just fine.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

I'm confused -- are you pointing out the comments that are supportive of the school's policy or ones that are opposed to it?

[sabotabby]

The ones supportive of the school's policy, or arguing that they had it worse so...kids today should have it worse? I don't know. There were a few more people opposed to it after I posted this.

[icedrake.livejournal.com]

In my experience, most of bb's comment threads tend to be split along those lines. I haven't checked the comment history of the ones defending the policy, but it's certainly not a given that they're all opposed to police brutality, kettling, wasteful G20 summits, or any other topic near and dear to the liberal heart. bb has its share of right-wing commenters, trolls, and various cross-breedings of the two.

[ladypolitik.livejournal.com]

"Wrong" coloured socks are BARRED from our school's uniform.

Also, "wrong" coloured hair scrunchies.

Yyyyyep.

On the flip side, our students notoriously take ridiculous liberties with the uniform (black yoga pants instead of dress pants, slippers, etc.). It boggles my mind, because the most formal part of the uniform are the pants. They have short and long-sleeved golf shorts, and can wear solid black running shoes. THAT'S IT! I went to a school that strictly did dress shirts, ties, amorphous cardigans and blazers. So it lacks effort to wear the existing uniform properly, and they STILL dont wear it properly. LOL

I dont know what that says about our school's ability to enforce jackshit. (Well, besides that we suck at 'enforcing' RELEVANT shit.)