South African students protest against school's alleged racist hair policy. - Polidicks

[QUOTE=spiritlol;50994228]This school in the article doesn't even have uniforms, it has a dress code. Every school in the world has a dress code, some are just more restrictive than others. Most schools wouldn't you walk in with "fuck school" on your shit or let you walk in naked. This doesn't seem like an issue of race either, unless there's an example of a non-black student getting away with an afro or similar style. Just because your hair is part of your identity and your race is part of your identity does not make your hair part of your race.[/QUOTE] It's because that hair is natural to them, while us whites can keep our natural hair. Unless it's excessively big where it causes a problem, it should be allowed.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;50994307]It's because that hair is natural to them, while us whites can keep our natural hair. Unless it's excessively big where it causes a problem, it should be allowed.[/QUOTE] Are you honestly saying that they would have no problem with any "natural" white person's hair? That's ridiculous.

I don't know whether school uniforms are a good or bad thing (note that I've always had a school uniform until college). On the one hand I found they could save money as you always 'looked well' with them and it avoided people seeing a difference in status when it came to clothes - which could be an issue in secondary school/high school. On the other hand, the uniforms themselves were expensive. I think rules against certain hair types and colours as well as earings and things are bollocks though.

[QUOTE=Darth Ninja;50993626]He's actually right though. There's stories about kids being bullied for wearing poorly fitted hand-me-down clothing. I remember specifically reading about one case in Steven King's memoir where this girl got bullied for her clothing and when she came back the next year with new clothes and renewed self-confidence all the kids bullied her even harder because of it. She eventually committed suicide.[/QUOTE] Another poor soul fell for it Schools don't give a fuck about bullies. Why do you think a school would ignore a serious issue like that in virtually every way, and then crack down on something so insignificant like what the kids wear? That reason is just an excuse that can't be argued against so the school can enforce control-hungry policies and scam money out of parents.

[QUOTE=Swilly;50993357]The actual reason is to prepare kids for work environmentso like you would show them proper safety precautions when using chemicals or woodshop. It's not 'outdated'.[/QUOTE] Oh yes I'm sure that wearing polished black shoes is necessary for working with chemicals or in a woodshop.

I was never bothered about having to wear a uniform because it's the norm, but the shit which they got really anal about socks and how your hair could be. Apparently having your hair too short was grounds for being sent home in my brothers school, whilst not having black socks was the way in mine although how the fuck is anyone going to see your socks anyway unless you have jack-ups.

Dress code in schools should be limited to public decency - like, I'm fine with rules about not having preteen girls waking around with exposed midriffs and short-shorts like they're about to go to a rave, but the level of puritanical dress code bullshit in schools is infuriating. There's no reason to require that kids wear khaki pants with a polo shirt - all you're doing is inconveniencing very poor schoolchildren who can't afford new clothes for quite literally zero benefit. The US is way better for this than most places, at least where I lived compared to stereotypes of Britain or the rest of Europe. My school had rules about the length of shorts, no alcohol/cigarette logos/apparel, no hats (for IDing on security cams), and no exposed shoulders (back when girls hanging one sleeve of an oversized shirt off their shoulder was popular). There was no "hair policy" at all - full facial hair was allowed. Tattoos were allowed. And our school worked fine. The only really dumb rule was banning colored bandanas of any kind, worn anywhere on the body, because of fear of nonexistent "gang violence." This kind of [I]hair[/I] policy is just stupid, though. I know a lot of black people, and straightening and keeping hair short and buying weaves and shit is enormously expensive. An Afro is literally normal hair for their race - it's ridiculous to demand they replace their natural hair.

I've worn uniforms all my life, and the purpose of that is exactly what they state; to make everyone uniform. If you all look the same in terms of what you're wearing that's one less thing to cause a point of contention in the student population. I didn't mind it one bit personally, made dressing for school a hell of a lot easier and I never saw someone get teased over their choice in clothing.

I had a school uniform for a few years, it was mostly about trying to match the stereotype of a rich and prestigious private school. It was stupid.

I've worn uniforms all my school life because I'm Asian. There isn't really much to it, you kind of grow up with it so you don't even have to get used to it.

[QUOTE=UncleJimmema;50995303]I didn't mind it one bit personally, made dressing for school a hell of a lot easier and I never saw someone get teased over their choice in clothing.[/QUOTE] That's just you, though. I don't doubt there's more benefits to uniforms than most people in this thread want to consider, but I've definitely seen kids bullied over their choice in, say, shoes. Or jackets, beanies, and winter clothing in general, which the school allowed if it got too cold. Not to mention the fact that some people just didn't have the money to replace their uniforms as often, or all of the other, non-clothing-related bullying that went on regardless

Is there any rule against them having hair like [url=http://images.totalbeauty.com/content/photos/05-totalbeauty-logo-best-braided-hairstyles-african-american.jpg]this[/url]? If not, then they can "tame" their hair while still wearing it in a traditionally African style so this isn't a case of discrimination. It's probably a case of the students have fuckhuge afros that the person who has to sit behind them can't see past.

[QUOTE=MistyVermin;50993335]Im all against school uniform shit but exactly how is this racist? Unless im missing something here the policy covers all races not just one specific race.[/QUOTE] Black kids have to spend a ton of time making their natural hair acceptable while white kids just don't have to dye it and they'll be fine. It's pretty bullshit

[QUOTE=Fapplejack;50993247]Aren't we supposed to teach kids self expression is okay?[/QUOTE] No, school nowadays is to teach kids to follow the orders of those who govern without question. An obedient society is a happy society, they argue.

[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;50995502]That's just you, though. I don't doubt there's more benefits to uniforms than most people in this thread want to consider, but I've definitely seen kids bullied over their choice in, say, shoes. Or jackets, beanies, and winter clothing in general, which the school allowed if it got too cold. Not to mention the fact that some people just didn't have the money to replace their uniforms as often, or all of the other, non-clothing-related bullying that went on regardless[/QUOTE] I went to a private school. There was a poor kid who had the same uniform from grade 5 to 7 due to being so poor. He looked fucking retarded wearing the wrong clothes but he and his family were literally too poor for new clothes every year at the 60$ for a white shirt rates they charged. He got made fun of. A lot.

Please tell me if I'm wrong, but doesn't every study on the subject show measurable improvements when kids wear uniforms to school?

[QUOTE=sgman91;50995751]Please tell me if I'm wrong, but doesn't every study on the subject show measurable improvements when kids wear uniforms in school in lots of relevant areas?[/QUOTE] Maybe but for me I suffered in a private school, had bad grades, a horrible experience that created a life long depression, bullying was from teachers and students and it was an over all unfavourable experience that cost my family shit tons of money and only ever harmed me educationally or developmentally. Sure that's an anecdote, but as soon as I was out of that environment, I did better. I was able to express myself. I had never been able to do that at a private school in that environment. Maybe removing individuality from children at a young age makes them grow up better but I suffered from it personally and I wouldn't suggest it to people because it was massively expensive for 0 benefit.

I personally wore uniforms for most of my academic life and never really ran into issues with it and neither did any of the people I knew, it was all pretty normal as far as we were concerned. We certainly weren't subjected to some kind of fascist thought police regime - funnily enough kids find ways to express themselves as individuals beyond what clothes they wear and honestly if the only way you can express individuality is via your outfit then that's your problem. Not really aimed at anyone in particular, I'm just a little confused at how against uniforms some people are? If it was purely a cost thing then yeah I can understand that.

Well to be honest, it is like someone wearing a hat in the cinema. If I were sitting behind her I wouldn't be able see the board.

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;50995769]Maybe but for me I suffered in a private school, had bad grades, a horrible experience that created a life long depression, bullying was from teachers and students and it was an over all unfavourable experience that cost my family shit tons of money and only ever harmed me educationally or developmentally. Sure that's an anecdote, but as soon as I was out of that environment, I did better. I was able to express myself. I had never been able to do that at a private school in that environment. Maybe removing individuality from children at a young age makes them grow up better but I suffered from it personally and I wouldn't suggest it to people because it was massively expensive for 0 benefit.[/QUOTE] Sounds to me like it was the specific environment and not the uniforms. Defining yourself through expression with clothes is a pretty bad way to do it anyway. It just pigeonholes you. It's much more effective and meaningful to express yourself through your actions and words.

[QUOTE=RearAdmiral;50995928]I personally wore uniforms for most of my academic life and never really ran into issues with it and neither did any of the people I knew, it was all pretty normal as far as we were concerned. We certainly weren't subjected to some kind of fascist thought police regime - funnily enough kids find ways to express themselves as individuals beyond what clothes they wear and honestly if the only way you can express individuality is via your outfit then that's your problem. Not really aimed at anyone in particular, I'm just a little confused at how against uniforms some people are? If it was purely a cost thing then yeah I can understand that.[/QUOTE] it created a fucking terrible atmosphere in my experience. I get why you or other people like them. I didn't. I wore them every day for a long, long time. i hated it. I wear suits and shit now. It's not a matter of style. It's a matter of it being restrictive, and part of a older and more harmful system. You said "kids find ways to express themselves anyways" yes they do. And bullies are just as bad, maybe worse in that system because they blend in so easily to the teachers. Uniforms were bad, being a part of a school that embraced them was the real shitty part though. [editline]3rd September 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=sgman91;50996107]Sounds to me like it was the specific environment and not the uniforms. Defining yourself through expression with clothes is a pretty bad way to do it anyway. It just pigeonholes you. It's much more effective and meaningful to express yourself through your actions and words.[/QUOTE] again this is not about style i wear suits as an adult. it's not about style. [editline]3rd September 2016[/editline] this is about the environment that I believe uniforms help foster. I believe they foster a negative one, and everything about my experience showed me that.

[QUOTE=Ridge;50995567]No, school nowadays is to teach kids to follow the orders of those who govern without question. An obedient society is a happy society, they argue.[/QUOTE] If the people aren't taught to have any individuality and are instead taught to act like they're the government's puppets, I don't see how that's a good thing.

People who think clothed are so important to self expression don't realize just how shallow that is and for poor families that's never a possibility so what in the fuck are they talking about. Also most school districts provide subsidies for school uniforms I'd your poor.

[QUOTE=Swilly;50996124]People who think clothed are so important to self expression don't realize just how shallow that is and for poor families that's never a possibility so what in the fuck are they talking about.[/QUOTE] What's the point of having school uniforms? What universal benefit does it give that somehow trumps all the downsides? [quote=Swilly;50996124]Also most school districts provide subsidies for school uniforms I'd your poor.[/quote] You can't just say this without providing sources.

[QUOTE=AntonioR;50996085]Well to be honest, it is like someone wearing a hat in the cinema. If I were sitting behind her I wouldn't be able see the board.[/QUOTE] This comparison might be accurate if the dude was part of some hat hair growing race.

[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50996129]What's the point of having school uniforms? What universal benefit does it give that somehow trumps all the downsides? You can't just say this without providing sources.[/QUOTE] You realize clothes can help a 'us n them' mentality right?

[QUOTE=Swilly;50996150]You realize clothes can help a 'us n them' mentality right?[/QUOTE] Then crack down on "us n them" mentalities, don't ban wearing your own clothes. You didn't even provide any sources which say clothes help that mentality.

[QUOTE=MaximLaHaxim;50996158]Then crack down on "us n them" mentalities, don't ban wearing your own clothes.[/QUOTE] That's not going to work. Clicks form no matter what.

[QUOTE=Swilly;50996165]That's not going to work. Clicks form no matter what.[/QUOTE] Proof? Besides, even if what you say is true, you can destroy cliques once they're created/take preventative measures like education on why cliques are bad. Don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch, a few people forming clothes-based cliques doesn't justify banning it for everyone.

[QUOTE=RenegadeCop;50994154]Here, the uniforn is just "polo, tucked in, with certain pants" So you can still see the poor kids because they wear shittier ones. And fat kids just looked fatter.[/QUOTE] That sounds like the worst of both worlds.