The same week his state outlawed racial discrimination based on hairstyles, a Black high school student in Texas was suspended because school officials said his locs violated the district’s dress code.
Darryl George, a junior at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, received an in-school suspension after he was told his hair fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes. George, 17, wears his hair in thick twisted dreadlocks, tied on top of his head, said his mother, Darresha George.
George served the suspension last week. His mother said he plans to return to the Houston-area school Monday, wearing his dreadlocks in a ponytail, even if he is required to attend an alternative school as a result.
Conservatives don't want schools that teach how to think. They want schools that teach kids to obey.
The rules don't really matter, if anything they want the rules to be as stupid and arbitrary as possible, that way they get adult workers willing to take "because I said so" as rationale for fucking anything.
Like how in boot camp they focus on the most inconsequential details. They don't care how exact you can make a bed, theyre just teaching you how to follow orders
Greg Poole, who has been district superintendent since 2006, said the policy is legal and teaches students to conform as a sacrifice benefitting everyone.
“When you are asked to conform … and give up something for the betterment of the whole, there is a psychological benefit,” Poole said. “We need more teaching (of) sacrifice.”
It's explicitly said by the superintendent.
Follow up question Mr Superintendent: in what way does prohibiting this particular hairstyle “benefit the whole?”
There is another quote from him saying it's a rule that's been on the books for 30 years. As if that's a good enough reason to keep it rather than actually being a reason to reexamine it's worth in today's society.
Anyone who uses the excuse that "this is how it's been done for x number of years so we're going to keep doing it that way" should be punched in the face repeatedly until their teeth turn to fuckin dust because they should be able to speak anymore.
He named his ego “the whole”
And not understood by any conservatives that constantly whine about selfish bullshit.
This sounds like a toxic Chinese mentality to me.
My kid is always amazed that despite violating the dress code she never gets in trouble. I told her that the rules aren't there to be enforced equally, they're there to give them an excuse to harass students and because she's one of the "good kids" she gets away with it.
Meanwhile I saw kids of any color hauled out of my school for wearing ANY red
Literally every other rule was flaunted daily but if you wore red they'd drag your ass to the admin office to take your shoelaces for the day (saw that one) or wear one of the embarrassing and huge and overused day use shirts (happened to a friend), didn't matter who you were
Just a funny story about my weirdly strict in some ways high school
Uh, Red because Bloods, or what?
Literally
Despite the local gangs using B L U E and P U R P L E as flag colors ffs
Thought it was a dumb question, but I couldn't get my head around it. So Crips are all good at this school?! And who the hell wears purple? I'm old and out of touch.
Both colors were local gangs of almost nobodies. Technically the blue one fed to the Crips somehow but idk I didn't hang out with those guys much
Blue was one of the schools colors so they couldn't ban that, but RED SCARRRRYYYY
I think they've finally lifted that now almost 10 years later
Some crips in California wear them, IIRC. It could be regional, too.
Smaller gangs will sometimes use a colour that's unused in their area, even if it might already be known to represent something else in another place.
My school has so many problems with that that they banned any non-black shoelaces and also implemented an expensive uniform that was ugly.
"There are in-groups the law must protect but not bind, and outgroups the law must bind and not protect". This is the core of conservative thought.
Trust me, as someone who was military, they care about how exact you are when making the bed. It's not just about following orders, it's how well you follow them and your attention to detail.
Oddly, my military experience also focused on how to break rules, and how to know which ones to break. That and the knowledge that there was a waiver for everything.
I mean, have you seen how they design schools these days? I've seen jails that looked less secure, and more comfy. They're conditioning the kids knowing that 1/4 will end up in jail or on probation at some point in their lives. They don't see them as children, they see them as potential "criminals" to wring every dollar they can out of.
Looks like the superintendent is all about following the rules to a T - that is unless it's his kid - in which case he'll gladly obstruct an investigation a likely DUI.
Barbers Hill High School
The irony is stunning.
The barbers have chosen their hill.
Thank you.
“When you are asked to conform … and give up something for the betterment of the whole, there is a psychological benefit,” Poole said. “We need more teaching (of) sacrifice.”
How does this dude not realize that also applies to his school district and their stupid outdated rules about hair length?
Greg Poole, who has been district superintendent since 2006, said the policy is legal and teaches students to conform as a sacrifice benefitting everyone.
This is clearly about control, as well as conditioning students to concede to authority and "traditional" social standards.
Is this that "control" and "school indoctrination" that I keep hearing Republicans screech about?
No, that's wokeism, or the atheist religion. This is just good, solid, traditional values of black people being subservient to the decent white folks.
I'm not seeing how anyone benefits.
Corporate overlords benefit by receiving a pliant and silent victim for them to abuse for the next 60+ years.
Aside from the fact that this kid's hair looks pretty nice to me, I think policies like this are dumb. Having raised some kids, I feel like hairstyle is one of the safest forms of self expression. I was way happier when our kids wanted liberty spikes or blue hair than when one wanted a tattoo. The hair is inherently temporary.
Capitalists. They need a moldable, compliant workforce that won't make waves when things are unfair.
Now you're under controlnow you do what they told ya
Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses.
I hope they make high schoolers learn about this song in a hundred years.
"Now students, in the late 20th century, musicians often blended styles. Rage Against the Machine has elements of metal and rap. This song is about the abuse of power and and bigotry by government enforcers, particularly police brutality towards non whites in the United States. This songs melody, lyrics, and singing style brilliantly expressed the rage many people felt about the state of the US legal system at the time, as evidenced by the civil rights movement, LA riots, and Black Lives Matter movement. Ironically, there are videos of people the song is critical of praising it or listening to it."
This is clearly about control, as well as conditioning students to concede to authority and "traditional" social standards.
That's like saying the Civil War was about state rights.
But fredome and ruged individualism . . . don't tread on me?
Because he's a white supremacist.
The classic idea that someone's hairstyle can be more disruptive than harassing a student and suspending them. This comes down to racism plain and simple.
Seems like Iran is the role model for many Americans. Land of the free is nothing but a sad joke. 🤥
Remember the country was started by a bunch of religious crazies that were being perse- I mean, properly called out for their insanity back in Europe. So they decided to come here and commit theft, rape, and genocide, so they could abuse their families without those pesky others telling them it was wrong.
commit theft, rape, and genocide, so they could abuse their families without those pesky others telling them it was wrong.
I'm pretty sure Europe did the same thing on an even larger scale. Napoleon, Dutch East India Company, the English, Conquistadors, the rape of Africa etc.
Doing it because religion is somehow worse than doing it because of greed?
Yes. Greed is at least real. Edit: Also, doing it for religion is cowardice: you’re just shifting the responsibility away from you & onto god. The greedy are at least sane & lucid for their atrocities.
I think there was a hunger situation too, but yes there were a good deal religious fanatics from the start.
🌎👨🚀🔫👨🚀
I may be dense, but I don't get it?
It's referring to that meme with the astronauts.
In this case, one would be in the background, in front of the earth saying "Both of these religions are controlling and toxic".
The second astronaut would be in the foreground, with his gun aimed towards the first astronaut, saying "Always have been".
I think it's a meme from a movie.
The point is that religious zealots have always been bad like this, but the commenter put that into a meme.
Thank you. 😀
American conservatives have always been jealous of Iran for living the life they want: a crushing theocratic regime who punishes everyone except for an elite clique.
Yes they love authoritarian bullshit, that's why so many of them are also borderline if not full fledged fascists.
Only in an unfree society does the concept of freedom become a religion.
Absolutely, here (Denmark) we don't have guns, and even knives are illegal. But IMO we have more freedom than Americans.
Would love if my son was free to go to school without fear of school shootings.
That I can understand, all the people who deny you and your children that, I simply cannot.
Can we like… dissolve Texas as a state? They suck.
Give them back to Mexico.
As a Texan, I'm okay with that.
I don't think Texans and Mexican Firearms Laws will get along too well.
They keep talking about secession. Maybe they should be encouraged
I know so many great people in Texas who feel powerless. It's sad
They have the power to leave and stop supporting the state economically.
Don't give them the pleasure. Kick them out.
Looney Toons their ass and saw the state off of the country
Have Yosemite Sam perforate the state off the country with bullets. You know he'd do it.
Except for NASA, please move it to a better state.
Not Florida
I'm sure somewhere there's a report that says Texas is becoming too hot for operations. Nothing jumped out at me searching "site:nasa.gov type:.pdf climate launch operations in texas future."
As a Texan, please feel free to ask your representatives to affirm our right of secession.
I really would prefer the US not split into chunks but Texit is surprisingly popular here.
The dinosaurs tried it millions of years ago but they missed it…
I cannot for the life of me understand such nonsense. Why do we care about a hairstyle? Im sure this is all just used as a racist cudgel but what even is the flimsy defense for it? Just teach the fucking kids math and history, ect. I'd like to fire the morons wasting everyone's time with this nonsense.
The interesting thing with these type of news stories is for me, that any time I look up the haircut the school banned, it's mostly a really good looking cut.
It always cements for me that it is never about what the hair actually looks like esthetically, but that it is a predominantly "black" haircut, like an Afro or tight curls.
But even if it was garbage, who cares. It's just so below what anyone should be spending time caring about.
The interesting thing with these type of news stories is for me, that any time I look up the haircut the school banned, it’s mostly a really good looking cut.
Some schoolteachers become that to feel themselves important. Or powerful. After all, they are in charge of a whole group of little people. Almost like an army officer (I got a really indignated and hateful look from one such teacher after politely pointing out that teachers are not, in fact, similar to army officers, they do not command and do not bear power and responsibility).
That is, they come for obedience and feeling of self-importance ("I'm teaching them, I must be very smart, yeah, or at least they fear me"), and even bad wages do not make them try and find another trade.
So they just envy kids who have a differing look from other kids, especially if it's a good one. It makes them feel that those kids are less obedient.
(Sorry for that tone of disgust and contempt in my comment, Russian schools and all that.)
Racists are zero sum conservatives. If a student looks "too black" they aren't "being a student" they are "being black".
It's a narrow view of identity and culture, bred by ignorance, cultivated by cheap entertainment media, and polished by having zero moral or intellectual standards.
If a student looks "too black" they aren't "being a student" they are "being black".
Ohmygod well said. You perfectly described something I see all the time but haven't put into words until now.
Are you seriously looking for logic in racism?
Look, there IS logic in racism
It just happens to be retard logic, ever notice the people who are racist tend to be genetically the worst examples of their race? Those genes likely affect their brains as well.
… he was told his hair fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes.
Unless they have the exact same standards for hair length for all students, regardless of gender, that's plainly discriminatory.
Of course, in reality, hairstyle rules are stupid. As long as it doesn't cause a disruption (think smelly, or formed into the shape of a helicopter), whatever you wanna do with your hair is fine.
There was a kid I went to high school with in the 90s. His hair was what the punk kids called "Liberty Spikes," IIRC. His hair was easily 2.5 to 3 feet long. If my backwards ass hick highschool in the middle of the Midwest didn't have issues with that, then I see no reason that anyone should ever have to defend their choice of hair. Seriously we had kids that brought their tractors to school.
I myself was wandering around with golden locks that got down to my shoulders every year, till I shaved my head for the swim team. Balding sucks 😞
If my backwards ass hick highschool in the middle of the Midwest didn’t have issues with that, then I see no reason that anyone should ever have to defend their choice of hair. Seriously we had kids that brought their tractors to school.
There's always racism, the oldest standard in the US.
Wait, what makes "shape of a helicopter" disruptive?
If the answer is something like "outrageous style that would get too much attention", then that sounds like the argument for a ton of these kinds of rules. The main difference would just be subjectively where the line is drawn.
I can certainly imagine a hairstyle which would block the view of other students. I know that's not what I was originally implying with the word "disruptive," but it's something.
Hair shaped like a helicopter probably makes if difficult for people behind them to see.
So did beehives but those were perfectly fine for women when they were in style.
I would like to see schoolgirls (or boys) with beehives please
Plus it would likely blow all the papers off the desks of students around them.
The constant playing of fortunate son in class gets really annoying I'm sure tho
That only happens when he's learning about 'Nam.
She's built for speed.
Smelly I get, but formed into the shape of a helicopter? Hell yes I'd love to be distracted by that.
It will make you say "soi" repeatedly in your head in Microsoft Sam's voice, hence the distraction.
Unless they have the exact same standards for hair length for all students, regardless of gender, that's plainly discriminatory
I would suggest that in almost all cases a unified standard would actually be guaranteed to be discriminatory, in much the same way a unified standard for how tall you're allowed to be would be. The only thing I can think of that wouldn't would be if everyone had to have their heads shaved as "the standard".
Biologically/genetically, and socially, different (protected!) groups have different hair and expectations about how that hair can be styled.
Even the "head shaved" thing, while possible with any hair no matter what the underlying biology and genetics, would be torture for a sizable number of women in a modern society.
With the right tattoos a shaved head can be more disruptive than any haircut
If there is any appearance standard, it must apply to all students in the exact same way. If girls are allowed to have hair which "falls below the eyebrows or earlobes," but boys are not, that is discrimination based on gender. If girls are allowed to wear "skirts below the knee," but boys are not, that is discrimination based on gender.
I'm in no way suggesting that girls be held to the appearance standards that boys are held to; rather, boys should be held to the appearance standards that girls are held to.
I don't think you could get away with smelly, and I don't see a problem with any non-dangerous haircut really.
Smelly is subjective too, as someone using the proper oils for their hair could be called smelly.
Smelly has been used for properly maintained dreadlocks that are far less noticeable than Axe body spray.
Yeah. I know I have no way of knowing if it's something that could be attributed to culture in some cases.
If my dreads smell of anything then it's of janitorial lemon because I use washing-up liquid (excellent degreaser, very skin friendly, and aside from that scent completely residue-free, also, unlike specialised products (which are the same thing with different scent) dirt cheap).
Dreads don't take on more odour than ordinary hair, if you were at a BBQ and don't wash you'll get complaints from hungry people either way.
I meant "smelly" in a personal hygiene kind of way, and school administration can most certainly take action to remedy a situation where a student is not hygenic.
In a very specific personal hygiene way, sure. But there are situations where you'd end up with similar complaints if a white administrator approached a non-white student.
To be fair they did investigate themselves and found they did nothing wrong…
Very commendable actually. I approve raises all around!
/s
I used to work at a company that practically refused to hire black people because their dress code precluded basically every common black hairstyle.
It pisses me off that dreads and braids are some sort of white-collar taboo.
This isn't an accident.
It's to give plausible deniability to racists who don't want to deal with EEOC violations as often.
It's a way of making anyone except for a specific culture of people feel uncomfortable. "You can come work here but you won't like it so don't try" is the message they are using instead of "we are racist and understand it's distasteful to say it openly" but it produces the same effect.
Wow that shouldn't be legal!
“He has to sit on a stool for eight hours in a cubicle. That’s very uncomfortable. Every day he’d come home, he’d say his back hurts because he has to sit on a stool,”
What the fuck is this? What is the school trying to teach this kid? Certainly not to hate authority or resent the adults that are responsible for his high school success.
This is mental and physical abuse. Fuck this school. Fuck this school district. God I hate high school even to this day as a mom.
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Policies like this this only exist to force others to conform to social norms and punish individuality. No reason why individual expression should be condemned. You really see things like this in all walks of life schools, work places etc. Society will actively punish you for diverting from the norm in if its completely harmless.
No. Policies like this exist because racism.
It can be both.
Don't allow light colored or blonde straight hair and watch the conservatives squirm.
… he was told his hair fell below his eyebrows and ear lobes.
But… the picture from the article says that's how he wore his hair to school, and it is clearly not obstructing his eyebrows or earlobes. What gives? I feel it's a hard argument to say that this is not racial discrimination.
That's an insane requirement. Pretty much 100% of students would need to cut their hair immediately.
Saying anything is easy if you have no shame.
This may be unconstitutional based on Bostock v. Clayton County. AFAIK this is a public High School, and they cannot have different hair rules for male students as they do female. This would be a school accepting a condition (hair that fell below his eyebrows and ear lobs) if the student were female, but not male. Also this same thing happened in 2020 at the same school. The SCOTUS case was from 2020, will be interesting if this is brought up.
It seems pretty unacceptable for a public school disctict to require this. If you are legally required to be there (unless you can afford to pay ridiculous amounts for private school) then they are basically saying it is illegal for minors in that district to have long hair if they are male.
Also, that guy's hair looks pretty firmly styled in a way that does keep it well above his ears and eyebrows.
