My daughter began middle school this year, grade 7. Back to school shopping was stressful because there was a strict dress code to adhere to; White shirts, black pants, well-tailored, not baggy, not too many pockets, etc., etc.
My daughter was very nervous about getting hit up for not dressing just right. This is a big deal for her. The requirements of the dress code that were most important (according to her) was the rule no BLUE or RED, which are the gang colors of the Bloods and the Crips, two notorious and well-known gangs from LA.
Now the first question would be, “are the Bloods and the Crips operating in Salinas?” Then the next question is, “what is the difference between a real gang member and a wanna-be gang member?” The answers are first, it doesn’t matter if either gang has a genuine presence in Salinas because, (and in answer to the second question) there’s no functional difference between real and wanna-be, neither can shoot straight.
After discovering, as I had warned her, that the pre-school list of supplies each student would need to provide was nonsense, merely a creation of bureaucracy, we set out to buy 4 spiral-bound 100 page notebooks in compliance to the individual teachers requests. My daughter was absolutely certain that none of these could be blue or red. In fact, after searching both Longs and Super Max, there were very few green, black, purple or yellow notebooks left. There were however shelves of blue and red.
Simply put, the colors red and blue are banned from the school, so much so that I now wonder what talismanic power is being assigned them by the school administration.
Being a minister, and especially being a Ninja, I understand the true nature of magic and talismanic power better than most, or at least I believe I do, which is as good as genuinely knowing. THIS is how magic beliefs start in primitive societies, primitive societies such as are found in Africa, Borneo, the Amazon or in middle school.
If you make something too wrong, and too taboo, it will eventually become desirable.
Children who have no knowledge of gangs or gang colors are learning about them as I type. Perhaps soon they will be adding blue or red bandanas to their off-school-hours rebel attire, while knowing or caring nothing about the gangs they represent. Imagine high school students attempting to perform magic rituals read out of books who include as a part of their “High Priest” or “High Priestess” costume red or blue gang wear or the sports logo uniform of some corporate entity.
Years from now, long after the gangs even actually exist, this may become fodder for department store marketing; “Gang Wear” at JC Penny’s, all thanks to fearful and reactive school administrators across the Country….
Rev. Greg, Shidoshi
I see 00.. REV Greg You've added NinJa to your repituwa.! Bloods and crips may be a real fear amongst the last line of defense.. or perhaps the first line of defense... (our Educational System) If You did not consider these gangs as a threat, you would not have made mention. I do however share your concerns of...over reacting to negative influences on our childrens behaviors out of amplified fear! Colors like red and blue do not equate to gangs in any way.. unless we participate in this orginized paranoia. AS a parent... you sometimes... have to rely on the majority to keep your children safe dispite your common sense.... and lack of fear for your own self. With a little imagination
you could paint some white stripes on those blue or red binders after buying those unwanted colors at a discount in october.
All of this programming of the masses reminds me of a film that starred the ex-wrestler Roddy Piper, entitled, "They Live", talk about a mind blower.
So often in Buddhism we speak of reality/illusion, this film explores it in an entertaining manner.
Posted by: peace at August 21, 2004 05:33 PMRev. Greg -
From personal experience, two things that school uniforms (or a strictly limited dress code) do accomplish to a certain extent are 1) To even out the financial differences between students' circumstances; and 2) To eliminate some of the stresses caused by any given student's (or parent's) fashion sense or lack thereof. Whether these positives balance the negatives is I guess an individual judgement for each family to make.
School districts are, of course, bureaucracies; and like any bureaucracy, when attempting to legislate one problem away, they invariably create at least three different totally unforeseen problems by the act of legislating. Combine this with that certain percentage of our population which just has to challenge authority because its there, and lots of fun ensues.
Good luck wth it, and namaste, Engyo Mike Barrett
Posted by: Engyo Mike Barrett at August 21, 2004 05:24 AMI just went to my orientation at the elementary school I start working at on Monday. They informed me not to wear red... I could get shot walking down the street to my car. I guess this is everywhere, and of course I have a closet full of red shirts because it's my favorite color to wear.
Danna
Call me ignorant, or even racist, but does it occur to these people that members of Bloods and Crips are black? How many black people are in her middle school? I guess it would be perceived as racist to only prohibit blacks from wearing gang colors. I guess I've answered my own question.
At my high school, our colors were red and blue! And we were the Indians. I wonder if they kept those colors when they changed it to "Red-Tailed Hawks."
Another peeve of mine: I'm an Oakland Raiders fan. But Raiders jackets are perceived by some as gang attire.
At another school I went to, we had to wear blue sportcoats. My brother found a blue corduroy jacket. The administrators didn't like it, but they couldn't say anything.
Posted by: John at August 20, 2004 11:59 AM