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Topic: 13 year old girl suspended from college for being the "wrong race" for her hairstyle

Stephen Furley
Film God

Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002

posted 04-20-2005 05:46 AM

I could see you point if she had a large purple and orange punk hair-do or something, but braided hair isn't unusual. I made a point of looking this morning, and I've seen seven examples. It's most common in black females, four examples so far today, one of them a member of staff in about her late '30s, the others students, but also one white girl, another of mixed race, and one black boy. I saw all of those within about an hour or so.

If you had shown me the original picture of the girl, and asked if I could see anything odd about her I wouldn't have thought of the hair, if anything I might have said the eyes, they do look slightly strange, one looks set deeper in the head than the other. I'm surprised that anybody would even give the hair-do a second thought, never mind excluding her hrom school for it.

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Jason Miller
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 241
From: Little Rock, AR,
Registered: Mar 2004

posted 04-20-2005 08:31 AM

I'm fine with the braids.. it's dredlocks that I dont understand. they look gross. some smell horrible. I have heard stories of insects thriving in the dreds.

just plain nasty.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 04-20-2005 09:43 AM

quote: Stephen Furley
If you had shown me the original picture of the girl, and asked if I could see anything odd about her I wouldn't have thought of the hair

That was pretty much my point, only in pictures.

A picture of a 13 year old girl in corn-row braids is seen as "rebellious" or even "the wrong race".

A picture of a 20 year old woman with corn-row braids is seen as "sexy".

(Granted, at 13 she's to young to be "hot". That's another can of worms.)

I'd have been more concerned if she wore a "Shark Fin" mohawk or even shaved her head completely. As it stands, if I was her teacher, the most I'd ever say to her would be, "Aren't you afraid that a style like that will make your hair fall out?!"

(I know a girl who that happened to.)

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 04-20-2005 09:48 AM

quote: Leo Enticknap
this being strictly against school rules and him being at least two years under the legal minimum age for buying fags.

I did not realize that was legal for any age. [Big Grin]

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Jarryd Beard
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 229
From: Hellertown, PA
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 04-20-2005 10:35 AM

Although I don't care for the hairstyle, that's not the problem I have with this decision. I don't think the other two students should be allowed to have the cornrows because of a different background. You can't enforce a rule on one individual, but not on others.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 04-20-2005 10:52 AM

quote: Pravin Ratnam
I did not realize that was legal for any age.

16 is the legal age for buying them; thinking about it, I'm not sure if it's actually an offence to smoke them before then or not (e.g. if someone's parents are moronic enough to buy them for their child). It certainly isn't with alcohol: 18 is the minimum age for buying it and for drinking it in licensed bars, but it's perfectly legal for under 18s to drink alcohol at home if it's been provided by their parents (e.g. a glass of wine with dinner).

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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 04-20-2005 10:55 AM

quote: Jarryd Beard
You can't enforce a rule on one individual, but not on others.

The rule isn't "you can't have braids," the rule is "your hairstyle must be culturally and religiously appropriate." By the school's definitions, they are applying the rule to everyone.

BTW, the "in" hairstyle for teenage boys around here is now the Mark Hamill circa 1977 look.

I guess thats culturally acceptable, right?

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Jeremy Fuentes
Mmmm, Dr. Pepper!

Posts: 1168
From: Corpus Christi, TX United States
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 04-20-2005 11:45 AM

Is my hair culturally acceptable? Or should I be hiding it under a sombrero? I'm confused as to how this cannot be seen as racism? Would they suspend the girls with an Afro-Caribean background if they decide to wear their hair straight?

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 04-20-2005 01:16 PM

quote: Jeremy Fuentes
Is my hair culturally acceptable? Or should I be hiding it under a sombrero?

Wearing a sombrero in Rochdale would certainly get you noticed! [Big Grin]

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 04-20-2005 02:59 PM

By the way, Leo. I got what you were saying about buying fags. I was just making a joke about buying male gigolos. (Though I would not advise you to use that term to denote gay men in any context).

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James R. Hammonds, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 931
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 04-20-2005 03:18 PM

quote: Adam Wilbert
The rule isn't "you can't have braids," the rule is "your hairstyle must be culturally and religiously appropriate." By the school's definitions, they are applying the rule to everyone.

How is braiding your hair "culturally or religiously appropriate"?
It is a fashion (or lack of depending on your taste) statement and nothing more, so the rule is not applying to everyone.
It's like telling a white kid he/she can't listen to rap or latin music because he/she isn't black or latin.

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 04-20-2005 05:14 PM

quote: Pravin Ratnam
By the way, Leo. I got what you were saying about buying fags. I was just making a joke about buying male gigolos. (Though I would not advise you to use that term to denote gay men in any context).

Oh, sorry! 'Fag' is a slang word in British English meaning cigarette. I guess it must be a slang term denoting an abbreviation of 'faggot' in US English. I've just had a look at my Chambers' Dictionary and found the following:

quote:
fag fag (noun) a schoolboy forced to do menial work for another, usually older boy; a tiresome piece of work; drudgery; orig an inferior cigarette (for fag-end; slang); hence any cigarette (colloq.) - vito become weary or tired out (colloq.); to be a fag for someone. - vt to weary; to use as a fag. [Etymology doubtful; perhaps a corruption of flag, to droop (qv)]

There's no mention of homosexuality anywhere in that definition. Sorry about the misunderstanding - I really thought you were talking about smoking in your last post!

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 04-20-2005 05:19 PM

Damn that English language barrier [beer]

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