Monday Musings...
Well people, we've got Summer winding it's way on down, and *if* by some slim chance, you're not fortunate enough to be chowing down on a Barack-o-Taco, and washing that down with an Obamarita at Sharkey's in beautiful Martha's Vineyard today, you're PROBABLY in the process of sending the young'uns BACK...TO...SCHOOL.
Yes, sir...a whole new group of "recruits" for the educators to work with.
I told the missus this morning before she headed out, that SHE was there to "fertilize" the supple minds of our future, so, in that vein, she was to be sure she was spreading that horsesh*t GOOD and THICK!
After all, it DOES make the 'maters grow!
Besides, the kids will wind up dealing with puh-lenty of BULLSH*T...AFTER they get OUT of school, right?
Now, I'll be the first one to tell you that I kinda looked forward to returning to classes.
And, as I got more mature...and those hormones started kicking in, it was ALWAYS a treat to see how many of the "young lovelies" had ALSO "matured". Of course, that NEVER detracted from the lessons at hand (yeah, right).
That was the age of the miniskirt, and the "brass" at the school was there to enforce proper decorum when it came to the length OF those skirts (damn it all).
They were also doing recon for boys with..."long hair" (horrors), long SIDEBURNS, and even...FACIAL HAIR (oh, the vicissitudes of puberty in the young American male).
And...we had a "dress code", which meant that NO ONE wore tank tops, short skirts (girls OR boys...LOL), DENIM pants (any type of JEANS), culottes (commonly referred to as "skorts" today), shorts, sandals, "athletic shoes" aka SNEAKERS (reserved solely for P.E.), or "provocative attire" (to be determined by the school system).
So...what the hell DID we wear to school anyway, back in the day?
NORMAL CLOTHING!
Girls wore BLOUSES, basically...you know, the ones with BUTTONS on them. Or they wore DRESSES. They also wore modest skirts, and nothing could be overly tight or revealing, as the school believed (no doubt erroneously) that this would somehow take away from the "learning experience" for the MALE population...(how silly).
For the guys, the UOD ("uniform" of the day) was SLACKS, as in pants with a WAISTLINE that was...AT THE WAIST, with a BELT. Shirts were either of a polo shirt variety, or button down with sweaters for either sex in the winter (we seemed to be more into PRACTICALITY in those days...like staying warm when the furnace crapped out in the school).
Shoes were worn by both guys and gals, with NO "heels" over 2 inches for the females (who wants aching feet all day anyway was the "war cry"). Penny loafers were the "in" thing, but LACED shoes worked as well, but absolutely NO patent leather shoes for the girls (made for a fun time for the guys standing next to them with good vision).
Hairstyles could be anything (and usually were), but the guys could NOT look like a Woodstock refugee.
Funny thing about ALL this dress code stuff...no matter how "poor" a family was, they NEVER seemed to have a problem with COMPLIANCE....can't say the same today, can we?
Today, people are not as "resourceful" as in decades past. Too many are dependent upon good old Uncle Sam for everything, so they can't even blow their snot box w/o some "uncle" wanting IN on it.
Back in our day, most every MOM knew what a sewing machine was, and was not beyond either MENDING clothes or MAKING them.
Today, I wouldn't give a plugged nickel for the number of women (or men) who know how to thread a needle, let alone patch an article of clothing (yours truly is NOT in that mix, thankfully).
So when I see the manner in which kids "dress" for school today, with few exceptions, I'm pretty much APPALLED.

Here's a good article on the subject, selected totally at random:

http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/dress_codes_and_school
I think school should be a bastion of LEARNING...and not some "fashion show" for the pre-pubescent.
Life will deal with that in due time...trust me.
It always does.
Dad always said that "If you LOOK like a slob, then that's EXACTLY how other people will look at you.", and he was right on target with that. Kids today look, by and large...PDS (pretty damn sloppy).
Now that's all well and good AFTER school, but while you're behind the desk, learning something (and not nodding the hell out), you should appear a bit more "professional".
Trouble is, no one at home is working to that end all that much.
If you're loping down the school hallway looking like the newest album cover of "Thuglicious" or some other music "star", or have more cleavage showing than can be found in the Grand Canyon, well, that's just not very "scholastic" now, is it?
There is a time and place for EVERYTHING.
While you're in SCHOOL...THAT is the time to PAY ATTENTION and LEARN.
And the BEST way to learn is to have AS FEW distractions as possible.
We can't be concerned with WHAT COLOR Nikes just came out, or HOW MUCH bling you can wrap around your scrawny necks, when the future of every single student is in jeopardy.
We don't need kids fighting to steal apparel from others because someone HAS it and another does not.
And the educators are there to TEACH...NOT be the FASHION (or any other type of) POLICE.
For every ONE disruptor in a class, there are close to TWENTY EIGHT OTHERS who are being affected by the disruption.
And I'm sorry, but that's just NOT FAIR to those other 28 kids.
Personally, I think bringing back dress codes is an idea that NEEDS to be done, and proper clothing to comply with such codes CAN be readily attained, given the number of programs available to assist those in NEED of such help.
People always push issues of EQUALITY, and I say one of the BEST ways to do that is to have everyone dress similarly.
There's no "keepin' up with the Joneses" thing going on, and everyone still can maintain their individuality (because that comes from WITHIN a person anyway, and not by the manner of dress, unless you're a "sheeple")
Some would argue that's Draconian, but I would maintain that IF you want a BETTER graduation rate and HIGHER test scores for the kids, then...when they look less sloppy and more "professional", they WILL aspire to higher goals.
It's a perfect case of "cause and effect".
And the net result, is that EVERYONE makes out better in the end.
That's not such a bad deal, is it?
So, to all you parents that have sent your charges off for another year of "aptitude enhancement", think on some of this...and feel free to act accordingly. After all, the price for opinions is always right...FREE.
Have a great week, and...
Stay safe out there, America.