Flashback Friday # 155

That didn't come out quite right.

Welcome to all who have ventured this way on the cyberpath. If you've accidentally stumbled upon these ramblings, I'll try not to rot your mind too much. If you came here on purpose, you get what's coming to you.

Have you ever tried to express an idea, and by the time it has gotten tangled around your eye teeth, It has become something completely different? The very first time that I spoke in Student Council was just such a time.

Being a Freshman, meant that you were to be seen & not heard. Nobody cared what you thought or how you felt about something. If you didn't like something, too bad. I think you're beginning to get the picture.

One of the things that several of the Seniors wished to get changed was the part of our dress code that banned facial hair. No mustaches, beards or long sideburns were allowed. Facial hair was considered a distraction. If you drew a line from the corner of your mouth to your ear, your sideburns had to stay on the north side of that line. No hair was to be past the shirt collar either. Our school was established in the 60's so I assume the dress code attempted to get the hippies to conform.

But I digress. Since several of the Seniors wanted this rule changed, the created a petition for student body members to sign. They acquired several hundred signatures. It was brought up in the Student Council meting and a delegation was to be selected to approach the Principal with the petition & dress code changes.

The Student council advisor was an older teacher who taught journalism, typing & IOE (Inner Office Experience). The Student Council meetings were held in her IOE room. It looked similar to an old typing pool that you would see on TV in the 70's. She asked several of the Seniors why they wished to change the rule. Some said it was outdated, while others said it hindered their expression of who they were. She then asked ME what I thought of the issue. This caught me completely flatfooted. (Read the third paragraph again).

I tried to express something to the effect that if you looked mature, you might act mature. What came out was some kind of mishmash about your girlfriend dumping you for a guy who looked older. The Seniors roared and I was put on the committee to approach the Principal. This was the same Principal who didn't like me because of my brother.

The committee approached the Principal. He was given the petition. The Seniors gave their arguments. I was prompted to repeat the mishmash. The Principal basically said, in the nicest manner possible, FUGITUBOWTIT, AINTHAPPIN.

When I became a Senior, this issue came up again, but in a little bit of a different way. That's another post all together.