Hair Length

[anriana]

http://www.houston-press.com/2008-07...th-rules/print

A young Native American boy and his family are planning to move to a rural community where they own land. Due to the spiritual beliefs of the family, they don't cut their hair. The public school administration in this town is refusing to let the boy attend school because there is no substantial proof that this is a religious belief.

Texas: Where the government wants to say who you can have sex with, how long your hair should be, and ban dildos.

[CancelMyService]

In this day and age it's so stupid to have a "no long hair on boys" rule. It's not the 1950s anymore.

Also this line:

"I've got a lot of friends that are Native-American Indians from Oklahoma, South Dakota, lot of places, some over in *Louisiana in the Choctaw Nation, and they all cut their hair," Rhodes says. "We're not going to succumb to everything and just wash away our policies and procedures."

So the kid's supposed to succumb to everything and wash away his beliefs? I know people cringe of any mention of the R word these days, but this smacks of "what White folks believe trumps what the Native Americans believe" as if their beliefs somehow don't matter or are less important to maintain. As someone married to a person with Native blood, I know it's a real sore spot with a lot of people in that community to be told "we don't care about your beliefs, you follow ours or else".

[anriana]

In this day and age it's so stupid to have a "no long hair on boys" rule. It's not the 1950s anymore.

This community seems to wish it was. I've noticed a lot of conservatives tend to idealize that time.

So the kid's supposed to succumb to everything and wash away his beliefs? I know people cringe of any mention of the R word these days, but this smacks of "what White folks believe trumps what the Native Americans believe" as if their beliefs somehow don't matter or are less important to maintain. As someone married to a person with Native blood, I know it's a real sore spot with a lot of people in that community to be told "we don't care about your beliefs, you follow ours or else".

Yeah, that quote struck a chord with me. Does he not realize what a baffoon it makes him look like? Not only is he throwing all Native Americans into one group, he's essentially saying "I know some people of X heritage who do Y, so everyone of X heritage should do Y as well."

[tropicsgoddess]

It doesn't have to be a part of religion or be from a doctrine for somebody to want to grow their hair out. I honestly don't see what the hell is the big deal about a boy who has been growing his hair out. It's not the 1950's anymore.

[Boozy]

I find it outrageous that anyone would need a religious exemption to grow their own goddamn hair.

What the hell is wrong with the state of Texas?! For me, this isn't about religious freedom, it's about basic civil liberties. A public school is refusing to educate a child based on what he looks like. And this is a long-standing policy? Why are people not marching in the streets to protest this?

[iradney]

At my high school, they said boys had to have short hair. However, if you had a good reason for growing it out, they would let you.
So people from various Black tribes could get cornrows and braids (if they were neat), Rastas could get dreads, and one boy was allowed to grow and bleach his hair for a play (outside the school) that he was in. If you were reasonable, they were reasonable.
I don't see why that cannot be applied in this instance. Let him grow his hair, but say he must keep it neat and tidy (pony tail, plait, bun) and it should be ok....

[Slytovhand]

I read the bit about his mother got him a buzzcut, and I thought to myself that if my wife ever did that, I'd divorce her then and there...

I mean, we're talking religious beliefs - that's something you don't railroad over.

[Sylvia727]

Slyt, it was Kenney's mother who buzzed his hair many years ago. Kenney is refusing to cut his son Adriel's hair now. Kenney also said in the article that he understood why his mother did it. He was three when the Native American Freedom of Religion Act was passed, and his hair was cut when he was five. He says his mother was trying to make both of their lives easier. Now, he is in a situation where he feels he can take a stand for himself and his son.

Boozy, nobody's protesting in the streets because the story's getting spun to them. "These damn newcomers are spitting on our beliefs. They're against Needville values. How dare they try to hide their bullshit behind our Constitution?" Unless these people actually talk to the Arochas and understand that this is a legitimate religious belief, I suspect most of them will continue to think that this is either made-up nonsense or a religous detail blown up out of proportion. How many Christians follow obscure details in the Bible? The average citizen probably thinks this is the same thing.

I know a man who immigrated to the Midwest 60 years with an unusual and easily mispronounced ethnic name. His teacher told him that wouldn't do and sent him home with a list of Anglo/Biblical names to pick from. He ended up telling her that he was keeping his own name, and nothing came of it. I think the Arochas are on the right track with their plan to take him to school every day. School officials, in my experience, are like any other bully. They stop persecuting you when they see that you aren't going to stand for their shit.

[Slytovhand]

Slyt, it was Kenney's mother who buzzed his hair many years ago. Kenney is refusing to cut his son Adriel's hair now. Kenney also said in the article that he understood why his mother did it. He was three when the Native American Freedom of Religion Act was passed, and his hair was cut when he was five. He says his mother was trying to make both of their lives easier. Now, he is in a situation where he feels he can take a stand for himself and his son.

Oops - my bad. Cos they used "Arocha" (the surname) - not "Adriel" or "Kenney"... and I was skimming.

[powerboy]

Why should the state have a say in what the child looks like. So what if he has long hair? There is nothing wrong with that.

[Greenday]

It's Texas, what else could you really expect?

[Boozy]

I still fail to understand why growing your own hair requires a religious exemption from the state. I feel certain that the Arochas have a legitimate religious reason....but I'd support them just the same if they had a completely illegitimate one. Like, "I like having long hair. And it's my own goddamn head."

How is it possible for the government to deny an education to a child based on his appearance? I can understand school uniform policies. But hair is attached to our bodies, and I don't understand why people in a (supposedly) freedom-loving state in a (supposedly) freedom-loving country would allow the government to tell them what to do with their own bodies.

Texans don't even seem to recognize this as an issue, and that fact alone fascinates me. I'm beginning to understand how the Patriot Act was passed so quietly. What happened to 'eternal vigilance'?

We have lots of schools around here with dress codes, but as long as your hair is clean and not in anyone's way, you can wear it as you wish, for any reason you wish. The only exceptions I can think of are private religious schools and the Royal Military Academy.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I recall some time back when I had a friend from Japan during our high school days. He e-mailed me one day when he should have been at school and told me that he'd been sent home from high school for dyeing his hair brown, thus breaking up his "uniformity" or something like that. (Come to think of it, I haven't spoken to him in years, I should look him up...) Now there's a girl I know of who's from Pennsylvania and going to college in Japan, which leads me to wonder if there were a Caucasian going to high school in Japan, would they be required to dye their hair black? Something to ask about, I suppose.

As a semi-Texan, I can assure you this is not a statewide thing. There's a couple of the local schools where entire classes have done their hair in blues and greens and etc., and no one save a couple of elderly cranky ladies have batted an eye. We even had an event for a breast cancer awareness where people of all ages got their hair dyed pink as part of a fund-raiser, and no one made a fuss (again, aside from those cranky old biddies).

*le sigh* This makes me miss my blue hair...stupid office environment having to be professional *grumble grumble*

Also...

"In my 20 years in education, I've never had a kindergartner refuse to follow the rules of the school district," Rhodes says. "So this is uncharted territory for us, too."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Oh wait, you're serious. Let me laugh even harder.

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Get out of town. In 20 years, you've never had a kindergartner misbehave even a little bit? Come ON. 20 years ago, I was committing ARSON, and I have to think 5-year-olds these days are more sophisticated than I was at the time.

Edit: On further reading, does anyone else picture Stepford while they read this? Ugh.

[BlaqueKatt]

Not only is he throwing all Native Americans into one group, he's essentially saying "I know some people of X heritage who do Y, so everyone of X heritage should do Y as well."

yeesh, maybe they're afraid that the kids hair is like Sampson's? Oh noes, his hair is the source of his strength, if he doesn't cut it we'll all be destroyed! Sorry the kid and his parents have a right to follow their beliefs, even if those beliefs aren't written down somewhere, in some 2000 year old book

[ThePhoneGoddess]

And this is a long-standing policy? Why are people not marching in the streets to protest this?

Because it's the Bible Belt, Boozy. The rest of the US is used to the Bible Belt and their constant claims of Christian persecution. Mostly we just ignore them. These people choose to live in very small towns precisely so they can control things like this. To conservative Christians, the 1950's was the high point of American culture and many small towns in the Bible Belt purposely try to recreate that era in their communities. They believe there is no such thing as relative truth, only absolute truth. And absolute truth says that rules are there for a reason and must be followed, blindly, even if it hurts you because it is for 'the good of the community'.

I assure you, these people are convinced that these 'weirdos' have come specifically to ruin their little town and make it just as immoral as everywhere else. Many rural Christians feel they are being persecuted whenever someone challenges any laws or rules in their communities. These people want to live under a Christian state, but since the government is neutral to religion, they feel they have to recreate it themselves.

If you think this story is bad, check out the long and twisted tale of Darla Kay Wynne and the Great Falls, SC city council. Now there's some persecution!