I have been so PROUD (sarcasm here) of my alma mater – the junior high school one – for all the national news coverage it’s been getting recently. Why has it made the news? For such uplifting progress in the eternal battle against hugging.
Yup. Hugging.
Back in Oak Park, Illinois, Julian Middle School principal Victoria Sharts has banned “extreme hugging,” after long chains of kids hugging each other in the hallways started impeding the orderly procession of students getting to class during passing periods. It’s not even about banning nonconsensual hugs, which of course are inappropriate. It’s about limiting how much kids show affection for each other. Sharts was quoted in Newsweek saying, “We know there are times that hugs are needed and welcomed, but every 40 minutes in the hallway, with large groups of students – then it’s not.”
Now, I am sure it was a big enough problem to warrant a response. I don’t know all the details. But don’t kids need more hugs as they group up, especially hugs from each other?
And couldn’t good ole Percy Julian be making news for something a little more inspiring? Like, say, its talented, world-changing alumni?
Ted said,
October 11, 2007 at 6:35 pm
I thought a big government crazy liberal like yourself would take joy in a government organization regulating bodily contact. What they should be doing is hugging their bibles, praying for the apocalyptic end of humanity, like we used to in the good ol’ days. Psh.. kids these days…
brethrenpriestess said,
October 11, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Since when have liberals supported government regulating bodily contact? Wouldn’t the abortion rights and civil liberties for queer folk support the notion that, in fact, liberals do NOT want the government what to do with their own bodies?
But hugging of Bibles, or, better yet, hugging of the trees used to make the pages of those Bibles, is something I wholeheartedly support.
Deano said,
October 14, 2007 at 5:24 am
I saw the article, and my first reaction was that the school did a very good job of addressing the root issue as to why they were doing their mass hug-ins in the first place… or not
But then, I suppose addressing the root issue would just make too much sense, be appeasement or something like that.