Saturday 5 September 2009

Mullumbimby - the real tragedy is what they are wearing

It's sad that a kid died in a school punch up, but I just can't get over the photos that have been run in the media since it happened. This is not schooling as I remember it.

For starters, here is what the students are supposed to look like, according to the school web site.


Here is the reality. Note that the girl on the left has no shoes on - I spotted that when this photo ran in the paper. Where are the school uniforms, let alone the shoes? And how nice of the kids to spray a bit of crap on the school wall. Did any teachers think of intervening to stop that? You know what shits me about this?

Confected sorrow.


What I mean by that is there would only be a few kids at the school who would be genuinely feeling grief at the death of a close mate. For the rest, their displays of emotion are confected, part of a group-think that forces conformity in expressing sorrow that is neither real or heartfelt. Some will be play acting for the media, others will be using it as an excuse to wag school for a while ("I feel to sad to go today", and other assorted crap). Some have clearly used their pseudo-grief as an excuse to do a bit of spray painting, firm in the belief that no one would dare charge them in the aftermath of a "school ground tragedy". We're being played like fools. It's like the outpouring of grief over the death of Diana - what a crock of frogshit that was.

Then we have the fag man. Back in my day, smoking at school was a sure way to get expelled. That's the shoeless woman behind him. These kids are supposed to be 15 or so - below the age when you can legally buy fags and spray paint. Is smoking something that they allow in school now, or does he have special dispensation to smoke because he is so "stressed" by the death of Jai?


And then there is this wierdo, who appears in a couple of photos in the Byron News. What a window licker.

Two more chicks without shoes! I'm sure the school dress code would say something about footwear!


I'm sure there is lots more stuff like this out there - this is just what I noticed from flicking through the paper over breakfast this week.

8 comments:

Margo's Maid said...

Also, BOAB, apparently the kids went on a protest march despite the father of the deceased asking them not to...

Brian said...

And that is the fag man in the first picture, bottom right, he does not looked too cut up in that shot.

I think the shoeless girls have their uniforms on. I always hated having to wear shorts and long socks, shoes were obligatory in those days.

ched said...

Boy on a bike,
Yours must be one of the weirdest and offensive bits of commentary from the past week - clearly the tragedy for you is sartorial - loosen your tie mate, you're cutting off much needed blood flow.

kae said...

Ched
You been looking to be offended?
A boy was killed in that school.
Look at the level of discipline, look at the level of pride shown in the uniform.
Have a think how these school kids look to the outside world and to people who grew up with discipline in school and at home. Nothing seems to be unacceptable behaviour these days.
Have a think, and get that knot out of your jocks.

Boy on a bike said...

Ched, you misunderstand me entirely. To me, the sartorial disasters are a clear sign of why this happened. This school has clearly gone down the road of slackness, poor discipline and pandering to the lowest common denominator. Instead of trying to turn kids into adults, this school seems to have celebrated and exacerbated "yoof culture". Fat lot of good it did them.

Actions have consequences.

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of judgmental assholes you all are. Yeah if only he was wearing uniform when he died.... ffs.


And if you think the kids at a private school wearing boaters are better you are deluding yourself.

Boy on a bike said...

Having a uniform policy, and following it, shows that the school is well disciplined and that the children - yes, children - are under control.

Would a fatal fight have broken out if the children were better disciplined? Answer me that.

Anonymous said...

i went to a private school, and wore a uniform. so did all the other kids. one day a fight broke out, and a boy was fly-kicked in the head. he fell to the ground and had a seizure, but luckily, survived...