VIEWPOINTS
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School uniforms will not
eliminate self-expression
■ OUR OPINION: Students
need lo learn thai they are
not what they wear
Individuality it mil.
Conformity i* In.
Oon*t panic, It’# only on
the surf«.e
In a iprh about the stain
of the nation's schools last
week, President Clinton res
urrected an idea that has
teem circulating for year#
but has never taken off. In
an effort to minimise gang
violence in public schools,
he said, the country should
consider mandatory school
uniforms.
Ever since children start
mi gelling knifed and shot
by classmate* am) metal
deiectora replai «*d bookish
hall monitor*, concerned
adult* have considered
removing Ihe blue and red
clothing symbol* that mark
gang affiliations and also
create an atmosphere of
rivalry anti hate.
To date, these idea* have
been tabled alter student*
revolted again*! the attack
on individual expression.
They say uniforms violate
their Find Amendment right
Of free expression,
I lowever. the U S,
Supreme Gout! has often
restricted constitutional
freedoms for minor* ( n g
drug-testing, bearing arms,
age of-consent, etc J At
issue, then, is whether the
good of school uniforms
will outweigh the harm
Yes. they will.
Aside from the rediu lion
in gang violence in cities
such as LA., school uni
forms eliminate the socioe
conomic Indicators that
prevent children from get
ting to know each other as
people.
Walk into any school in
the country , and it t* easy to
distinguish Ih# rich (rum the
poor. the prep* from ih#
geek*. and ih# punka from
ih# popular
The*# visual differences
not only keep children and
iwn sgsn front socialiring
with people outside their
established clique*. bu! they
teach ««ch generation that
who they are is defined by
how they look. They learn
that they can loll who some
one is on the inside by look*
mg only at what's on the
outside
Critic* contend that thl*
superficial self-identifka
lion reflect* the real world
Once they leave school,
these kids will be judged by
how they look, litis argu
ment misses the point
If we teach children to
learn about and like people
for their senses of humor,
their intelligence and com
passion. their artistic or
musical skills, or their lead
ership abilities, we will lie
producing a generation of
people who do not judge
others solely on their
appearance YVe begin to ft*
the problem rather than con
tributing to it
In addition, school uni
forms eliminate the econom
ic pressure placed on
parents to wry SlOCl shoes
and name brand clothing so
their children will lie
accepted Teen-agers with
sparkling personalities and
brilliant minds scramble
through the nation's malls
each August In a prolonged
anxiety attack, trying to find
the perfect clothes that will
assure them of Fitting in for
another term All of this is
unnecessary.
School uniforms won't
eradicate individual expres
sion. They will simply shift
the emphasis toward ihe dif
ferences and similarities
that matter.
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Current system can’t stop the violence
In 1994, two l*ny*. ages 10 <ml ll. threw 5
w»r«Ui Km Mnrw from the 14th fkxw of a
t .1n< ago public housing pron* t hi* auw
Mot** refused to steal candy for them Two
year* later, the hoy* are headed for a maximum
w» urtty juvenile prison Both wUJ be released
when theylunt 21
At the time of the murder. children younger
than 13 could not ha amt to prison But the fill*
not* legislature quickly responded lo the killing
by lowering the age limit to 10 year* old The
legislator who pushed through the lower age
limit late* said tie considered these killers to be
more like "predator*" and "hardened criminals"
than children
"If you do an adult crime, you should be treat
ed like an adult criminal," he said. "That's my
sense of what the public very IB util wants “
i/tegpsfer.Guard 1/31/961
That legislator was right, to a degree
I grew up and went lo school in the middle of
those housing project*. They an*, essentially,
vertical slums in the meanest of neighborhood*
lust walking down the street required a tough
ness that lew who road this column can ini.ig
me
Even the homeless of Eugene live in a far less
threatening environment than the children liv
ing in the projects. And those projects have got
ten meaner attic* the dope and gun* flooded in
after 1 left
When children are foned lo live lurruumlnl
by Ilf# threatening violence, it become* easy,
almost natural, for thorn to u» violence to got
what they need or want
If they see that their live* are not valued by
other*, it becomes easy for them to hold the
live* of others equally worthies* It Is easy for
them to turn into “predators4' trying to avoid
being “ prey.”
None of this is an excuse feu killing a 5-year
old boy It is only a recognition that his death is
unique only because of the age of the killers.
Thousand# of children are killed or crippled in
those inner city war xones each year and often
with less provocation
And “what the public very much wants" is
punishment Lock them up in hell holes even
worse than the ones they come from For a time
It s an American cultural value that keeps more
than 2 million men behind bar* For a time
American prisons today are school* of hard
knocks for the advanced study of crime and vio
lence. and the inmates are the captive students.
Uke it or not. the prisoners become hardened
against every on* around them They are
exjwisod to advanced prac titioners o* every
criminal activity and learn to survive by “net
working" with criminals more violent than
themselves
I* it any wonder that most of these people
leave prison more witling to use violence and
mom aware of criminal possibilities than they
were when they wore locked up? And most will
be turned loose on society again. It’s the law
Under our current penal system, criminals are
punished by being sent to hell. Yet. we ignore
the fact that w« are punished
whan the criminal* complete
their sentences. In our rush to
punish, we sow seeds of fur
ther violence.
Don't misunderstand me I
am not opposed to locking up
people who commit violent
crimes. Nor am I opposed to
eventually letting them loose
What I am opposed to is the
foolishness of a system that not only fail* to
rehabilitate criminal*, but actually promotes the
increase of violence
The root* of criminal behavior are deep, com
pie* and personal Tin* solutions to dealing with
criminal Iwhavior are just a* deep, just as com
plex and just as personal Our current solution
of locking criminals up for a given pen tel of
time is not only too simplistic, but also one of
the worst Let me suggest three alternatives
First, tire "salvage or scrap" option: luck
criminals up in a facility where they can be
rehabilitated They remain in this facility until
society can lie reasonably sure they no longer
pose a threat Prisoners who prove io be incorri
gible are transferred to maximum-security fa* ill
ties where they sjenid the rest of their live*.
Costly, but relatively humane
Second, simply "scrap” all violent criminals
Every sentence is a life sentence, luck them up
and throw away the key luss costly and less
humane, hut it does solve the problem of releas
ing professional predators into an unprepared
society.
Or finally, execute them Far less costly and
humane than the other choice*, hut effective It
also destroys much of our culture As hideous as
it Is. it seems more rational than our current
practice*
In nine years, the two boy* who killed Eric
Morse will be returned to society They are sup
posed io receive psychiatric treatment in prison,
oui regardless of their condition, they will lie
back As long as we continue to punish and
release instead ol rehabilitate. incar*»rate or
exterminate, we will continue to create an ever
more violent society,
Catch-and-release* keeps a fish population
thriving When used as a penal system, only
criminals thrive
Larry Haftf, a senior motoring in journalism, is a
columnist for the Emerald E-Mail: lahftNtglad
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