School's 'No Touching' Rule

[Evaders99]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19293872/

And the CNN video:

http://www.yahoo.com/s/610912

 

 

Are you serious? Man these PC, public school systems really just suck. I wonder if this ban applies to sports, something that students do every day?

I would guess not.

 

Heck this would ban shaking hands with your principal when receiving a degree, even celebration at a graduation event. So what if the kids are touching, even hugging each other. As long as it isn't inappropriate or unwanted touching, who cares? Why the should the government enforce stupid rules that make no sense?

 

Did anyone else think the lady representing the PTA? was dumb. Yes a high-five could end up with a crowded hall.. but so could giving students only 5-10 minutes to race from one end to the other of the school. Do you fix the broken, big mega-schools? No, you insist that children should not have the basic right to touch. If there's a ruckus in the halls, you charge the students who caused it. But to say 'oh a high-five could lead to this, to lead to this, to lead to chaos'.. well by-george, eye-contact may lead to a head nod ... which may lead to total annihilation. So let's just all stare at the floor during class and destroying whatever little learning goes on in those classrooms anyway.

 

(Okay my rant is over..)

[budious]

Yeah, don't you love the way this country is going. It's wrong for the kids to touch and okay for the teachers to have sex and marry their students. There was a news story yesterday floating around about a 40yr old science teacher and track coach who is now legally married to his former 16yr old student and track athlete. I think it's contagious because I'm not nearly as turned off by the new Michael Moore movie as his previous works.

[Darth_Rob]

All I can say is that that is ridiculous. Human contact is a positive thing, and to discourage it will warp these kid's minds and they will only be messed up later in life. Some might even turn into hermits, living in a shack in the middle of the woods, living off of a diet of wild game and berries, fearing the very thought of human interaction...

[Mad78]

I can't believe this. If you aren't even allowed to shake hands with your friends when you meet them at school where is this world going?!

[DarthTofu]

These kids are a rage of hormones at 13 and 14- there's no way at all that they won't want to be touching as much as possible. The rule can't be enforced, and quite frankly, it's retarded. If someone trips and you give them a helping hand up, is that breaking the rule? What if they just stumbled and you ensure that they don't fall?

 

This is going way too far. Petition to the schoolboard to make an undercrowded school more desirable, don't make your own school so much less-so. Ugh!

[Jahled]

That is quite frankly insane.

 

Physical human contact is about the most basic and primordial aspect of human interaction besides a glance and a grunt. A friendly 'yo' or high-five when you greet someone is as old as sentience itself. To ban it is to attempt to ban some of the most fundamental instincts of human nature; such as the expression of good will to another member of a social group, and is just going to damage the kid's mental development and social interaction. You don't even need to be a scientist to see that.

 

Completely daft in my view.

[the_mask]

That's plain nuts and I totally agree with Jahled.

 

Shaking hands and giving a hug for example are part of the most basic social interactions and there's a reason why this has been part of human behaviour for millenia.

 

This reminds me of something I heard in school once (yeah yeah, all those decades ago...). There was an experiment once, where new-born children were completely been taken care of by several nurses. However, they weren't allowed the most basic affectionate things, like cradling them, making funny faces, sing a good-night song, ... nothing that'd display affection.

You know what ? Most of the babies died because of the lack of affection (those that didn't had been secretly hugged, etc. from time to time).

 

I rest my case.

[Moribundus]

That's some serious stuff you have over there. Why is that school so overcrowded in the first place? Maybe they should be concerned more over this, rather than over hugging children

 

Hmm, or maybe it's the first phase of some kind of alien brain washing invasion.

[Bruja]

oh for the love of God. yet another step society takes in the WRONG direction trying to fix the problems it has. the trouble is that they're fixing a symptom of a greater issue: bad parenting. if kids were taught right from wrong and had good parents then schools wouldnt have to take drastic measures to fix 'em. and why is that? because nobody in this country wants to admit they're doing something wrong, they don't want people telling them how to raise their kids, and we don't want to hurt anybody's feelings instead of telling them, "your kids are assholes, will you please act like a parent and discipline them?!"

 

and personally, that lady has paranoia issues. I think kids just annoy her and she doesnt like to see them having fun.

[Defender_16]

Sometimes I wonder if we really just need to hit the restart button on civilization.

 

This is one of those times.

 

http://assets.jolt.co.uk/picdump/_mainsite/articles/061006/defcon/02_s.jpg

[Moribundus]

This is one of those times.

Looks more like a permanent shutdown to me.

[Bruja]

as long as joe and i make it onto a backup disk of some sort, i'm game.

[Mitth_raw_nuruodo]

Most people on the forum know me as Mitth, Bruja. I'd prefer you do your best to keep it that way.

 

On Topic: Can we please just start shooting people?!? Who came up with that idea? Physical human contact is one of the best things in existence. Ask the psychologists and sociologists.

 

@Def: If you ever find it, either push it, or tell me where it is.

[Bruja]

[well if it werent for the fact that i swore never to use any of your nicknames i would be happy to grant your request. and you asked me to keep posting, these are the terms. and i hate to remind you, but I TALK HOW I WANT. thank you. ps what does it matter if they dont know what i'm talking about, they'll assume it's somebody they dont know and move on with their lives.]

 

i like how the dad thinks he's all righteous and yet he still blatantly makes a comment about adapting to "American" culture when being "American" is in essence not defined; we're from everywhere! there is no specific "american" culture.

[Evaders99]

In this specific case, I agree with him. The "culture" I think he's refering to is Western culture. There is freedom here, freedom to touch and speak. By denying this freedom to our kids, we are showing we're just like the some other countries who police their citizens rather than protecting their rights.

[Bruja]

when it comes to 'personal space' it doesnt matter what the 'culture' is, if a girl doesnt want to be hugged because of religious/cultural beliefs, then she's got a right to be protected. but again, that would fall under 'unwanted' touching that can and should be controlled, which is not what this kid and his dad are talking about. you can't go up to sombody and say, 'well we hug in this country' and do it whether they like it or not, and that is kind of what the dad is saying, even though its obviously not what he meant.

[Darth_Rob]

I just think they are ridiculous. The school can't afford to upgrade to meet the minimum requirements of a comfortable school population, so they try to pin the overcrowdness on "unwanted contact" over the budget. Also, there is a distinct difference between hugging and giving a high-five. I could possibly, POSSIBLY, understand the argument stemming from girls not wanting to be hugged, but feeling embarrassed about complaining about it, but I have never seen a person turn down a righteous high-five for a job well done or as a friendly "hello".

[Bruja]

yea i'm not saying that there are people going around hugging random people but there are some cultures with strict rules about physical contact, and that's what the school should be protecting, not just making up for not being able to make more space for the overcrowded students. i was just saying the dad was being a little ignorant and it annoyed me.

[Jahled]

yea i'm not saying that there are people going around hugging random people but there are some cultures with strict rules about physical contact, and that's what the school should be protecting,

 

So the majority suffer for the cultural *cough* religious beliefs of a small minority? Emm..

[Darth_Rob]

Agreed. If someone doesn't want to be touched due to a cultural value, then make it clear to a person if they overstep the bounds. A repeat offender should definitely be dealt with. But you cannot alter the cultural values of the majority just to please a minority.

[Bruja]

i'm not saying that society needs to change, i'm saying that the dad was being ignorant saying that people from other cultures need to conform to American culture. the rule should be, as long as it's appropriate, then its up to the people involved. IOW, draw the line at inappropriate touching, but unwanted is still unwanted and even a pat on the back, if it's unwanted should be reprimanded - but not really punished - by an authority figure.

[JediHunter]

i'm not saying that society needs to change, i'm saying that the dad was being ignorant saying that people from other cultures need to conform to American culture.

 

I don't find that ignorant, I find that justified. I mean.. go to any other country, (I'm going to take the U.A.E. for example since I have lived there) and you are basically REQUIRED to adapt to their culture. For instance when I was living in the U.A.E., if you were to eat out in public during Ramadan it was an offense which granted arrest and fines. Granted there are provisions for people such as myself... such as you can eat in a restaurant just not on the streets or another example being the liquor license, as long as you can prove you are an American, Brit, Spaniard.. etc etc. you get issued a license and can buy "spirits"... but I don't find it ignorant of anyone in that country to expect others visiting or deciding to take residence in their country to adapt to their culture. You say there isn't an American culture per se but I think there is, and its the melting pot culture... "E pluribus unum" .. From many, One ... if people are going to live here, yes we are going to be understanding and respectful of their heritage and culture, but they must also be of ours... being of Cuban decent I know what it is to need to blend in.

 

 

oh yea... and hello all.. been gone a bit.. been having to deal with this:

Nasty Weather in my region

[Jahled]

oh yea... and hello all.. been gone a bit.. been having to deal with this:

Nasty Weather in my region

 

Half of the UK has been flooded as well of late, with images like that. But where I live is up a hill, so we don't get that. Yay for hills!

[Bruja]

i wasnt referring to the culture as a whole there, just the idea the dad gave about "American" culture dealing with physical contact; that specifically is what should be protected. And I also was not referring to laws, which are not the same as culture.

 

For example, it's against the law here to use certain drugs and there are places where it is not. You had better conform to that law though, or suffer the consequences. However it is common in our culture to eat beef, but there are places where cows are sacred and eating them would be as disgusting to them as eating a pet dog to us. And yet these people, should they move to the US, would not be forced to conform to that aspect of our culture.

 

You say there isn't an American culture per se but I think there is, and its the melting pot culture... "E pluribus unum" .. From many, One ...

 

I disagree; I live in an area where there are a lot of people of German heritage, but I still live very differently from even the people who live right next to me. There are differences of religion and national background all over the country and you just cannot pin down a uniform "American" lifestyle. As I always say, there's no such thing as normal.

[turtle]

If they aren't allowed to touch eachother how will they learn wht inappropriate touching is in the first place.