I guess it is the arrogance that upsets, mainly. The arrogance of the school that wouldn’t put up safety signs – the arrogance of the woman that came hurtling out of the place to try to bar and challenge my presence in the place, all the while pretending she didn’t know who I was, the arrogance of the woman who did the same thing in the other school in different but similar circumstances (and – total prize topper for the whole thing – all the time holding a cup of tea while she burbled on) also pretending and the arrogance of this authoritarian carryon now at this place.
Authoritarian? Actually the principal supplied the right word himself. I hadn’t thought of it. He claimed – ‘We are not autocratic’ but that, of course, is precisely what they are. Autocratic. That’s the word.
I’ve just been looking at some ‘newsletters’ – I don’t have many, only a few that survived the passage home in my son’s pack. He’s not accustomed to being used as a mailman and I was never expecting it.
The principal burbles on repeatedly about how happy he is to see the uniforms. “…. it is really impressive to walk through the school and see a sea of maroon. Well done.”
Well. If that’s what’s impressive it’s news to me. I thought what would be impressive would be a school full of happy, healthy, bright alert children. That’s what impresses me.
When I see your children I’m impressed by their personalities, by the light in their eyes, by the spring in their step, by their happiness, energy, sheer life force.
Must be something wrong with me. A ‘sea of maroon’ seems drab and flattening, miserable and poor to me, somehow…
He gets impressed. ” It is really impressive walking through the classrooms or seeing the students in the yard with everyone in maroon.”
That’s impressive, is it? I see nothing impressive about it. In that case he’d be totally in seventh heaven if he saw a Chinese school of 10,000 children all in identical uniforms, wouldn’t he?
What does he do for kicks? Go watch military parades?
What’s impressive about everyone in the same colour?
How many poor individuals did he pick out who found the clothing constricting, annoying, embarrassing, inconvenient?
None. Of course. Because the whole point is to not see any individuals.
‘… everyone in maroon…’ No. Not ‘everyone’ is in maroon. Just the kids. Only the kids. The whole idea is separate the kids from the rest. The whole idea is to subjugate, to wipe out, to smear into conformity…
But this says it better than I can: Click here.