BY: JACK PRICE, COLUMNIST
“Woodrow Wilson High School in D.C. is discussing the possibility of banning students from wearing Redskins gear.” – @DMVFollowers
A few months ago my dad went to a party, got into a fight with some Janney dad about the Redskins’ name, and then came home and complained about it for three weeks, so I’ve just about had it with the debate about the name. It’s racist. If you support the team and want them to keep the name, you are racist. But that doesn’t mean that the Wilson administration should be allowed to ban students from wearing team gear, or anything for that matter.
This year, Wilson has tightened up the dress code and made wearing leggings a punishable offense, which caused a lot of people to be sad and complain in last month’s issue of The Beacon (shoutz 2 da Beacon). But most of those articles overlooked the legal issues that a dress code entails.
Wilson is a public institution. We are forced to be here by law. If we don’t come to school 15 times in one advisory, we go to court. If we do that, we tarnish the good name of Woodrow Wilson, the only president with a doctorate, and a distinguished racist who supported segregation of the civil service, who probably would have thought the Redskins’ name was just dandy.
America was founded with the intention of preserving its citizens’ freedom of expression. Americans are able to say what they want, think what they want, believe what they want. Why aren’t we allowed to dress the way we want? By regulating how we dress, the administration is regulating what we consider acceptable, shaping the way we think to fit their archaic mold. Education is supposed to encourage students to think critically about social norms, not accept them outright.
So while I think that boycotting Redskins gear is morally correct, I cannot support a school-wide ban on Redskins paraphernalia or any other type of clothing. Sweeping the issue under the rug will not make it go away. And if any type of clothing should be banned from the Wilson halls, it’s weed socks (shoutz 2 da weed socks).