It's attitudes like this that create politicians like South Carolina's Thomas Corbin.
Fifteen year old Gabi Finalyson is a student at Lone Peak High School in Utah. She bought the dress she is wearing in the photo above in Paris during a family trip. She said it reminded her of Audrey Hepburn.
Her high school dictates that girls' dresses hang below their knees, have at least a 2" shoulder strap and do not reveal any cleavage. Gabi's classic beaded dress met all those rules; however, when she wore the dress to a school dance, she was told she could not enter unless she wore a coat or sweater because her shoulders were exposed.
God forbid some high school boy should be forced to control himself after glimpsing a naked female shoulder.Gabi complied because, when you're a teenager, high school dances are important events. "I still stayed at the dance because it had been something I looked forward to, but I did feel really embarrassed and ashamed. It was hard for me because that was a night I was supposed to feel really beautiful and special...It made me feel like I wasn't good enough."
Gabi's mother, Kristy Maxfield Kimball, blamed religious rules followed by observant Mormons for the humiliation her daughter was forced to feel. "Makes me wonder if this really isn't about wanting girls to dress in LDS garment-worthy clothing. Let's stop this insanity. Girls' bodies are not sexual objects, and religious perspectives should not be imposed at a public school."
Ms. Finalyson herself put it best: "Maybe instead of teaching girls that they should cover themselves up, we should be teaching boys that we're not sex objects that they can look at."
Fundamentalism--whether in religion (any religion) or in our courts--always puts the blame on women. Why is that? When are we going to start teaching our boys that self-control is exactly that--the unaided control of self?
It's called respect--for yourself and for others--and there is nothing sexual about it.
#2 Illinois - Cheat? Get Caught? Blame It On Racism
Politicians call this gerrymandering--it's still cheating no matter what color you are or to which political party you belong.
Last year's U.S. Little League World Series was won by a team of black 12-year-olds from the South side of Chicago. Their reign lasted just six months.
On February 11, Jackie Robinson West was stripped of its title by Little League Baseball International. The kids did nothing wrong. They played their hearts out, while the adults--who are supposed to be leaders and role models--tried to get away with cheating the system. Now these kids are paying the price.
It seems that team organizers recruited players from outside their designated area; and, when league officials were told about this, the team's adults introduced a falsified map of their district in an attempt to cover up their cheating.
Darold Butler, the team's manager was suspended and the team was put on probation until its leadership is replaced.
Rather than accept responsibility for attempting to game the rules and apologizing for the damage done to these young players, local minority leadership and at least one team parent immediately blamed racism.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson called the decision untimely and inappropriately harsh, while the Reverend Michael Pfleger said, "I can't help but question whether the same thing would have been done with another team from another place--another race."
Team parent Venisa Green told the Chicago Tribune, "It's amazing to me that whenever African-Americans exceed the expectations, there is always going to be fault that is found in what we do. Little League says that they teach character and they teach courage. Well, this isn't an act of courage and this sure isn't an act of character."
No, cheating is cheating; and trying to blame the consequences on the color of your players' skin is not doing these kids any favors. If you want these young people to grow up to be responsible, successful adults, they need strong, honest leaders willing to be role models and acknowledge that what they did was wrong.
That's called courage, that's called teaching character.
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