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Wheras I was according to some people a "Goth wannabe" 
Posted: 19:40 Feb 13 2004
Bye bye, Religion
If you're planning on moving to France, you'll want to leave your religious symbols behind. The French government, fracticious as it is, has instituted a ban on all religious symbols in schools.
The main one that has been publicised in the media is the Muslim headscarf (continuing the West vs Islam trend, nice one Media), but also banned is the Jewish yarmulke(sp?), christian crucifixes, and presumably any other religious artifacts.
Now, you have to give them some credit for not discriminating against any religion. They've gone the whole hog and discriminated against all religions. Don't you just love the French?
Religion's place in French society has been a running debate for decades, starting in the 4th Republic (if my sources are correct, anyway) and has continued on the backburner on and off through the 5th Republic. The French political body generally has decided that religion has no place in the state or education.
I'd agree with that. That's pretty cool. But they've gone too far now. I'd agree with removing religion from any official part in the state, and i'd remove it from a teaching curriculum, but when you force people to stop wearing artifacts that a persons religion tells them they must wear (the validity of which i'll reserve for a different debate), you not only remove religion, you force the person to stop practicing that religion. That is unacceptable.
Now, i'm not sure how much support this movement has got in France, but it's being written off by virtually everyone in other countries.
Thoughts?
The main one that has been publicised in the media is the Muslim headscarf (continuing the West vs Islam trend, nice one Media), but also banned is the Jewish yarmulke(sp?), christian crucifixes, and presumably any other religious artifacts.
Now, you have to give them some credit for not discriminating against any religion. They've gone the whole hog and discriminated against all religions. Don't you just love the French?
Religion's place in French society has been a running debate for decades, starting in the 4th Republic (if my sources are correct, anyway) and has continued on the backburner on and off through the 5th Republic. The French political body generally has decided that religion has no place in the state or education.
I'd agree with that. That's pretty cool. But they've gone too far now. I'd agree with removing religion from any official part in the state, and i'd remove it from a teaching curriculum, but when you force people to stop wearing artifacts that a persons religion tells them they must wear (the validity of which i'll reserve for a different debate), you not only remove religion, you force the person to stop practicing that religion. That is unacceptable.
Now, i'm not sure how much support this movement has got in France, but it's being written off by virtually everyone in other countries.
Thoughts?
25 Replies and 3767 Views in Total. [ 1 2 ]
See, if you're not draining a virgin's blood by the light of the full moon, you just ain't trying Jim me lad!
Posted: 19:49 Feb 13 2004
In reply to earlier posts, there was no quibble about bags, they were part of the uniform. they couldnt be altered either. we were lined up regularly to check our skirts/dresses came below our knees and out coats were lower than out skirts.
sports bage were also uniform as were shoes.
Any other bags, such as carrier bags for stuff that didnt fit in the school bad had to be black or brown.
Hair couldnt be died an un-natural colour and long hair had to be worn off the neck. Nail polish and makeup were also banned by threat of being sent to the chem lab to have them harshly removed and/or reported to your parents.
Computer games, sweets, toys, magazines etc etc were also banned, confiscated on site and returned to a parent.
Religion was accepted though. f you wernt CofE you didnt have to attend RE classes, you could wear religiour attire if it didnt interfear with the uniform and alternative religious groups were encouraged. as was discussion/debate between varing groups.
it might sound like a prison camp but it was a fun experience for me. I loved school.
sports bage were also uniform as were shoes.
Any other bags, such as carrier bags for stuff that didnt fit in the school bad had to be black or brown.
Hair couldnt be died an un-natural colour and long hair had to be worn off the neck. Nail polish and makeup were also banned by threat of being sent to the chem lab to have them harshly removed and/or reported to your parents.
Computer games, sweets, toys, magazines etc etc were also banned, confiscated on site and returned to a parent.
Religion was accepted though. f you wernt CofE you didnt have to attend RE classes, you could wear religiour attire if it didnt interfear with the uniform and alternative religious groups were encouraged. as was discussion/debate between varing groups.
it might sound like a prison camp but it was a fun experience for me. I loved school.
Posted: 00:34 Feb 16 2004 See, this just smacks of social control to me. Besides high crimes against fashion, is there a good practical reason to ban dyed hair and makeup? I can't think of one.
by Cat
In reply to earlier posts, there was no quibble about bags, they were part of the uniform. they couldnt be altered either. we were lined up regularly to check our skirts/dresses came below our knees and out coats were lower than out skirts.
sports bage were also uniform as were shoes.
Any other bags, such as carrier bags for stuff that didnt fit in the school bad had to be black or brown.
Hair couldnt be died an un-natural colour and long hair had to be worn off the neck. Nail polish and makeup were also banned by threat of being sent to the chem lab to have them harshly removed and/or reported to your parents.
Computer games, sweets, toys, magazines etc etc were also banned, confiscated on site and returned to a parent.
Religion was accepted though. f you wernt CofE you didnt have to attend RE classes, you could wear religiour attire if it didnt interfear with the uniform and alternative religious groups were encouraged. as was discussion/debate between varing groups.
it might sound like a prison camp but it was a fun experience for me. I loved school.
To quote Mark Steel's comment on leaving school: "This was it, I was a man. The right to become a slave to capital, to bosses and to the Establishment. But at least I now had the right to eat my banana wherever I ****ing well pleased."
Posted: 00:56 Feb 16 2004 
Woah, that just doesn't sound right! Sorry, but the school I went to pretty much was a prison camp... that is, it would've been if my '"fellow students' (for that, read "evil" and "children-born-out-of-wedlock"
by Cat
it was a fun experience for me. I loved school.
) had had their way... 
Posted: 10:55 Feb 16 2004 Quite true, it was. But it stopped any competing over, well anything.
by Byron
(quotes)
See, this just smacks of social control to me. Besides high crimes against fashion, is there a good practical reason to ban dyed hair and makeup? I can't think of one.
The poorest girl in my class was friends with some of the wealthiest. Personally my closest friends were the daughter of a local baking mogule (huge house! house of my dreams, 'cept kids couldnt sit on their sofa
)and a "poor as church mice" catholic girl. We wernt allowed to bring money in (cept on special days like book sales) and even then there was a £5 limit (£2 in junior school).
We wernt allowed to bring food in either, even bananas or packed lunches. They provided milk and fruit at break until i was 11 or 12, then we wernt allowed to eat at break's.
by Byron
(quotes)
To quote Mark Steel's comment on leaving school: "This was it, I was a man. The right to become a slave to capital, to bosses and to the Establishment. But at least I now had the right to eat my banana wherever I ****ing well pleased."
Lunch had to be what was being served (cept for one girl allowed a specialist packed lunch for her diabetic diet) and you liked it or stayed behind till you could force it down. I still cant stand sweetcorn 'cos of that
Posted: 18:58 Feb 16 2004 [ 1 2 ]