Expressive Opposition

The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Social Disobedience

An eleven-year-old Texas girl and two other children have been suspended from their school because she folded paper to resemble a crude gun shape. Furthermore, the children must attend an alternative school for the month following the suspension, all for folding paper with no intent of any wrongful behavior. “I just thought they would tell us to throw it in the trash or just cut it up and don’t make no more,” the girl said. This raises the question of excessive post Columbine sensitivity in other schools so many years after the horrific 1999 school shooting.

When viewing the folded paper it clearly resembles a gun. However, unless the students were threatening to bring in the real thing, or threatening other students with the folded paper somehow, the punishment seems extremely excessive. After parents and officials spoke to these children it was clear they had no ill intent other than children being children and goofing around.

Remembering back to childhood using gun shaped sticks and playing “Cowboys and Indians” during school recess break makes many my age long for a time of reason and sensibility.

At most their teacher or principal could have reminded the children of the Columbine tragedy, allowing them to understand why the folded paper would offend some.

The United States from the schools to government is becoming far too reactionary. This reactionism is bringing us closer to a police state, within our schools and our society. Our growing loss of liberty becomes even more apparent everyday. This incident and the outrageous disciplinary action of this school is a glaring reflection on where we are heading as a nation and the punishments that many Americans will soon face under a harsh and oppressive government.