VLVL II: "What is Fascism?" (fwd)

[Terrance]

> 
> Yeah, but you're talking about the US (and especially NYC) where diversity
> is the norm.  

Some schools in NYC don't permit students to wear hats or colors or
doo-rags and they have a list that they add to as students come up with
(although depending on where, the TV Music Video Channels & Co. trends
are either out in front or just behind) new fetishism to fight over. I
taught in a so-called "Fight School" and I never had a problem with
students. Had some problems with administrators who hide behind
plexi-glass windows and locked doors, but ... we certainly have our
share of violence and teasing and taunting and intolerance here too.
Diversity helps, the more the better,  and binaries are trouble. For
example, a 50% Dominican / 50% Albanian school can be hell.  
NYC and NY State Teachers must take a course in Violence Prevention.
This requirement was added recently (2002 or 2003). So now all teachers
must take a course in Child Abuse,  Drugs and Alcohol, and Violence
Prevention.  Small, Colorful &  Beautiful, is my motto. Every school is
different and the student populations change so rapidly here, but there
is simply no point is doing what schools may be doing elesewhere because
they are concerned about Arabic Students being beaten up or teased for
wearing religious clothing, there is no such thing as educational value
in the abstract. Tolerance is built into nearly every lesson plan in
every subject. Sometimes HS students feel like they are being programed
and they rebel.  Heterosexual, Male, White, Working Class Adult Students
are constantly complaing that they are being demonized by academics.