# Cheerleaders and Student Council members suspended for "inappropriate gestures" in class photo **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069 "2013-10-01T04:14:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/41 "2013-10-02T16:11:08Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Is there any legitimate reason for you to attribute this belief to me after I specifically said otherwise? My apologies–it sounded like you were saying this was an honest mistake on their part, but on second reading, it looks like you’re defending them by saying there are facts not come to light. Is that a correct reading? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/42 "2013-10-02T17:24:05Z")
If you don’t allow gang sings then you can’t allow parodies, this should be obvious. Preppy white kids throwing up gang signs should be suspended just as long as black thugs doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/43 "2013-10-02T17:29:14Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > My apologies–it sounded like you were saying this was an honest mistake on their part, but on second reading, it looks like you’re defending them by saying there are facts not come to light. Is that a correct reading? Other than that I said “probably”, yes. There are probably facts that we are not aware of relating to why one kid was initially singled out. This is more likely than that one black kid was singled out from among many black and white kids due to racism, as you suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/44 "2013-10-02T17:34:31Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > The principal should be fired, and replaced with a simple Java program. Type in a phrase that includes the term “gang sign” and it returns “three day suspension”. Type in a phrase that includes “drug” and it returns “eight day suspension”. And so on. > > This way, you get all the benefits of employing a zero tolerance drone, without paying for any of those unused features like “reasoning” or “empathy”. for the win. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/45 "2013-10-04T02:21:02Z")
Be! Repressive! B-E-Repressive! ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/46 "2013-10-04T03:50:14Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > But letting these students slide instead of applying the black and white text of the rules because they’re being “silly” or they’re middle class suburban white kids not connected to gangs at all is the kind of wishy washy touchy feely stuff you’re railing against. Word. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/47 "2013-10-04T03:56:31Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > So, the plot thickens. Upon speaking more with my daughter about the event, it seems the administration originally issued a suspension to one person, a black girl. That’s fucked up. > [@](#): > > The young woman’s mother objected because her daughter wasn’t doing anything that many other kids in the photo were doing, so the school broadened the net. Not sure how that fixes anything. The discriminatory horse is out of the barn. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/48 "2013-10-09T04:40:42Z")
The point is that, even if these were gang signs, a suspension is not the appropriate punishment. The appropriate punishment was to tell them to stop making the sign before the picture, or making them have to take the picture again if they didn’t catch it when they should have. And, BTW, my junior yearbook actually contains a photo of three girls making this sign–or at least a variation with the middle and ring figure crossed. And we were so obsessed with gangs that we had rules against wearing gang colors in a town that has no gangs. In fact, the half of the dress code was devoted to gang stuff (the other half being devoted to modesty). ---
**Author:** ![knel3030](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@knel3030](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knel3030)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069/49 "2013-10-09T06:14:38Z")
I bet students treated this way end up forming actual gangs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerleaders-and-student-council-members-suspended-for-inappropriate-gestures-in-class-photo/670069.md?page=2)