# I see we are not the only country with our race relations askew. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878 "2005-04-18T13:10:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/1 "2005-04-18T13:10:34Z")
Read this in LJland. [White girls can’t wear cornrows.](http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/education/s/151/151512_school_bans_wrong_race_hairstyle.html) She was banned from school because she was wearing cornrows while white. People are stupid all over the world. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/2 "2005-04-18T13:16:25Z")
If the Earth had a bumper sticker, I think “People Are Stupid All Over the World” would be an excellent motto to put on it. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/3 "2005-04-18T14:02:28Z")
How the fuck is that an extreme hair style? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/4 "2005-04-18T14:14:50Z")
Idiots strike again. If the girls wants to look ridiculous, she should be allowed to. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/5 "2005-04-18T14:18:47Z")
Waitasec. How do cornrows make someone look “ridiculous?” I’ve seen quite a few white people wear cornrows, and it looked fine to me. It’s just _hair_, for fuck sakes. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/6 "2005-04-18T14:20:09Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > How the fuck is that an extreme hair style? Because she’s white. If she were black it would be perfectly acceptable. > [@mhendo](#): > > If the girls wants to look ridiculous, she should be allowed to. I don’t think the braids make her look stupid at all. She just looks like a girl with braids. She looks a little like Bo Derek in Ten, but that could be because all you white people look alike. I’m _kidding_! ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/7 "2005-04-18T14:31:06Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Read this in LJland. [White girls can’t wear cornrows.](http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/education/s/151/151512_school_bans_wrong_race_hairstyle.html) > > She was banned from school because she was wearing cornrows while white. People are stupid all over the world. I think this incident is a silly over-reaction as part of a school uniform policy. However it’s not correct to suggest this makes all of England ‘racist’. It’s just one School, and (for example) the local MP objects to the policy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/8 "2005-04-18T14:35:11Z")
I have no problem with girls wearing cornrows. As a man, I realize my input on female hairstyles is best limited to saying, “that looks nice, dear.” But I would favor a constitutional amendment banning white men from shaving their heads. A black man shaves his head - he looks cool. A white men shaves his head - he looks like a big thumb. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/9 "2005-04-18T14:35:51Z")
> [@glee](#): > > However it’s not correct to suggest this makes all of England ‘racist’. It’s just one School, and (for example) the local MP objects to the policy. Nope, I don’t think it makes all of England racist either. I _do_ think race relations are skewed all over the world and people are stupid all over. I’m an equal opportunity slanderer. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/10 "2005-04-18T14:37:16Z")
I’m playing devil’s advocate here because someone has to. The girl was not excluded because of race. The two students who do have the tight braids asked for and received exemptions from the uniform policy based on culture. They somehow “proved” a “cultural connection” to the hairstyle and were allowed to wear it. Similarly, you hear (and I have seen firsthand) how public schools do not allow shorts, so every year some enterprising young men show up in their girlfriends’ skirts in order to make a statement and are promptly sent home. Are they being discriminated against based on gender? Maybe strictly speaking; but sometimes you sacrifice inclusion for order. Do I think this is silly? I’m not sure. I am a proponent of school uniforms and I do beleive in the order that they create. Is this hairstyle policing going too far? I don’t know- how is the school performing? Who draws the line? Hairstlye cops. Lunacy? Perhaps, but in cases like this I just remember what my friend Drew used to say, “Sooner or later, **Scrappy** , the guy across the street from you pays more to ride the bus.” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/11 "2005-04-18T14:38:31Z")
And, ladies, I’d like to point out for the next time there’s an online flirting thread, Biggirl has met me on several occasions and according to her I look like Brad Pitt. At least that’s the interpretation I plan on making. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/12 "2005-04-18T14:50:56Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > And, ladies, I’d like to point out for the next time there’s an online flirting thread, Biggirl has met me on several occasions and according to her I look like Brad Pitt. At least that’s the interpretation I plan on making. Like Brad Pitt offering _homemade ice cream!!!_ He’s absolutely yummy girls. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/13 "2005-04-18T15:03:07Z")
The question I have is, does the school’s dress policy indicate “no cornrows unless you’re black”? Is one braid ok? Pigtails? If the policy did not indicate that cornrows were forbidden, then the school could not turn her away - can’t break a rule which does not exist! My school had a policy on uniform but nobody had even considered the notion of punk 'dos. When a student started coming in with brightly-colored spikes (but otherwise in uniform), the PTA included “banning dyed and gelled hair” in the list of items for its next meeting. And _once this motion got passed_, Spiky was told to wash his hair 😛 But in that order. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/14 "2005-04-18T15:06:03Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Waitasec. How do cornrows make someone look “ridiculous?” > > I’ve seen quite a few white people wear cornrows, and it looked fine to me. > > It’s just _hair_, for fuck sakes. Sure it is, and that’s why i don’t care very much about it, and why i think she should be allowed to wear it. I still think that the haircut looks silly on her. This is not a political statement, merely a subjective aesthetic judgment with which you are welcome to disagree. And i made no distinction regarding race. I think some black people look great with cornrows, and i think others look silly. As with other hairstyles, it depends on the length of the hair, the shape of the person’s face, etc., etc. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/15 "2005-04-18T15:43:27Z")
> [@Happy Scrappy Hero Pup](#): > > how is the school performing? That one’s easy to answer - it’s the [top ranked](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/education/04/school_tables/secondary_schools/html/354_gcse_lea.stm) school in the area. ---
**Author:** ![Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kneepants_Erasmus_the_Humanist)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/16 "2005-04-18T16:22:31Z")
In the article the girl states that she couldn’t remove the braids for two weeks. Uh, why not? Curious. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/17 "2005-04-18T17:00:13Z")
_Cultural connection_? Would having seen the movie 10 and wanting to wear cornrows to symbolize your own quest toward perfection be enough? I somehow doubt it. How does one get culturally connected to a hairstyle? What do they mean by that? I have a lot of native American ancestors, but I have no cultural connection to them. How far back does this go? If your grandmother has blue hair does that mean you can dye yours blue too? ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/18 "2005-04-18T17:05:18Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > But I would favor a constitutional amendment banning white men from shaving their heads. A black man shaves his head - he looks cool. A white men shaves his head - he looks like a big thumb. Combover it is! ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/19 "2005-04-18T17:09:30Z")
> [@](#): > > We are a high-achieving school with high standards and we don’t allow any street culture into school. That says it all right there. Black culture = street culture, and we certainly can’t have a white person absorbing any black culture. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878/20 "2005-04-18T17:24:56Z")
[QUOTE] > [@\*\*Happy Scrappy Hero Pup\*\*](#): > > The two students who do have the tight braids \*\*asked for and received \*\* **exemptions** from the uniform policy based on culture. \*\*They \*\* **somehow “proved” a “cultural connection”** to the hairstyle and were allowed to wear it. (Bolding mine) I see nothing in the linked article to suggest this is the case. On what do you base these assumptions? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-we-are-not-the-only-country-with-our-race-relations-askew/299878.md?page=2)