A recent news story caught my attention, it had to do with "a school dress code" that had been upheld in court concerning a suit brought and lost by a family of a female student. It seems that the school was in the process of expelling her because she had broken a "school code" that put very strict conditions on dress while in attendance. I don't know all of the tenant's of this particular code, but I thought, well I don't see too much problem with certain restrictions when it comes to public school attendance and allowed attire. What surprised me was that this "code" restricted the wearing of all jewelry. Apparently this little addition was intend to usurp any rebellion that might arise from students trying to get around the prescribed rules by wearing some political statement, religious symbols, goth necklaces and such.
The jewelry in question was a ring. It wasn't a marijuana leaf, Nazi death head, friendship or even a class ring, it was a "chastity ring". You know, like those given when a person makes a pledge, usually with the involvement family or maybe the church, to abstain till the "right" time arrives. All codes cannot anticipate in what form their "authority" will be attacked by, but It took a suit to affirm this portion of the code.
I was reading "A 1000 Splendid Suns" at the time, not "Harry Potter", which is loaded with descriptions of "codes" etc. that have persisted in Afghanistan culture over the years and what it meant to be devoured by them. Here are some examples of Taliban codes being enforced after their accession in 1996:
In general.....
- Singing forbidden
- Dancing forbidding
- No cards, chess, gambling or kite flying
- No writing books, watching films, and painting pictures.
- Must pray 5 times a day
- Men must have beards with correct length 1 clinched fist below chin, boys must wear turbans
- Don't keep parakeets, you will be beaten
Especially for you ladies......
- No cosmetics
- No jewelry
- No wearing of "charming" clothes
- Speak only when spoken to
- No eye contact with men
- No public laughing
- Paint your nails, lose a finger
- Stay in homes at all time, out alone..you will be beaten
- Under no circumstances show your face, penalty..beaten
- All girls schools closed immediately
- Women cannot work
- Commit adultery, stoned to death
There are zip, bar, building, genetic, plumbing, area, cheat, dress, fire, trouble and even now bible codes that are part of the lexicon in the modern world. Earlier, Morse, ethics, black,
military, penal, Barbarian, code of Hammurabi, Navajo code talkers, plus a slew of other's have come and went or now linger somewhat undefined in 21st century life.
Hammurabi code
One afternoon I attended an "old metropolitan stadium" Vikings game, in the dead of a 1969 winter, bundled up in a cold steel blue snowmobile suit. Earlier I had accepted an offer to join my then father-in-law for an after hours dining experience at, the long gone but still culinary admired "Charlies Cafe Exceptional". My ex-in laws had many connections in the T/C sport, business and social world and they did enjoy their late night table with many "noted Minnesotans" over the years. Tonight it was, Karl Rolvagg, Fritz Mondale, Judge Eugene Mineko, Verne Gagne and wife, a few Vikings, Cal Griffin and others. I had met most of them before , but I had never had eaten at "Charlies" before, so I showed up. Turns out that there was a "dress code" enforced at this then high end restaurant, even after hours. It did not include snow-mobile suits, at least not in blue. Lucky for me they did have suit coats available for anyone who might have been misappropriatley coiffed, that was me. I remember intently selecting the loudest plaid jacket I saw in the inventory even though it was two sizes small. I rolled the top of the suit down, put the jacket over what was left and took my seat to enjoy a fine meal, for free of course. I did look good from the waste up. Later when Mel Jazz , with a knowing twinkle, joined our group and he complimented me on my jacket, or did he? I didn't stand to acknowledge his appraisal.
"No es Cancun" I heard him say as "Bob" was being escorted out of Chichen Itza. It might have been 100 degrees and the humidity was murder, but the sight of "boob' parading around an ancient religious center with a scant amount of denim covering his even more scant ass, well that was enough to try even the most inattentive attendant. With nothing on but a pair of short-short cut-off "Daisy Duke's" it became too much for even the normally complacent protectors of that Mayan-Toltec edifice. I should have said something to him earlier, like there is an unwritten code.......I remember when, as an act of defiance against an over religious guide in the highlands of Guatemala I strode around a small Mayan village that had been the scene of a vast amount of torture and violence, with no shirt on. Needless to say both myself and Bob should have brushed up on "codes" before being so wrong.
Ok, "everyone must have a code you can live by", sounds good on "Deja Vu". But, when that line was written four decades ago people believed someone was suggesting that there was a code "to live by" out there that fits just you, all that was needed was to pick from one, or maybe write one for yourself. Sooner or later most of us will hear from someone, "that is the code I live by", it is usually associated with some indefensible argument or inexcusable activity. But in some perverse and reverse fashion it means "I have one" how about you? I grew up with some also, but it never crossed my mind till now that you must specialize, specialize and specialize.
"If you had to do it all over again, would you"............add codes to your youth. Here are some I missed then.
A food, talking, smelling, listening, size and borrowing code would have helped. Then I could have added a sex, drinking, smoking, swearing, questioning code. I missed the driving. Maybe follow it up with cut off shorts code and a farting code, how about a wedding attendance and funeral code, kegger code or a winking code. How could I forget a code of glancing or a mumble code and a no curlers Sunday code? Ok, I have stopped, and with good reason. This doesn't make any sense, even to me.
So to the young girl with the symbolic ring, take it off and save your parents any more wasted money on attorneys and accept the fact that you have already been symbolically screwed. And in reference to the recent news story of a 500lb plus man needing rescue on the St Croix river after spending an entire evening trying to "wade to shore" because his "inner tube was punctured by rocks in shallow water, which resulted in over 50 people, their time, effort and I would assume, money to float him out in the morning on "planks straddling three canoes, forget the doctor's advice about "swimming might be good for you" just get a hold of me immediately......I have some very important "code" ideas for you.
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