NationStates Jolt Archive

In the Pacific Northwest, Washington state's Snohomish High School suspended senior Justin Patrick for wearing a T-shirt that said "SNOHOS," an abbreviation for "Snohomish" that appears on the schools own web site (http://www.sno.wednet.edu/highlighting.html) (all the way to the end). The Seattle Times explains why:

School officials say "Snohos" contains a slang term for prostitutes and is derogatory toward women.

"As a woman, I am sure that you can appreciate our desire in Snohomish to maintain respect for all members of our community, especially our young women, and to not allow the abbreviated form of our school name to be used to reference them as 'ho's,' " said district spokeswoman Shannon Parthemer, in response to an e-mail query about the suspension.

Well, those are some pretty good points. You could call Parthemer a hostage to political correctness, but I think she deserves hosannas for her efforts to make the Snohomish environment less hostile and more hospitable.

I disagree. political correctness has gone way to far. People are constantly worrying about offending others its time to just quit whining about stupid stuff like that.

In a word

WTF???

Please tell me this is a joke? Or can people actually be THAT retarded?? They give these people responsibility?

Holy mother of god man, I should move up there, I could run the state with a monkey and two llamas and come across as less of a crackpot!

I disagree. political correctness has gone way to far. People are constantly worrying about offending others its time to just quit whining about stupid stuff like that.
Come on...Look at the bold letters.

Where's HerPower when you really need her?

In a word

WTF???

Please tell me this is a joke? Or can people actually be THAT retarded?? They give these people responsibility?

Holy mother of god man, I should move up there, I could run the state with a monkey and two llamas and come across as less of a crackpot!
If only it was a joke. The Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002225807_tshirt31m.html) article is linked.

Is that spokane? what a shit hole...

Very clever.

... here's the rest of the story:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2002225807_tshirt31m.html

Vice Principal Robynn Harrington told Patrick the shirt "didn't seem appropriate" for school and that he needed to cover it up. Patrick said that when he protested, Harrington called in another vice principal to confirm that the shirt violated the school dress code, which prohibits any display of words, pictures or references to alcohol, tobacco, weapons, guns or sexual innuendo.

Frustrated, Patrick said he walked out of the office and returned to class. When he was called back by a security officer the next period and was again told to cover up the shirt, Patrick said he lost his temper and used "a few choice words."


He got a one-day suspension for dress-code violation and sexual harassment and a second day for "gross insubordination."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,152317,00.html

"There's a real difference between the word 'Snoho' and the word 'Snohos,'" Principal Diana Plumis insisted.

"I can't see our boys' football team wearing a shirt that said 'We are Snohos,' can you?" Plumis said. "It's a pejorative reference to women, and I don't want our name to be used to rank on our girls."

In the previous school year, she said, members of an opposing team at a girls sports game produced a sign saying, "Beat the Snohos," and the principal of the other school called to apologize.

The singular form also got the Snohomish girls' dance team scolded this school year. After they made their own T-shirts saying "Snoho" on the front and "mish" on the back, the coach ordered that they not be worn, the principal said.

Justin and his father, Barry Patrick, are fighting to have the suspension removed from his school record, saying the request that sparked his outburst was frivolous.

But there's nothing frivolous about how Snohos degrades women, principal Diana Plumis said. And the term has been abused in the past.

Members of an opposing team at a girls sports game last school year, she said, wrote a sign that said "Beat the Snohos." The opposing team's principal later called Plumis to apologize, saying it was in bad taste.

"There's a real difference between the word 'Snoho' and the word 'Snohos,'" Plumis said. "I can't see our boys football team wearing a shirt that said 'We are Snohos,' can you? ... It's a pejorative reference to women. And I don't want our name to be used to rank on our girls."

The school's girls dance team also was chided earlier this school year for using the term. The girls printed their own T-shirts that said "Snoho" on the front and "mish" on the back. Their coach told them not to wear them, the principal said.

"I feel pretty strongly that it's inappropriate," Plumis said

...

Jackie Boser, 18, a senior, said she has heard some people use the term in a derogatory fashion. But she shrugs it off. "(It) isn't true. It's just an abbreviation of us."

...

Plumis said the school still is looking into the matter, and she understands Patrick's intentions with the shirt.

"But I think he also began to see why others might find it offensive," she said. "It's basically an issue of respect - for everyone in the community."

The kid was suspended for 2 days -- largely because he was an ass, refused to comply with an order from the principal, and swore at the principal.

The school website does not use the plural "SnoHos." That term has a history of being used in a derogatory manner.

The administration's actions do seem an overreaction to the T-shirts, but they were not as ridiculous and you'd like us to believe.

political correctness attacks free speech again!

Regardless, it's still the height of stupidity, if you're going to enforce censorship on school clothing that strict you may aswell introduce school uniforms.

Kusari's right. If your gonna enforce political correctness over nonoffending free speech, introduce school uniform.

I'm sure the kid had no mean to offend, and the principal is definately in the wrong.

Very clever.

... here's the rest of the story:

The administration's actions do seem an overreaction to the T-shirts, but they were not as ridiculous and you'd like us to believe.

I was just trying for a little humor. I do think the school administration is way off track when the acceptabililty of a word hinges on whether it is a plural or singular.