Utah girl’s pierced nose brings suspension

Utah girl’s pierced nose brings suspension
The student was trying to connect with her Indian heritage and traditions

Victoria Atencio
Post #4
I found this article on MSNBC about a 12 year old girl in Utah who was suspended from her middle school because she disobeyed the schools policy of no body piercing and got her nose pierced. What made this situation gain national attention is that the girl is of Indian descent and by piercing her nose she was attempting to connect to her Indian culture. The argument the school made in order to defend their decision was that the nose piercing is a cultural choice not a religious requirement. The young girl’s mother, a Mormon from Salt Lake City, defends her daughter’s decision and supports her actions because she realized this is her way of embracing her culture and heritage. In the end it was decided the girl was allowed to keep her nose piercing as long as she wore a clear unobtrusive stud.
This story is a strong example social control because the actions taken by the school are not only interfering with the girl’s interests but scrutinizing the culture of which she is a part of. The school is controlling in itself because the institution sets boundaries which students must follow or face the consequences. And to what point is the limit set? Suspending a young girl for embracing her culture reaches a point of control that should not be overlooked. If a school can suspend a 12 year old girl for connecting with her heritage what form of control what comes next can only be a more strict form of control. The article also examines the view from a second generation American’s point of view. If a person were to walk down the street wearing a turban it would be assumed from the majority of people that they are foreigners. That same person is automatically stereotyped and placed in a category and assumed to belong to another country. This is another form of control because we as a society are generally not open to the idea that if someone wears their ethnic outerwear that they are American. We see it in the news and at an early age in textbooks that if someone wears a certain type of clothing they are not American but rather from a different country. This makes it difficult for American minorities to feel welcome in their own country.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33773152/ns/us_news-race_and_ethnicity/