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OPINION & EDITORIAL

Decade looks to be Age of Paternalism

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Also by Robert S. Hunger:

Political freedom necessary in university classrooms (January 23, 2006)
Debunking myth of Madison liberalism (September 1, 2005)
Public financing of elections wrong (January 31, 2006)
Politicans need not grovel to public (September 15, 2005)
Science buildings receive ample funds (February 7, 2006)

by Robert S. Hunger

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Throughout American history, the country has a tendency to move in one direction or another; in the 1960s it trended toward civil rights and the 1970s brought us the sexual revolution. The 1980s then proceeded to wipe out all feelings of cohesive community unity in favor of the "looking out for number one" philosophy, and in the 1990s the country regained its conscious and combined the best aspects of the previous 30 years.

Recently, however, the nation appears to be trending in a direction of unmitigated paternalism, and Wisconsin sadly appears to be one of the states leading the charge.

Law enforcement officials in Milwaukee (among other cities) have recently engaged in a campaign against a line of T-shirts that have the words "stop snitching" sprawled across the front. The shirts gained popularity after basketball star Carmelo Anthony appeared in a video appropriately titled "Stop Snitching." Officials contend such clothing has the extraordinary power to prevent individuals from talking to the police.

A typical snitch would be someone who agrees to testify against their former accomplices in order to receive a lightened sentence. If law enforcement officials are, in fact, correct in their reasoning, one would be forced to believe potential snitches would have no idea whatsoever that their friends would be the slightest bit peeved about being ratted out and thrown in jail.

Also, let's not forget that we are talking about a T-shirt here, not an organized campaign threatening the lives of snitches. The contention that a simple T-shirt would prevent an individual from ratting out their friends to the police is simply ridiculous. Those complaining about the shirts clearly give far too much credit to the power of advertising. If we were to believe anything and everything an individual's midsection tells us, the entire nation would immediately fall in love with a Jewish/Italian/Irish boy, and everyone in Madison would consider President Bush an international terrorist.

Those opposing the T-shirts are, in effect, attempting to prevent certain individuals from expressing their opinion simply because they do not agree with the message. They apparently hold the rest of the country in such low esteem that they believe the average American is susceptible to a lowly T-shirt. In short, this is a classic example of paternalism run amok: don't think for yourself, because we know what's best for you simpletons.

Unfortunately, recent examples of paternalism do not stop with a group of overly concerned public servants.

Last month, the University of Wisconsin announced it will send letters to the parents of those students caught drinking underage, even if not on university property. While the aim of the policy clearly is to curb freshmen and sophomores from drinking themselves into oblivion, the university apparently forgot it is an institution of higher learning and not a surrogate mother handing out spankings to those who fall out of line. UW students thus are subject to retribution that individuals of the same age not enrolled in college have the pleasure of avoiding.

While the University of Wisconsin has clearly adopted paternalistic policies towards its students, high schools across the nation have also taken it upon themselves to punish students who act in such a way the administration deems inappropriate.

A high school outside of Chicago (admittedly my Alma Mater) last month kicked more than 40 students out of their Homecoming dance — not because the students were drunk, starting fights or attempting to spike the punch, but because uptight school officials thought they were dancing in an "inappropriate manner." How could students dancing provocatively possibly make them less prepared for college or the real world? Adults in positions of authority have once again rained on students' parade by forcing their skewed view of right and wrong on unsuspecting teens.

In another high school dance-related story, a principal in Long Island cancelled prom because he found out students were renting expensive houses in the Hamptons for post-prom parties. The principal cancelled the dance because he felt students were spending too much money. He apparently did not care that he was disappointing a few hundred sex-craved teens, and students not abusing their parents' credit cards clearly did not factor into his decision. After all, by canceling prom he clearly stopped affluent teenagers from not only spending an abundance of money, but also from drinking and having sex. Bravo.

Paternalism is a faulty way of reasoning that consistently underestimates those inappropriately deemed unfit to make decisions for themselves, whether it is law enforcement officials incessantly whining over a T-shirt or school/university administrators punishing students for being, well, students. Ageism will catch up with you.

Robert S. Hunger (rhunger@badgerherald.com) is the editorial page content editor and is a senior majoring in political science and journalism.

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Anonymous (October 18, 2005 @ 8:58am):

Hey suburbanite, stick to railing against dirty dancing prohibitions at your high school and avoid issues that impact communities that you have never lived in and will probably never even visit.

The "Stop Snitching" movement is a concerted underground effort to intimidate witnesses and impede investigations into serious crimes. These "snitches" are not cellmates flipping on big mouths, they are concerned members of the community who no longer feel safe speaking to police about the problems in their neighborhood.

You should be ashamed of yourself for minimizing a problem that doesn't impact you, and that you clearly don't even understand. Watch your mouth.

Anonymous (October 18, 2005 @ 3:27pm):

I think you're comparing apples and oranges here. I fail to see a shred of paternalism with the stop snitching t-shirt. It's called peer pressure. The potential snitches aren't being treated like children.

As far as the cancelled prom is concerned, I don't think you checked your facts very carefully. Your article states, "students NOT abusing their parents' credit cards clearly did NOT factor into his decision."

If you read the article on CNN, the head of the school clearly states he cancelled prom because of exceesive spending.

"It is not primarily the sex/booze/drugs that surround this event, as problematic as they might be; it is rather the flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of vanity for vanity's sake -- in a word, financial decadence,"

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/16/prom.canceled.ap/

Anonymous (October 20, 2005 @ 8:04am):

Paternalism in America? Of course, when people are educated by, in reality unconstitutionally the Federal Government you have a nation evermore wanting everything done by this same Government and also for free. In reality those who so eargerly and forcefully refer to themselves as Conservatives, most of them don't have a clue what it really means! In short, America is a nation addicted to Socialism but claims it under the name of Democracy. These words have come full circle in this United States of America, the new World Empire, with George W. presiding: "Remember democracy never last long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams (letter to John Taylor, 15 April 1814. Yes America, only a century down the road, she installed public education, which is the worst of all Socialistic programs in as much as it forces people eventually to think alike, which is the case right now. Our Federal Government is now a monster of monsters and fed much by an ever growing National Debt; no human can comprehend what trillions are, while the corrupt politicians keep on spending with now George W., the spender of spenders, who claims to be a conservative, not having vetoed one spending bill in his years of president. Yet, conservatives compare him to Ronald Reagan, which is one more prove of this modern ignorant conservatism. George W. is one of those ignorant conservatives. But, in a way, one has to forgive him since he was educated by Socialism, namely, the public schools. Yes the public school system is the silent destroyer of the American family. Christian parents who wish to be true to God and the Founding Fathers and chose to send their children to Christian private schools, end up punished by our Federal government with what amounts to double taxation. Tuition to private schools plus paying taxes to support the ever more corrupt and immoral public schools where God is chased aroung like a stray dog, by lawsuits after lawsuits. If this is not a brutal double taxation by the nation under God? What is? The soviets were evil, and acted as such, but America under God, in essence persecuting Christians?