The Art of War

Tonight Kat came for a visit, and she brought her lovely Norwegian friend with her. Norwegian is a fascinating individual and seemed equally fascinated with my experience working at a public high school. Though she attended a California high school with Kat as well, it was an art-themed boarding school with lots of creative yet angsty theater and performing arts kids, a world of difference from the bunch you'd find at your typical public school. Norwegian was shocked to hear about the immense discipline problems and that students will not hesitate to tell me to "fuck off" if they feel like it. When I explained the problem with gang affiliation and the prohibition of certain colored clothing, Norwegian couldn't fathom this being a reality at her school. Indeed, her classmates cared more about Annie, Get Your Gun than guns. Still, I've had fun imagining the logistics that a gang presence at her school would entail:

* Concealing blunt weapons (ie: clarinets) in backpacks
* Diluting rival gangs' acrylic paints
* Shakespearean graffiti on the walls
* Drive-by glitterings
* Flashing the gang sign, jazz hands, as a death threat

Of course, all of this would also culminate in the banning of all purple clothing with pink polka dots for the safety of the student body.