Weighing In on Boobies, Wristbands, and Symbolic Speech

School districts all over the country are banning "I Love Boobies" wristbands. Students all over the country are howling in outrage. Many of my colleagues both a school and in my graduate course are firmly on the side of the school districts. Well . . .
At the risk of showing my stripes a bit, I’m afraid I’m going to have to side largely with students on this issue. While some might believe the word ‘boobies’ is not in the best possible taste, I think that as educators we are crossing a thin but civilly important line. I talked with my mother, who recalls in detail the controversy surrounding the black armbands of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, who reminded me that, like any other distinctive clothing statement, some students wore the armbands for more superficial reasons than higher ethical or moral ones. This did not in any way diminish the intention of many to speak a cherished truth, and it did not diminish the rights of students to express their belief systems as such.
These bracelets have a clear message to those who subscribe to it, and the simple wearing of a band, whose font is approximately 14 point, on the wrist is not of itself disruptive to learning. I also believe that within the bounds of our society, this statement does not qualify as ‘lewd’ or ‘vulgar’, regardless of whether we think the wording is ideal. In my mind, the wearing of these bands by students passes both prongs of the Tinker test. I think that there are moments when the disruption to learning is caused not by students, but by us.
Works Cited:
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 506 (1969).