Save us from booty-shaking cheerleaders

A bill that allows the state education commissioner to “intervene” when someone is offended by the antics and motions of high school cheerleaders somehow won unanimous approval last Tuesday in the Texas House Education Committee.
As crafted by State Rep. Al Edwards (D-Houston), the bill originally would have cut off funds to those schools that failed to discipline its dancers, cheerleaders or drama students for performing in ways that were “too sexually suggestive.”
After some House members insisted that the legislation was too harsh and it failed to define exactly WHAT was inappropriate, the whole thing was scaled back, but did not disappear.
This is yet another example of lawmakers trying to legislate individual morality while refusing to deal with the real important issues in Austin.
And, ladies and gentlemen, despite any claims to the contrary, this kind of legislation is potentially racist (despite Edwards being an African-American), and here’s why.
A few years ago, when poor little Wilmer-Hutchins ISD (it seems as if all bad news involves the same district) was a Class 4A school, it was redistricted with Lancaster into a grouping of East Texas communities, including Athens, Corsicana, Ennis and Palestine. Prior to that two-year period, the East Texas schools pretty much kept to themselves, avoiding those dreaded Dallas area schools and students.
“The Hutch,” as it is called in the Metroplex, is a minority majority district and views things … differently. Their band program was modeled after several successful black colleges, including Southern, Grambling, Florida A&M, Prairie View A&M and the kind of performances as shown in the movie, “Drumline.” Lots of motion, hip-shaking and upbeat music, compared to the stoic show tunes or military-style often seen in non-African-American marching bands.
When W-H played a football game IN Palestine, and the visiting band performed, it “horrified” the local patrons. It revived racist comments such as “jungle music” and the like and the Palestine school officials lodged a formal complaint with the district, asking that the Eagle band be banned from performing in Palestine again, as to NOT offend the fine Anglo folks of that community.
Nothing ever came of the complaint and W-H simply shrank down in classification to Class 3A.
But, as Bob Dylan wrote MANY years ago, the times they are a-changin’. Musical and performance expression should not be legislated from Austin. Besides, all any adult has to do is LOOK at the modern cheerleader’s uniform to know that very little of a high school girl’s body is covered up, which is suggestive enough for some of us fathers.
Here’s the real problem: Too many parents STILL think that football games are played in order to have a band march at halftime, to see girls wearing two tons of makeup dance at the 50-yard line and for cheerleaders to “shake their booty” to enhance school spirit.
No amount of legislation will change that type of mindset.