School reply

Dear (Headmaster),

While whole-heartedly supporting your long-standing dress code policy (drab trousers, polo shirts and school sweatshirts), I have to register a vote against the proposed new institutuion of ties and collared shirts for pupils.

In th 70's, collared shirts and tie knots formed their own uncomfortable underground dress codes which were as much anti-authoritarian as the dress infractions you now experience, with undone collars and exaggerated knots. The retrogressive dress code suggested implies that you are preparing a generation of call-centre operators and office workers instead of professionals.

No matter how you try, you can't eliminate rebellion. The current dress code of trousers and sweatshirt already fulfills objectives of practicality, identification of school membership, reducing parental uniform costs and inter-pupil fashionista competition. In addition, I foreswore the task of ironing as a useless waste of time some years ago, and have no intention of taking this up now just because you favour a Hitler Youth educational model.

Yours sincerely,
ion