Is the VHS ban on clothing associated with “That’s A Awful Lot of Cough Syrup” deserved?
The clothes people wear are often an expression of themselves and when schools ban certain articles of clothing, it can prevent students from having the opportunity to show people a little bit about themselves. Recently, VHS placed a ban on clothes associated with “That’s A Awful Lot of Cough Syrup.” Although the clothing may be associated with drug use, students don’t wear it to promote the use of drugs. Most of the time, students wear the clothing due to the fact that they don’t know what it represents and simply because they think it looks nice.
Do students think that the school’s banned clothing list is getting too long? Steven Mayorga ‘28 said, “Yes because we hear worse stuff on social media or in a movie so a shirt shouldn’t matter unless it says anything racist or harmful.”
Chemistry teacher Karen Reynosa said, “I don’t really have issues with clothing unless it causes hurt feelings or is derogatory about any group of people.”
The shirts are not harmful and they do not say anything hateful or derogatory. They are simply a way for kids to express themselves and a piece of fashion. No matter if it alludes to drug consumption, it can also just be seen as a random phrase. In order to see it as alluding to drug consumption, you must assume and interpret the shirt in your own way. Mayorga said, “Yes, I think we are [being prevented from expressing ourselves] because clothes are a part of expressing who you are.”
Reynosa said, “I would assume most kids wore that shirt because it started as a meme and is now a subculture.”
This proves that the shirt is simply a fashion trend and people now wear it because they want to be part of the new trend. Clothes are a way to express yourself and the school is effectively stifling that expression as it adds more and more items the its banned clothing list.
Maybe a school wide ban on the clothing wasn’t the best way to deal with the situation. It could have been more beneficial to inform those who are unaware of what it represents and teach them the importance of staying away from drugs and the effect they can have on you, or even teach them to not see things with the perspective that most things are connected to something negative. This would ultimately create a community within the school that can be trusted, regardless of what the clothing they wear may represent.
