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Kanaan VyShonne Barton says he’s following all other school rules but shouldn’t have to cut his hair: ‘My locs represent strength’
A Black student at a Mormon university in Hawaii said he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies, he said.
Kanaan VyShonne Barton, a student at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, told the Salt Lake Tribune he has been engaged in a battle with the school since September over the length of his hair, which he has refused to cut.
The university requires students to follow an “honor code”, which states hair should be “neatly trimmed”, although the code has no official guidance on length.
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It was always weird how many Mormons and Scientologists lived in Hawaii…
Like, I get turning to a cult in Utah, there’s nothing going on and pretty much everyone else is in it already.
But you live in Hawaii, just go hang out at the beach
In my view as a haole from the mainland who’s never visited our 50th state…
A black Mormon is weird.
A black Hawaiian Mormon is weirder.
A black Hawaiian Mormon that still has natural hair? That goes beyond my understanding.
Mormonism has very strong ties in Hawaii. They sent missionaries there when the state was annexed by the US.
While not as strong as Utah, it very much is there.
Gotta convert those swarthy Polynesian heathens, I guess.
You gotta get them when they don’t know you yet
They settled in a town called Laie on Oahu and built a BYU campus there. Right next to the university they set up a massive tourist attraction called the Polynesian Cultural Center. They have five mock villages set up, each representing one Polynesian cultural group. They put on demonstrations and performances. There is also a big show in the evening with dancing. The whole spectacle is run by Polynesian students from one of the cultures who are receiving a free education from BYU in exchange for staffing the PCC. The PCC also poses as a recruiting operation for the Mormon church as they try to “lure” tourists to the temple to learn more about Mormonism as part of the villages tour.
The whole situation is very bizarre and while it is cool that the students are getting an education, they are working really hard for it. It’s possibly a bit predatory in that way and all wreaks a bit of cultural appropriation.
I had no idea the center was run by Mormons prior to visiting. While walking around, one of them approached us with a pamphlet and tried to get us to board a bus so they could take us to their temple. I was like, “Let me get this straight. You, a perfect stranger, would like me and my girlfriend to get in your bus, so that you can take us to some unknown location that we’re not familiar with? No thanks.” My mind was a little blown by that. It is a super touristy place though, so I wonder how many people they actually convince to go see their church. Like an attraction or something.
What is with conservative groups and their weird fixation with hair length? It’s not like its a historically set thing for men or women.
The best part is the Mormon depiction of Jesus has long flowing locks that go at least past his collar and a beard. The church promotes being clean shaven and a stereotypical military cut for boys.
Brigham Young had a long beard. Brigham Young would not be able to attend Brigham Young University because of the honor code about being clean shaven.
Conformity and control.
We’re all alike so I must be correct because everyone around me looks and believes like I do
Exactly. Just more cogs for the machinations of religion and capitalism.
I know, right? You’d think the long hair would give their priests better grip lmao /s
You know Mormon priests are 16-17 year old boys, right?
So?
The tale of Samson. It’s always the tale of Samson.
Why, why why? Delilah!
It’s about keeping people in their gender roles.
Guess they never read the bit about Samson.
I don’t think they read any bit of it.
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I started school in the mid 60’s and we never had rules for hair.
We did have idiotic rules that boys got to do shop and girls had to do “home ec”, short for learning how to cook, clean and mend for your future husband.
For boys, we had marching, bayonet drills, grenade throwing, trench digging, map reading, gas defense, camouflage, trap setting, ambush techniques, war games, firing guns, and blowing stuff up.
For girls: dressing wounds, making beds, and learning how to get pregnant.
It was normal to sell Africans like cattle when some people were younger. What’s your point?
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Didn’t say they were. But you can see how “normal” at one point in time can be revealed to be unacceptable later on, yes? And how that’s not a defense of anything worthwhile?
Also, it’s not just a “haircut”. It’s cultural and racial oppression.
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I mean, it’s been that way in many parts of the western world for hundreds of years.
So yeah. It has gone long enough to call it “historically”, I’d say.
Mormon (!) private (!!) school. You visit the private educational institution of a cult and you wonder why they wanna make you cut your hair? Wait for the cool-aid.
During a meeting the following month, Barton said Kau was more explicit than anyone before. Barton said the man told him he needed to lose his locs, that they were “a distraction” and that Barton was “trying to push his own agenda and be defiant.”
BYU campuses are not healthy places.
A religion running a school. Did you expect it to be?
Definitely not a place where women should ever feel safe…
Here’s what’s going to happen.
At the end of the school year, his bishop–his local religious leader–is not going to renew ecclesiastical endorsement. Barton will be invited to ‘re-apply’. If he does re-apply, he will find that he is no longer competitive. If he’s very, very lucky, BYU-H will forward his academic records to whichever school he continues his education at.
This is the way that BYU handles students when it doesn’t want to make a scene by simply kicking them out.
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Hawaii Mormon School is my favorite indie band
I wonder if they have a choir, The Hawaii Mormon school music project would be an interesting alternative to the haunting Langley School music Project
Maybe kids could focus on learning if the fascion police would get off their backs. Geez.
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Filling out the school checklist like
[ ] multiple wives
“Oh I definitely want that”
[ ] it’s a cult
“Well, what isn’t nowadays?”
[ ] have to cut your hair
“WAIT A SECOND”
Eh, it’s a kid that was, presumably, raised in a way that made byu seem like a good choice. That’s probably not a very informative environment. This is a learning moment for them. Hopefully their experience here will expose some things for them.
like their ears
he has been told by staff to cut his shoulder-length hair because it does not adhere to school policies
So, none of the girls at his school have shoulder-length hair?
Don’t cut your hair off, cut yourself off … from religion.
What about swapping school?
Lol, look into how easy it is to get away from this
cultreligious organization. It not just the school they’d have to leave, they’d have to escape the church and hope that the church/school is decent enough to allow the student to transfer the credits they’ve already paid for.It’s really easy to just not go to church. And credits get transferred all the time. You’re letting your hate affect your perception of reality.
Obviously you don’t have much experience with this church. Not sure how expressing this ignorance adds to the conversation though.
Apparently, I have more than you do. It’s not hard to leave the Mormon church. As someone with family members in an actual cult, I find it very stupid to conflate the two. People leave that church every day with no more consequences than an extra measure of condescension from neighbors.
Not one penny less, no property taken. No threat to life. You water down the term “cult” by being so reactive about it.
Maybe they can be easier for adults without familial attachment to leave. But we’re talking about a child here trying to build a life, that is an immeasurably more complex and difficult task. Don’t water down the organized abuse by claiming it’s not a cult.
This is an adult at university. One that is benefitting from crazy low subsidized tuition and signed a contract to cut his hair in order to get it. Hardly a child. And the church flat out said that parents should not punish children who don’t choose to believe in their faith. There are plenty of problems with that church, making up stuff just distracts from the actual issues.
I work with an older guy who goes to a Mormon church. I have longer than average hair and he always makes side comments about how long my hair is whenever we’re talking. It never feels malicious or anything. But it’s just brought up CONSTANTLY.
Maybe he has a crush on you? I mean that’s what I’d think if anyone talked about my hair that often. (Even if I didn’t believe he was crushing, I’d mention it every time he brought up repetative comments about my appearance.)
That is a total “Not the Onion” headline.
Religious schools have basically always been like this. When I was in a Catholic school in the 80s I remember them literally measuring boys hair and sending notes home.
On one hand, 1 Corinthians 11:14-15:
Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
But, then, on the other hand…
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Getting some real mixed messages here, 1 Corinthians 11.
Why would you want to associate with a school that has rules about things like this? They don’t care about this student. Would probably be happy that they are “out of their hair”.
