Uniforms in NEPA Public Schools? (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre: school district, zoned, codes)

[Combatbarbie]

I'm a college student so yall have me to pump money into your s.s account... and Ill totally take part in and gay bashing (:

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by sheena12

1.I have heard this before that these are" Regan Democrats". Since I have strong political beliefs , yes, I am "hung up" on the Republican vs.Democrat thing. Politics are important to me.
2. I in NO WAY think that I am going to be moving to a "Liberal Nirvana" I do know that Long Island is a very very conservative place. New York City is liberal, Boston is Liberal. The cost of living there to live in a private house would be out of my league. I have looked into the area and I feel satisfied that it is diverse. I.E. that there are enough people who share my values to render me comfortable.I do not think that I am moving to Mississippi, Alabama, or Alaska.
3 There are many things that I do not like about LI living - that I think I will be leaving behind. One is gross materialism , trophy houses, and a general suspicion of any one who does not conform.
I want to raise my kids among a diverse group of people. Not just people who think nothing of sending their kids on a "field trip" to the Florida Keys in ninth grade.I can not keep up with that largess and honestly if I HAD that kind of money. I would be fundamentally opposed to a cladd trip that only about 1/3 of the kids can afford to attend.
4 they main issue that upset most people was my question about school uniforms. It really seemed to hit a nerve. I knew people might want to extol their virtues so I did include a caveat that went unheeded in my fist post.
5. Studies say that school uniforms are an ineffective method of social control.One study that refutes this was done by funding provided by the Land's End corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of school uniforms!
6. At this point if I find a beautiful house anywhere in the cities on Scranton or Wilkes Barre that is large enough for my family, has some historic features intact and is in a pleasant area, I am going to go for it. Uniforms or not - its just all part of the move.
And other like minded people are thinking about making this move with me. I know of about 9 right now who want to move right into your area . They all work in the academic field, have an appreciation for older walkable neighborhoods and are interested in diversity.
Diversity is on its way. And no one I know will be scared off or intimidated.

Honestly, you might be better off looking into Philadelphia. Its urban, walkable, the most liberal place in PA, and while more expensive than NEPA, is much more affordable than NYC/LI. Oh, and its "diverse." (because we know that "diversity" only means dark skin colors...somehow, a neighborhood that is 95% black is considered "diverse", while a neighborhood that is 90% white is not......NEPA is actually very diverse, lots of Irish, Italians, Polish, Russians, Welsh, Germans, Slovaks, etc etc....yet the "PC diversity" crowd lumps all these very different cultures together just because of their skin tone......that is ignorance, in my book.)

[blip]

Originally Posted by go phillies

Honestly, you might be better off looking into Philadelphia. Its urban, walkable, the most liberal place in PA, and while more expensive than NEPA, is much more affordable than NYC/LI. Oh, and its "diverse." (because we know that "diversity" only means dark skin colors...somehow, a neighborhood that is 95% black is considered "diverse", while a neighborhood that is 90% white is not......NEPA is actually very diverse, lots of Irish, Italians, Polish, Russians, Welsh, Germans, Slovaks, etc etc....yet the "PC diversity" crowd lumps all these very different cultures together just because of their skin tone......that is ignorance, in my book.)

Philly is great and all those things you say, except maybe more affordable than LI. You'll still be hard pressed to find a 3-4 BR townhouse in a not-so-scary central neighborhood for under 400k.

Who says 95% black is diverse? Smells like a strawman..

I agree that Irish, Italian, Polish, etc count as diversity, but less so when the groups have been here for many generations and melded in a lot. There still are those identities here, but I haven't heard Italian, Polish or Gaelic on the streets. And, I'd count more the more widely divergent cultures from East or South Asia, Africa, South America, not that there's some perfect formula for calculating diversity....

[weluvpa]

I think its funny that people are moving to NEPA from NJ and NY looking for diversity......Seems ironic, almost comical.......

Kind of like moving here to find an "Urban Neighborhood that is diverse" or maybe trying to find water in Death Valley...

[go phillies]

Originally Posted by blip

There still are those identities here, but I haven't heard Italian, Polish or Gaelic on the streets.

In certain neighborhoods in the area, we are not far removed from hearing foreign languages.....just a generation ago, the older generations in Jessup and other predominantly-Italian areas were still speaking Italian. Same with the Polish language in Polish towns.....Gaelic is another story....its been quite a long time since Gaelic was the predominant language in Ireland.

[Combatbarbie]

What is the point of wanting to live in a town with diversity? How do the other people affect you in anyway?

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by Combatbarbie

What is the point of wanting to live in a town with diversity? How do the other people affect you in anyway?

I personally don't like living in a homogeneous environment where everyone looks the same, everyone goes to the same mass on Christmas Eve, everyone dresses the same, everyone drives similar-looking SUVs, etc. It's just so boring living here in the 'burbs where every male is white, non-Hispanic, Roman Catholic (or main-line Protestant), approximately 5'10", slightly overweight, socially conservative yet fiscally liberal, and obsessed with looking more affluent than they really are in order to "keep up appearances." It was nice coming to King's College and being able to befriend a few African-Americans, a Wiccan, a Ukrainian immigrant, a Korean immigrant, other LGBT individuals, and a few others. It's fun for me to learn about their cultures, hear them talk on their cell phones in their native languages to their first-generation American parents, study their strong work ethic, be invited over for some ethnic home-cooked meals, etc. I'm tired of "diversity" in NEPA meaning that you're Polish-American and eat pierogies every other Tuesday as opposed to German-American and eating kielbasi every other Wednesday or Polish National Catholic as opposed to Roman Catholic.

[Combatbarbie]

I guess were just different because I really like that.

[The Commish]

Originally Posted by Combatbarbie

What is the point of wanting to live in a town with diversity? How do the other people affect you in anyway?

Do you really have no desire to reach out beyond the familiar to enjoy the food, art, theater, music, traditions, and perspectives of other cultures? I may think Italian food is the greatest culinary achievement in the history of mankind (I do, in fact) and that I could live on nothing but that and die a very happy man (I could). But I just find Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Spanish, French, Mexican, Tex-Mex, Caribbean, North-African, and German cuisine stimulating.

And I find it hard to believe that doesn't mean anything to you. What I'm describing doesn't quite reflect most people's experience living in NEPA. But I'm sure you've at least ventured out of this area a few times and observed with your own senses what I'm talking about. And if not, surely you've read about it. The allure of diverse areas is that to a much greater extent, you can embrace your own ethnic traditions and reach out to the wider world as well.

[Combatbarbie]

Ive lived all over the world... I now want to go back to the small town and be happy.