by Emily Moore | co- Editor in Chief
Lately there has been a fire burning slowly through the halls of Johnson High, and is seeping into the hearts, and arms, of all students involved. That’s right, the ‘tankist’ ways of the campus have started a silent revolt of a few brave souls.
The Great Tank Revolt of 2013 began with an innocent enough gesture; senior boys wearing tank tops instead of their full-sleeved brethren. After decades (four years) of being forced to pin up their biceps under cotton curtains of persecution, a team of seniors banded together to free their muscles, their minds and their free-spirits.
Other than just blatantly fighting for their right to keep calm and tank on, the revolters have tried to use their bare arms to spread Johnson spirit. One way they hoped of accomplishing this was through the donning of varsity girls’ soccer playoffs tanks, which have also caught popularity like wild fire in the halls. Apparently, the administration doesn’t take their spirit with high spirits.
In addition to a brave, stoic approach to the oppression, the soldiers have used more creative methods to outshine their enemies – including a facade of hiding tanks under sports jackets, openly braving the cold wind of administration sans sleeves, and adopting a clever, yet effective, social media edge with the new hashtag, Abolish Sleevery.
Some believe that the administration is opposed to the boys’ armpit hair that would be unsightly for the whole of the student population. While, duh, this is gross, it isn’t means enough to ban the tanks completely. A little hair never hurt anyone.
Partnered to the unsightly aspects of a lack of male hygiene; the tanks are protected by a belief that a ‘uniform’ is needed to keep students in check, and looking professional. But, wait, this isn’t a job. This isn’t a profession. School is a government funded, government enforced entity that students legally cannot avoid. Every student here has to be here, they might as well be able to look good while they are.
High school is also a great outlet for self-expression. Whether it be muscle tanks, leggings as pants or Nike shorts, it’s a trend that is personally accepted and deemed an appropriate expression. In a society where appearances are everything, and where people are considered an outcast for not looking right, students should at least have the halls of their high school to show who they truly are, and the unalienable right to bare arms.
While, in the end, the battle ends with warriors in both detention, and in the school’s outcasted, signature greys, the message they sent was more than the little extra skin they bared.
