ACLU probes Six Flags hairstyle ban

WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union is investigating complaints from more than a dozen black employees at a Six Flags theme park who were told their hairstyles were inappropriate.

Jonathan DeLeon, 17, was hired at Six Flags America in Largo, Md., in March to wear the costumes of Sylvester and Daffy Duck. A few weeks later, he said he was told to cut his braids, which were at least 3 feet long.

Though his mother cut more than 2 feet of his hair, park officials were dissatisfied, he said.

"They told me I had to cut them even shorter or go home," DeLeon told The Washington Post. "They said they wanted an all-American thing. That's what they said to all the black people. I had already cut it a lot, so I just left."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060617/ap_on_re_us/six_flags_hairstyles

Does Marriot still own them?

I don't think it is hard for anyone to get the drift of what a company expects when they require a certain standard of grooming from employees who contact the public. If the policy is uniformly applied the complaint is invalid.
Personally I think that anyone worrying about a hairstyle more than a paycheck needs a reality check or else they simply need to grow up.

It was long when they hired him.

If it was dissatisfactory, why did they hire him in the first place?

Normally I'd agree with you but I can't get past this one fact. It makes no sense.

agreed to cut his hair when they hired him?

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

If he was costumed as daffy Duck, that would mean he was wearing a huge costume head so his hair wouldn't be visible. Have a nice, albeit short stay.

If they didn't feel his appearance was appropriate, they shouldn't have hired him to begin with. And why should it matter anyway, as long as Daffy is covering the dreds? How many white kids had to get different haircuts to keep their jobs?

Sounds to me like it's yet another case of big business pushing black people around.

What does a hairstyle have to do with the job? I can see a dress code for certain things, but not this. They have no right to dictate hairstyles, it is out of line.

maybe the guy playing Daffy might have to substitute one day for the guy selling tickets at the booth.

However, the issues here are:

Does Six Flags have stated set rules regarding hair styles?
Do the rules somehow discriminate against an ethnic group?
Does the management enforce rules regarding hair styles fairly?

So if this is a set rule, he should have never been hired.

something to the effect of: I understand the dress code, and if hired, will abide by those rules. All SOP's have it in the grooming guidelines, and the park orientation has a section on it, which must be signed.

I don't agree with the rule, but it is well stated and within the companies rights to have a guideline.

and yes, I used to work for six flags. and yes, I did hiring and taught orientation.

they probably wouldn't have hired him in the first place, either.

Or maybe they thought his skin color was going to change after a couple weeks on the job?
:sarcasm:

expect professional appearance from my employees. That excludes anything I think my clients might consider bizarre, be repelled by, and seek the services of someone else because of.

You want to dress, look, or act really weird?? Be a self-employed musician or some such.

...constitutes looking "bizarre", and that others would "be repelled by" it? Or that having them is to "act really weird"? I'm curious as to what brings out this biased reaction in you.

His hair was braided, and long.

So the fuck what?

to my office everyday.

And I'm not exactly sure why. I can type letters and draft documents just as well in a T-shirt and jeans. However, my employer has the right to set that code if he wants.

Sort of the same way the grocery store that hired me in high school had every right to insist that I wore a white collared shirt and a tie while I bagged groceries. (And at that job, too, I had to be shaven every day and couldn't have hair below my ears.) That was the policy they set; if I wanted to work there, I had to abide by it.

itself being classified as "inappropriate," before or after the fact.

should be...Has their heads up their collective asses!!!

So kristopher what is an "all American hair cut" and why is it an "All American hair cut"?

I think the republican fuckers that own that company should be brought in to court and sued big time!!!Then taken out back and let me and my boys show them some haircuts!

That is the problem. For them to argue that "all american" excludes certain hairstyles that might be common or accepted within an ethnic group within the country we call America (however inaccurately) is discriminatory. Argue what you really mean, Six Flags: You want to portray an image that is more in keeping with the America that makes you feel good about your little, suburban, white collar, white bread, corporate lifestyle; Not the America that comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds and flavors.

There is no law against discriminating against ethnic African American hairstyle, because there is no true ethical origin of most modern African American hairstyles, and if there is no local law or ordinance banning discrimination on grooming choices, the kid is SOL. If Johnny Rotten's kid got fired for refusing to relax his Mohawk, claiming some ethnic heritage, he'd be laughed out of the room.

How is an all-American haircut different from a partially-American haircut? Could one get a haircut that's American on the left side and Indonesian on the right side?

I remember a story a couple years ago about Kim Jong Il mandating that all North Korean men have a socialist haircut. I wonder if socialist haircuts are allowed at Six Flags.

A big styrofoam head is part of them. If his braids fit into the costume, what was the probem except bigotry?

It seems DeLeon had already compensated for that by cutting much of his hair. He'd met them more than halfway.

The ACLU doesn't take these cases lightly. This would seem to be a clear case of anti black bigotry.

They probably wanted him to show up with a conk.

in which they treated their hair with harsh chemicals to straighten it. Then, their hair would look "white." It fell out of popularity by the late 60's when assimilationism became widely recognized, and African Americans became more in tune with their African heritage. If you read Malcom X's biogography, he discusses the process at length and what it means socially.

I knew the hairstyle, just din't know it had a name.

and it's done mostly for women.

Correct me if I am wrong. The origins of the word seem obscure, whether it is slang for the chemical that straightens, or if it describes the style looking like a conch, or if conch is slang for "head."

To achieve that hairstyle they had to get a conk. A conk is the process of putting lye in the hair to straighten it. The same process of using lye to straighten hair is done today in salons but it's called hair relaxing or perming.

Here's a link to the history of relaxing/conks-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro_textured_hair

In which Malcolm(as played by Denzel Washington)has just put the conking chemicals into his hair, feels them burning, and then discovers, to his horror and agony, that the water has been cut off in his apartment and he can't wash the chemicals out.

It's time for Six Flags to accept that "All American" doesn't have to mean the 1956 GOP Convention delegate look.

Eww.
Haven't seen the movie though.

Hekate

Would not get messed up. Do Rags are fashionable again--as daytime wear, usually over very short hair. They are also worn by white & latino guys who are into a street look.

There's even a line of Do Rags decorated with the Confederate Battle Flag. See for yourself, if you want to go to PROUDREBEL.COM.

who gives a crap what his hair looks like?? I agree that if it fits into the head of the costume, not obstructing his vision or anything, there shouldn't be a problem.

I don't get it. :shrug:

maybe you need the reality check. Talk about living inauthentically.

This kid is somehow less "authentic" if he doesn't have three-foot-long braids? I can't imagine defining myself by a hairstyle; do you define yourself that way?

"; do you define yourself that way?"

Don`t you ?

How do you cut your hair, and why ?


If hair style is not, at least, somewhat important to individuals, then why not go to your barber/stylist next time and just tell him "Do it how ever you`re feeling today"


I bet you won`t !



edit:sp

Clean and efficient. It's got nothing to with who I am as a person, though.

Individuality is what makes a person. If everyone were the same, this place would get pretty boring.


In some places, during certain times, short hair would have been an oddity.

I love odd, unusual, and unique hairstyles, but I understand that they come with a price in the job market. I'm not saying that's good or bad, right or wrong -- it just is, and it's sufficiently insignificant that it should be a non-issue for the ACLU except for cases that clearly involve religious strictures on how the hair should be worn, as might be found in the Sikh or Rastafarian faiths.

I didn't see any mention of white people being told to get rid of their mullet.

:rofl: :rofl:

Don't you make fun of mullets.
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Hekate

So it IS a discriminatory practice from beginning to end...

The courts have said again and again that appearance and dress codes can be gender-specific.

I would rather be served by a polite man with long hair ti myself at certain hairdos on certain persons, but I do not expect them to cut their hair off.

what he wears underneath of that costume is of no consequence.

worn by black men then it probably has nothing to do with professionalism. It's more likey to be about race.

The fact that they are doing this to employees who will be hidden under costumes makes this look even more discriminatory. Hairstyle is not going to offend anyone if nobody sees your hair.

I tend to find that people who object to dredlocks or braids tend to dislike black people in general. It's considered unattractive or unprofessional ONLY because it's not a white hairstyle.

I totally agree, what is this boy complaining about. Does he think he could work anywhere with that hair? not even mcdonalds, because it would get in the food! No one int he real world can have hair 3ft long? What job would that be approprate for? When you start working anywhere, you can tell what kind of appearance the company is looking for? Sorry a kid wouldn't appreciate a sylvester with hair 3ft long... he needs to get over himself.

I've been working in IT for a number of years now and I get precisely 0 guff about my hair(which, strangely enough is about a foot and a half to two feet long). I will concede, however, that one has to be good enough to justify having long hair. Sometimes very, very good.

Never again- not unless they offer me a LOT of money.

I went for a job interview, and was told my hair was too fucking long!!!

I had a military, pass fucking inspection haircut!!!!

blacks who work there have MASSIVE afros or dreds or weaves?

:wtf:

Off to read the whole article.

that delinate how employees may wear their hair? As in, men shall have hair no longer then x inches and shall not have any kind of patterns shaved into their hair?

Or is this a case where black people were being arbitrarily picked on for this that and the other with no set policies?

"Terry Prather, the park's general manager, said that the policy is not discriminatory and that exceptions are made for employees with religious and medical reasons for not cutting their hair.

Some employees said they tried to adjust by buying wigs to cover their hair or by paying to have their hair braided into cornrows, but they too were told that the hairstyles were inappropriate."

They want to project a clean-cut image, so they want clean-cut employees. If having three-foot-long braids matters more than the job, then don't work there. I have to maintain a certain appearance for my job or I don't get paid. Welcome to the real world.

They should not have hired him if they had a problem with his hairstyle.

Who the Hell is going to see the man's braids under a Sylvester or Tweety Bird custume? Clearly what you got here is the good old "All-America racism"! It goes like this: We don't want our ethnics to look too ethnic, and we sure don't want to hear any ethnic talk either!

:rofl:

Some white people in my old neighborhood had one in their front yard, so the black people that live across the street from them go out and get one and paint it white LOL.

This country is still full of openly bigoted folks and their happy bigotry deniers.

Look for yourself, I thought it was a Confederate's dream:

http://www.lawnjockey.com/Fishing%20Child_nohat.html

Can you imagine what would happen if the white equivalent of that hateful, grotesquely racist piece of crap were placed in an African-American's yard? The house would be burned down, the family lynched...Rush and the MSM would stain their jockeys...

and they probably see nothing wrong with it. And there are those that would accuse us of being PC for daring to mention it.

Because you're right. What they're doing is wrong.

On the other hand, some would say that they just have the right to do it.

It's going to be a difficult debate.

If there is a security concern because his hair might get caught in one of the rides ... I could see this ... but otherwise? ... who's All American and who's not ... ? ... Maybe Sylvester and Daffy Duck could use some moderinization ... LOL ...

Have you seen the young teenage girls, at these amusement parks, in the skin tight Juicy "type" clothes, or less, when they come off of the rides soaken WET? ... the girls may as well have beeen NAKED ... they wear skin tight clothes, no underwear, and then get as wet as they can ... of course, there's a pack of young boys following them ... if they want to be concerned about something ... THAT looked like a concern to me ...

Somebody show me WHAT is "All American" these days ...

and if his hair was in violation of the official dress/grooming code, he should have been informed of that when he was hired. What does hair length have to do with grooming anyway? Do white employees with long hair have to cut it, too?

:headbang:
rocknation

So whether it's a male or female ... long hair or short isn't an issue ... I can't imagine these costumes being any different ... if they were they would have had to informed him, in writing, when they hired him ...

I've worked for Disney for 17 years and all employees at the parks ("cast members") are required to adhere to strict appearance codes-even those in the costumes. Men can't wear hair that's long enough to touch their shirt collar. Sure, the guests will never see them, but it's more a matter of equity-they don't want the other cast members saying "hey, why does HE get to have long hair"?? when they're out of costume backstage.

He obviously had LONG hair? ...

A young woman came in to interview for a position in my business office ... she had on skintight clothes, low cut blouse and pants, an eyebrow ring, a nose ring, a navel ring, and heavy makeup ... I had her fill out the application, took her resume, and thanked her for coming by ... end of story ...

and consultant for hiring managers. The teens were told that they could do whatever they wanted with their appearance, but they'd better be prepared to lose jobs over it. The hiring managers were told that they could put whatever rules in place they chose, but they couldn't be discriminatory and they had to be consistently applied. (Generalities, but you get my drift.)

As for speaking about this particular case, it's hard, because we don't really seem to have all the details. Unfortunately, this article doesn't give lots of info. Discrimination might be hard to prove unless a white person was allowed cornrows/dreads, while he wasn't, something like that.

As one person already noted -- there's a real world out there, so get used to it. Play by their rules, play by your rules, whatever -- just don't bitch about the consequences of your own choices. And you can always work to change the rules!

and what about the girl last week who was prevented from participating in her HS graduation for wearing men's clothes (very decent - appropriate for the young men in her class) to her ceremony? I was slammed for saying basically the same thing - this is life, get used to it, you DON'T have the freedom to do/wear whatever you want whenever you want.

The dress code policy for grad ceremonies was established by this district the previous year, she knew about it all year, was offered appropriate clothing just prior to the ceremony. OK, not the same as being paid for a job, but still, what's the difference (besides the fact that it was a public school. The way I was slammed last week for offering my opinion on this, I guess many person's opinions on this is that in a public school anything should be allowed)?

OK, backing up, putting on my flame-proof suit <G>

you really DO have the freedom the do whatever, whenever. You just always have to be willing to pay the price for exercising your freedom.

I support anyone who likes to test the rules, as I'm like that myself. Just don't moan when things don't go your way.

P.S. Can anyone help me figure out what medical reasons could possible require a rule-breakin' hairdo? I'm totally stumped! :silly:

I totally agree! Defy all the rules/policies you want, just be willing to pay the price.

his hair was cut?

He said it made a handsome man more handsome, and an ugly man more terrifying. There has always been something about hair.

Not actually his hair... just as feet usually mean genitals in the OT.

Just an interesting factoid!

- involves facial hair and beards. Some men have a condition (the proper name I don't know) where their beard hairs will become impacted after shaving, causing a rash, blisters, bumps. It's a condition of mostly ethnic men and restrictions regarding no facial hair are usually lifted to comply with treatment of the condition.

Men and women doing security and/or police work are normally required to have short hair as long hair can be grabbed during a struggle. They wear clip-on neckties for the same reason.

One poster indicated that the dress/hair code is printed on the Six Flags employment app. If the employee signed the app and agreed to the conditions, then he has no case.

He and several other employees were asked to cut their hair, he DID, and he was still let go.

Sounds like he has a case to me....

Your not getting all the new memos. What the company says goes and no one has a case ...ever!

Jay

They did not follow Title IX. It is illegal under Title IX to have discriminatory dress codes... which Douglas Byrd HS had/has. PUBLIC high school legally isn't the real world, that's the point.

I don't have enough info for th Six Flags suit. But, if they allowed haircuts like mullets, etc., on employees of other ethnic background, then they are screwed.

stamp out black culture?

They like hassle black and hispanic visitors at Magic Mountain and I remember a few years ago their employees were caught on tape screaming racial slurs at a interacial couple at another amusement park.

Who knows if some big time execs came in and said..."make them cut their hair". All of those parks have a set policy to adhere to and follow. I am sure that they go through the same check lists as do hotels by inspectors. With a brand chain, such as a hotel, food, or venue place, there must be a uniformity amongst them. What would happen if you go to a McDonald's and you couldn't order your McNuggets. It wouldn't be the same service you expect from all McDonald's.

But it doesn't say that they had gone through inspections and had received maybe a bad grade because of inconsitencies with the policies. Though it may seem like a strange code to enforce, it may be part of the code that brings their failing grade to an acceptable "c" along with securing a gate, painting a fence, having a cleaner bathroom facility. who know... cut your hair or stop your bitching.

if they were braids, he could just take them out. dreads you have to CUT off. this is very unfair, and people have sued and won these kind of lawsuits.

If he was a Rastafarian who needed to wear dreads for religious reasons then he'd be OK.

From the article,

"Terry Prather, the park's general manager, said that the policy is not discriminatory and that exceptions are made for employees with religious and medical reasons for not cutting their hair."

This kid needs to put his big boy panties on and deal with the rules or work at a job with looser restrictions.

And please refrain from making sexist comments such as the "big boy panties". This is a progressive site, not freeperville.

i read the story too and know what it said. people mix braids and locks up continually. men just don't wear three foot long BRAIDS, but i have seen lots with three foot locks.

I had lunch at Romano's the other day and the waiter had *at least* three feet of braids going on. Looked good on him, too. Maybe it's a regional thing? :shrug:

is hidden in a costume?

I'm an amusement park junkie, having just spent the weekend at Cedarpoint! for gay day (nice crowd, including a family group wearing shirts that read: "Father's Day 2006, raising our children right, to the left. Support all families"). Parks have a right to expect a dress and grooming code, but that needs to be implemented from the day of hire, not as an arbitrary decision by the GM after the person is hired and working. SFA (Six Flags America) is wrong in this instance and needs to be smacked down.

When we (black people) wear braids we take them out not "cut them". Dreads can't be unraveled and have to be cut. People unfamiliar with black hair freely make the mistake of calling dreads "braids" or visa versa.

This happens all the time with me (I wear braids) and my sister (who wears dreads).

Back in the 1970's, us long haired kids (white, black or otherwise) were hassled about hair too. I guess it is just a control thing. Often it has racial or classist overtones.

It is a control thing.

And to all the people defending this type of crap because "it's the real world" and you have to play by the (usually) white man's rules--

You're right. It IS the real world, complete with rules. Stupid, stupid, rules.
And I say fuck the obviously stupid rules like this one.

Unless it's interferring with his job (many food industry jobs are very strict with personal grooming, and for good reason), this and any rule regarding hair length, piercing, tattoos, is bullshit.

/rant off

all this conformity is bullshit. All you people forced to live by societies conventions will realize on your deathbed that it was all just living a lie to grovel for your daily bread. It was a life lived without courage, passion, or joy. Just so daily drudgery as you collected your paycheck. The cold had of death is going to get you in the end. WAKE UP! WAKE UP! Everybody dies, not everyone lives!

As for this case I believe it is discriminatory. Black hair lends itself to certain stlyles, period. I don't think black hairstyles should be dictated by white people. And just what the hell is "All American" ? Is that code for "WASP America" because thats what it sounds like to me.

I'll be damned if I ever go to six flags... but I got my own amusment park in my head.

"I don't think black hairstyles should be dictated by white people."

It's not a race thing; if this were some dirthead with long hair you'd never have heard about it. Bosses dictate stuff for employees all the time -- when you show up, when you take a break, what you wear, etc. This is no different. The whiney little brat needs to wake up and realize that's it not always about doing whatever the hell you want; sometimes ya gotta follow the rules even when you think they're stupid.

these are ethnic hairstyles... corporate america isn't with it because it's too "black" which can be interpreted as "gangster" or "criminal looking" but that has more to do with how white america portrays its black minorities. I suspect this kid isn't just some "dirthead" I've seen these hairstyles everywhere and they are clean and well groomed. There isn't anything to complain about other than the fact that the kid doesn't fit in with image of a "good" negro.

As for people like you who believe you can't just do whatever the hell you want in life. All I can say is, how uninspiring is that. That kind of attitude goes far beyond just a matter of what hairstyle you choose. It affects the way you live your very life. Every choice you make is dictated by what others want so much so that you live a life completely unaware of the fact that you never made any real choices of your own. That is an inauthentic life, a total lie... a life of living to survive. Well, I think that human kind is past the survival stage and it's high time we started living fully expressed lives.

But hey, you keep on living by the "rules" and conventions because that is what grown ups do... and because that is "reality" and thats "just the way life is" so just suck it up. As you do so you can watch the envied few live more exciting lives while you secretly resent them and curse them for not following the rules. And don't bother to complain when you find yourself being taken adavantage of by others who know you will simply conform to their wishes, it will do you no good - that is your reality; the only one you know. Any other possibility is unthinkable. And that guy on DU saying all this is an idiot.

Maybe. Maybe. But he looks like such a happy idiot.

P.S. That "follow the rules attitude" is of like kind with one that accepts the fact that you have to go along and kill people because the "authorities" tell you to... for God, Country, Security, Democracy. But what about what your true inner self wants? Bless the souls who say "no, It isn't my truth to follow your rules. I doubt your authority. I won't murder others for you."

But you aren't going to get paid for it unless your boss (and most everybody has a boss in one way or another) is cool with it. He can wear whatever hairstyle he wants -- at another job.

cut his hair and it was still "unacceptable" to the park's GM.

That's right, follow the rules - goose-step into the future!

Get a job that doesn't have 'em.

They don't exist. Which is the problem-- it's becoming impossible to be who you are AND have a job unless you're willing to completely hide who you are.
I have a big, big problem with that.

I'm honestly at a loss -- it's just a friggin' hairstyle; it doesn't define him as a person and if he really can't stand it he can get another job and grow it back.

We're a soft bunch if cutting our hair to get a job is worth getting a fuss over.

But let's discuss the other issues which I raised:

If you're not working in, say, a food related area (where having neat and well groomed hygiene in general is key), why do you need to cut your hair? If you have an employee dress code, why do you have to change non-essential things like hair, tattoos, and piercings? Why does that matter? It certainly doesn't impact your job, right?
On a philosophical level, I object to the idea that you have to conform beyond what is necessary to do the job; dress code has a purpose, for example, and that is to identify you as an employee. So why can I not be allowed to have my tattoos (which are non gang related ;) ) and piercings exposed? I'm easily identified as an employee and I follow the behavioral guidelines that is expected as an employee. Anything more than that is, imo, a reduction of my self and shows almost an ownership of my self to the employer-- I don't mind the clear distinction in the dress code and behavioral expectations, but to not let me be me in those other areas is disturbing to me. Simply put, I won't work for anyone that will restrict me in having tattoos, piercings, and smoking (off the clock, of course).
And that brings me back to this Six Flags case:
The kid was in uniform and (presumably, though the article says nothing about his attitude and behavior as an employee) behaved properly. The hair issue is bizarre because 1)it doesn't impact his job 2)he was apparently hired and they didn't have a problem with that either. Many employers, in an attempt to homogenize their employees, dislike cornrows and long braids on non-caucasians because it makes them stand out, and for some reason, some customers have an issue with that. I have a problem with this.
So it's not just an issue of "fuck the stupid rules" to me. It goes beyond that. It comes down to conformity, racism (oftentimes, and I think this Six Flags case is a good example of this), and a lot of other ugly things utterly not related to his job.

If it's just a friggen hairstyle and doesn't define him as a person then why should he be denied a living over it? Your projecting. It's the soft bunch that bends over backward to conform because they don't want to make a fuss. This thread fucking sickens me as it appears that DU has been overrun by milquetoast conformists toeing the great capitalist line.

Disgusting!


Jay

I thought this was Socialist Underground! Dammit!

Come off it. Most of us are typing these messages on computers made by giant Chinese corporations, marketed by huge corporate retailers, using software made by a company owned by one of the wealthiest men on the planet. We arent exactly 'sticking it to the man', are we?

Jay

What I do not understand (and probably never will by the looks of it) is why you (among others- I'm not singling any one particular individual out) believe that getting a haircut (or removing piercings, or not wearing the "Fuck the Establishment" T-Shirt, etc.) denies you the ability to be who you are.

Or, in other words, I believe that who we are is 99% in our minds and in our hearts and that the 1% illustrated by our appearance is almost irrelevant.

So I get a haircut to get The Job. Does that change who I am? By some standards, maybe it does; yet when I leave the office and go home, I don't think different thoughts, my imagination is still just as bizarre. I enjoy reading the same style of lit. So, in effect, I don't see any change at all other than outward appearance.

And that outward appearance is just the smallest layer in the true complexities and depths of humanity and who we are as individuals.

Please don't take this as an attack... it's not. It's just a different perspective.

a collared shirt to the office?

Yeah, that's a pretty smart idea...
:sarcasm:

You don't want to lose who you are, do you? Conformist! :)

What's with the squares ;-)

...6 flags or any other 'busy man' outfit wouldn't tell their customers to cut their hair--what's wrong with having employees reflective of the public.

In all honesty, places that have 'cookie cutter' staffs of a same 'type' creep the hell out of me...places like that I assume are probably dishonest for the fact they try so hard to present a fake image of what people look like, that mentality is probably endemic to all facets of the business.

Whatever happened to tolerance as social virtue--I mean I am older now and I see these 'youts' with four pounds of metal on their heads, butt ugly 'tats' or that really stupid 'big clothes' look from awhile (god they looked stupid)...that's my opinion...but I never even think about telling them that. It would never occur to me to hold it against them...why would it to anyone else that valued and respected individual rights and freedom.

What happened to treating people with respect, tolerance, dignity and rewarding individualism?

Since when did the vaguely threatening and condescending notion of , 'well it's a free country and you can do what you want, but I am perfectly free to discriminate against you for it' become a fashionable social virtue.

I don't have any hair--that kids lucky...I am jealousy

/oops ranted - sorry - good point ;-)

Here's a few recruitment videos:
http://www.sixflags.com/video.asp

And the on-line job info:
http://www.sixflags.com/jobs.asp

I could only stomach one video. It certainly indicated a shiny, happy, fun time for little white boys. Feel free to correct me if it shows anything else on any other video. I am also darkly amused by the "international hire" rules. Wonder who that means? Well it would be different if it was SoCal right? Who's in Maryland?

"The 2006 Six Flags America handbook states that employees are not allowed to have "any hairstyle that detracts or takes away from Six Flags theming." Right.

I could not find a employment contract, but if I were hiring someone who came into my office and I knew long hair was not acceptable they would know immediately. The matter would be taken care of prior to hire. The employer has a responsibility as well as the employee.

The article didn't say the young man wore dreads, but if he did and it was for religious reasons, it's triple bullshit. And the ACLU will nail them.

I'm getting real tired of the racism in DU toward caucasians.

Oh wait, you're serious.

This white girl thinks this is the funniest statement she's ever read on here.

As a caucasian, I simply do not feel safe on DU anymore.

:rofl:

by all kinds of "brown people"... with or without braids...

Imagine how hard my life would be as a straight, white Christian male. I'm not sure if I'd be able to go on.

I couldn't take being a straight, white, Xian male.... imagine the horror of that life!

Thats the funniest thing I've read this morning!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Wah wah wah, white men have always been discriminated against WAH WAH WAH WAH :cry: :cry:

Its very obvious on DU. Apparently, cracker whitey etc. are very accepted here.

quote: It certainly indicated a shiny, happy, fun time for little white boys.

That would go over real well if it was:

It certainly indicated a shiny, happy, fun time for little black boys.

Man, it works both ways. Racism sucks no matter who is doing it.

Laugh at your own hypocrisy.

I've never seen "cracker" or "whitey" in a post until yours. Anyway, enjoy your persecuted stay.

It'll be interesting to see how you enjoy your stay.

and assimilated....not threatening at all. They really are a credit to their race.

Or someone that looks exactly like him (at 31 and 51 Seconds). So I guess that the "All American image" includes him.


"Self-destruction is great. It's fun. I don't plan to live to thirty."

That would be the real "all-American" thing to do.

and preferably white look. Having a dress and appearance code is fine,
but that choice of words should set off some alarm bells.

Well scrubbed children of Evangelicals fit the profile of "All American."

...and Temp agencies knew it meant "white".

Quit my office job a year ago this month, and have been self-employed since. Haven't cut my hair since, and the beard is doing nicely too!

men can't have hair that's long enough to touch their shirt collar, men and women can't have unusual hair colors (pink, green, etc.) Other rules include no heels over 2" for women, minimal makeup, no earrings over the size of a dime, only one earring per ear, hose must be worn with skirts, etc. Universal theme parks has fewer rules about appearance, and I have to admit that the staff there does look a little less professional-but at least those who don't want to play by Disney's rules and still want to work at a theme park have another option here in town.

Employers have to right to fire you for the dumbest reasons, no questions asked. Employees are FORCED to follow the rules to keep their low paying job.

"Lunch?" "What Lunch?" "Breaks?" "What Breaks?"

What's really scary is how many people on this thread are just A-Okey Dokey with the employer having absolute power, all for a paycheck that just isn't that great.

These Six Flags America employees were forced to change their appearance after they were hired and already working, or risk losing their jobs. There is a huge difference.

In the minds of the reich-wingers long hair = 'Murrika-hatting, smelly hippie.

And, just what all "American" look were they referring to?

The Anglo-Saxon European, invader "American" look ?

Or

The Native American, indigenous "American" look ?


I think he DID have a TRUE American look !

Why does the white man think HE can determine what "Americans" look like ?? :rofl:

What would Jesus say about long hair ? :rofl:

Good one!!! :)

To re-run points that have already been made:

-A company CAN have a hair/dress code.
-A company that does **SHOULD** make expectations of it known at the time of hire...esp. if the potential employee is in violation of it!
-The kid was HIRED to keep his head behind a huge MASK all day anyhow, what should it matter?

And the "he should have the "All-American" look comment got under my skin too....! >_<

I used to have long hair. Got a lot of ribbing at the pharmacy from it, but never a threat or order to cut it. I wound up doing it on my own. Age and male pattern baldness catches us all. :( Plus the appeal of driving down the road with the wind blowing in your hair? Not so appealing when you have to go driving to work in a dress shirt and slacks and tie...and BANDANNA to keep your hair out of your eyes during the drive!!! o_O

Happy to have you onboard ...

They'll be ga-ga at the go-go when they see me in my toga,
My toga made of blond, brilliantined, biblical hair.
My hair like Jesus wore it,
Halleluja I adore it,
Halleluja Mary loved her son
Why don't my mother love me?

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Hair, hair, hair
Folw it, show it
long as God can grow it, my hair

It looked so bad, that it was the only time in my life when strangers used to yell rude things at me from their cars.

Think in terms of "Mister Heat Miser."

Anyway, while I was on Xmas break, I took my yellow hair to the mall to look for a part-time seasonal job.

Many of the stores said they were "all out of job applications," or didn't need more help for Xmas (??).

Unfortunately, I didn't have any facial piercings, so none of the record stores would hire me... so I guess it works both ways?


Me: How can Sharper Image be out of applications?

Some evolve ... some NOT ... ;-)

big costumes?

I guess 3 foot braids are a bit over the top but 1 foot long braids don't seem like a big deal. That would be, what, shoulder length?

As an ex-employee, I know the Six Flags dress code well. Some co-workers of mine, having hair longer than the specified length, were encouraged by their superiors to get haircuts. This information is contained in the Six Flags dress code, and is very explicit within Six Flags culture. Grooming code also states that employees must be cleanly shaven (razors have been provided to those with "five o'clock shadows") and devoid of any visible body piercings or tattoos. They must also be dressed in the appropriate uniform with their shirts tucked in, and always have their sleeves unrolled. Of course, the fervency with which these rules were implemented depends entirely on the management team and how easy-going they are.

Even in areas not visible to guests ("backstage"), individual expression from employees was limited. As employees decorated the walls with photos and notes to make the area more personable, management stripped them bare, claiming they did not want to be held accountable for any indecent material being posted. To an extent, these concerns were justified. You must consider the crowd of people who work there: usually highly-excitable 16-18 year olds trying to make a couple of bucks during summer vacation, and a handful of 19 and 20+ year olds hanging on to the low-paying job for sentimental reasons. I could discuss the company culture further, but it would lead me on a tangent that few would have the endurance to read through.

As I ascended the ranks towards management, and I was given the power to enforce these rules, my authority was much more lax than others around me. That laxity was something that my peers in the leadership staff shared. That is, unless they needed a solid, rule-oriented justification for having certain employees they may have considered to be troublemakers suspended or even fired. Usually, the leadership would provide verbal nudges to help employees back on track before formal admonitions were issued. The formal series would then follow: an oral reminder, then a written one, then quite possibly suspension and/or termination. In some cases, the verbal nudges were skipped altogether. Again, this was always based entirely on who was running the show at the moment.

That being said, it is difficult to extrapolate from the given information whether or not this particular case is a matter of racism. It seems like the proper warnings were given, but the question still remains as to why he was hired in the first place if his look did not conform to company standards.

I certainly do not believe that Six Flags wishes to root out minority workers in order to reaffirm the company's "All-American" image--even ones they consider "insubordinate". Perhaps a more general, institutionalized racism is at work here, but it is by no means isolated to Six Flags. This, to me, is purely a symptom of what occurs when people relate business success to nationalism. Know this: Six Flags has a penchant for keeping turnover high and wages low, and they hire many underprivileged minorities through temping programs as a result. Management and the leadership staff are at odds over this fact, since leadership would much prefer a group of dedicated, long-term employees who know the ropes and care about their job.

It is interesting to see the internal dramas of Six Flags being played out on a national stage. If one holds a microscope to that little section of the universe, once can observe some very interesting things.

it should be clean and gromed for work but it should be any style

to sport a mohawk to work and visit clients and court that way?

methinks it doesn't fly in all types of work...

note:..I worked with a woman many eons ago who used a crinkle iron to do her hair (her hair was a mess of different dye jobs and apparently she didn't get someone to color it properly because she had about 3 inches of black roots showing in her "blond hair") and also wore clothing about two sizes too small for her...and she loved to push her bosom out for display...well she was asked to dress and carry herself more respectfully and company policy dictated what what considered "okay"...but she didn't care. She got written up, no raises and eventually she left before she was fired.

obviously though that is not how the real world works

in order to play for the Yankees. Many places have grooming & dress code requirements.

Until an incident five years ago, my family had been regular customers
of Six Flags over St. Louis. On our last visit I witnessed a mindset
that ended that family tradition.

Two teens were quietly pleading with two (big) security men that they
had a right to wear their t-shirt, which security found offensive. The
teen wearing the shirt in question specifically pleaded "I have a right
to wear this, this is America". The security officer strongly replied
"THIS is PRIVATE property." In a very intimidating manner, they were
directed to leave the premises. The teens were not acting in any aggressive
manner, but the security men were rather acting like control freaks
and trained bullies.

Those teens had paid (expensive) admission just like everyone else
which at the very least deserved to be treated with courtesy. It
truly seemed like this agressive control treatment was routine for
these security men, and it disturbed me enough that I have vowed
to never again step on Six Flag's "private property".

I tried to see exactly what the shirt said, but the two security
men were hovering over the teens. By their conversation I picked
up that the shirt's message had a political tone.

Six Flag's message came through loud and clear:
'NO Bill of Rights here at Six Flags.
This here is private property!'


edit thought:

Six Flags Over America
"All American Theme Park"
(as long as it is nationalistic conformity)

until I shaved my beard off. I needed the job, so off it went! :( It was short, neatly kept, ie well trimmed (I really liked having a beard). :(

I site Six Flags for discrimination due to the lack of recognition of ethnic hairstyles.

http://www.napptural.com/

www.nappturality.com

Hairstyle "standards" are always arbitrary. Who decided that males in the workplace must have short hair? And why? Conservative indoctrination?

Which in turn threatens their money monopoly. Or is it the other way around?