Our country's crisis has inspired people to get literary. Metaphors abound. Poetry is the new national hobby.

        In one e-mail making the rounds, Osama bin Laden is the “Binch” and Dr. Seuss' poem rewritten as a tribute to “U-Ville,” where the twin towers are U-Hope and U-Pride.

        There are nonsense rearrangements of Mr. bin Laden's name - “I model bananas,” is one — and lots of essays in the Southern bumper-sticker tradition, distinguished by frequent use of the word “whoop.”

        Then there's the analogy penned by a graduate of Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger.

        “What kind of message are you sending to all the students when you punish a whole group, simply because of the actions of a few?” he wrote to Principal John Riehemann.

        “Haven't we learned something about that in the last few weeks, with vigilantes deciding that all Arabs or all Muslims are bad simply because of the horrible actions of a few?”

        In layman's terms, this is known as a stretch.
       

Over the top

        Lloyd's Homecoming dance and parade were canceled last week due to pre-Homecoming vandalism.

        In an escalating grudge match between classes, students painted shoe polish on houses, used bleach to stain concrete and poured honey on the cloth interiors of cars.

        Mr. Riehemann warned the entire school last year that the destruction had to stop. This year, he again asked for cooperation. When it wasn't forthcoming, he canceled everything but Friday's football game.

        This was done for the safety of students, he said, but some saw it as punishment. Hence the complaint that all were being blamed for the sins of a few.

        We've heard this before. In 1999, the entire sixth grade at a Catholic school in Greenhills was suspended for one day after a classmate brought in marijuana. Many students knew but did nothing. Same outcry: Why punish them all?

        My answer: Because schools are training grounds for society, and the quality of a society depends on its collective values.

        I'm not much interested in a society that tolerates — even encourages — the notion that Homecoming should include the smearing of Vaseline and sugar on lawn furniture.
       

Individual's role

        America mystifies me sometimes. During this crisis, we've been awash in flags and calls for unity. The country's oneness is on display — its resolve, courage and love of freedom.

        These are wonderful qualities. Oneness helps countries win wars, and on a smaller scale, it helps schools have championship seasons or score well on state tests.

        But try an appeal to oneness when bad behavior is the target, and suddenly, everyone's an individual. I didn't do anything. It's not my fault.

        No, not directly. But good citizenship means thinking beyond yourself. Lloyd administrators understood this. They canceled Homecoming because it was wreaking havoc in the community. No excuses.

        Superintendent Jim Molley hopes students and parents will come to understand. “Whatever this school is, they help make it that way,” he said.

        He and the principal are setting a good example. In the end, that's the most they can do.

        The rest is up to individuals.

       
       Karen Samples is the Enquirer's Kentucky columnist. She can be reached at (859) 578-5584 or at ksamples@enquirer.com.
       

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