The Shaming

I read an editorial in The Tennessean to the sixers yesterday. The editorial discussed the possible repeal of the shaming law for DUI offenders, which calls for the wearing of vests that read "I AM A DRUNK DRIVER" while doing road crew duty. The sixers had all sorts of questions about DUI and open container laws. Stuff like, "What if you had a beer bottle, but you filled it up with ginger ale and you had that in your car? Would you get in trouble then?" It was difficult getting them back on track, talking about how text can be used to wield power. When we got back to the photograph, many thought humiliation was a harsh and stupid punishment, and others supported the vests. When some of these same sixers ran through the hall on the way to the book fair, I asked if a vest that said something like, "I RUN RATHER THAN WALK IN HALLWAYS," might be helpful to enforce our hallway rules. They thought that was hilarious and a long list of shaming vests were invented as we walked the rest of the way to the library.