sense offense!

Anyone who saw Christian Bale's low-budget but well-intended 1984 retread "Equilibrium" will recall that the movie portrays a dystopia in which people are no longer allowed access to their own feelings. The powers that be have deemed that emotion is the root cause of the human race's self-destructive violence, so humanity must be immunized against itself for its own protection. For this reason, the people who live in the land of Libria must regularly dose themselves with an emotion-suppressing drug called Prozium. These citizens are closely monitored to make sure they take their doses; those who fall off the routine and begin re-experiencing feelings are labeled as "sense offenders"; most of these offenders are incinerated. Sense offense is portrayed in the movie as the appreciation of something aesthetic or primal: the love of a mother for her child, the appreciation of a work of art, or-- as a brief moment in the movie shows-- the secret removal of one's glove to allow one to feel the cold steel of a stairway's banister against one's fingertips.

With that bleak scenario as our context, get a load of this:

A Connecticut middle school principal has laid down the law: You put your hands on someone -- anyone -- in any way, you're going to pay.

A violent incident that put one student in the hospital has officials at the Milford school implementing a "no touching" policy, according to a letter written by the school's principal.

East Shore Middle School parents said the change came after a student was sent to the hospital after being struck in the groin.

Principal Catherine Williams sent out a letter earlier in the week telling parents recent behavior has seriously impacted the safety and learning at the school.

"Observed behaviors of concern recently exhibited include kicking others in the groin area, grabbing and touching of others in personal areas, hugging and horseplay. Physical contact is prohibited to keep all students safe in the learning environment," Williams wrote.

Students and parents are outraged. They said the new policy means no high-fives and hugs, as well as horseplay of any kind. The consequences could be dire, Williams warned in the letter.

"Potential consequences and disciplinary action may include parent conferences, detention, suspension and/or a request for expulsion from school," Williams wrote.

Many think the school's no tolerance policy goes way too far. Others said it's utterly ridiculous.

"Now it's almost as if it's a sanitized school. Where you have to keep your distance from everybody? And that's not what school is about," one father said.

Unlike Orwell's 1984, in which the system apparently triumphs, "Equilibrium" ends with a successful rebellion. What do you suppose will happen in Connecticut?


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