Technology Student Association or Hitler Youth Group for Corpoate America

Ok it has been awhile since I posted but something got under my hat and started chafing my arse so I had to post again.

My Kid is a 13 yr old male who does well in school and is smart as a whip and loves all things tech so as part of his extra curricular activities he joined his school's chapter of TSA or Technology Student Association. We were all for it hoping this would be a great way for him to be exposed to tech and different areas of technology from computers to engineering to help build social skills while operating n a safe school environment.

I knew there was trouble on the horizon when he we had to buy him a suit to attend a TSA conference in Orlando... Yeah a 13 yr old had to have a blue blazer, blue pants, black dress shoes and a TSA patch sewn to the sleeve... Hello Corporate America.... Shades of the old pre MS days of the stodgy IBM suits who controlled all tech in America until Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and their buds from their nifty little computer group got together and turned corporate America on its ear and stole the keys to the limo.

Some of the activities he digs like CO2 car racing and web site building, bridge building and structures, using popsicle sticks (which reminds me of my days in Junior achievement) where I did activities and learned basic business principles but at no time did we have to dress like little Michael Keaton, GOP Republican, wannabes to be in compliance with the chapters dress codes. No, we could wear what we like as the focus was on our minds and abilities and interests and not on conforming to the herd.

Most of the real techno dweebs out there that are making a real difference today in our techy world and making real strides in developing new tech either in web apps or gadgets or even in engineering wear t-shirts with pithy if cryptic saying on them (I own a few myself...) wear their hair long have facial hair and would probably die first if asked or told they had to wear a suit. And rightly so like a suit automatically legitimizes you as a solid worker and team player. What does my blue blazer have to do with my minds abilities or gifts and the way I can think around a problem and find solutions? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Hey don’t get me wrong there’s plenty of these same braniacs out there who love wearing their 3 piece button downs and are doing their part. my point is that it should be a choice...
left to the individual and real hiring or firing should really be placed with resource personnel who base evaluations on human assets to a company on their skill level and not if they conform to a certain ideal.

This is even more abhorrent when its a student group training our kids to be little carbon copy cookie cutter pale reflection of one another of corporate Americas ideal of what a real human should look and act like especially at a time in a young man or young woman’s life where they are just discovering that A) they are real and alive and have a personality and are learning what and who they want to be. And B) are susceptible to strong authority figure types leanings.

Not saying TSA is quite like Hitler’s youth corps but its the same road Nazi Germany followed and look where it got them... strength thru conformity and loss of the individuals gifts and talents

TSA is a good organization and is trying to help our kids find a place in a ever growing tech reliant world and give them a place where they can stand tall and excel but geez lets get rid of the corporate mentality already and let my kid wear his WiFi detector shirt its blue and has tech IN it and the patch would go nice on the sleeve... if yours wants to wear a suit let him or her. Let it be THEIR choice but lets just be a guide to showing what’s available out there and help them find a path that they can learn and grow upon in the areas that really interest them and let them excel because of their passion.

As my PHP buddy says: God Bless and fly low!