Seized!

We here at HTP apologize for making you walk an extra distance to get this copy of the newspaper. The reason why this issue is being distributed off of school grounds, however, is beyond our control. What you are reading today has been deemed offensive to the moral tone of the school by our Principal, Mr. Pirk, and must now be distributed off school property.

The story of HTP v3i3 is a long and involved one, but it comes down to the fact that the administration seized a large portion of the paper issues while we were busy putting them together in the caf.

The HTP Staff have since met with principal Pirk on four occasions, which were remarkably similar to one another. The meetings start with Mr. Pirk threatening the editors with some enigmatic punishment, and asking us to bring in our parents. Then a long-winded philosophical debate on freedom of expression breaks out. Among the issues debated were the controversial ‘Jesus Issue’ (which had very little to do with Jesus), HTP's use of profanity, and the fact that it is an anonymous paper (according to Pirk, this frees us of any responsibility for our work).

Mr. Pirk also made unfounded allegations that HTP was "racist and sexist", claiming that our use of the word 'bitch' (i.e. "Punk Ass Bitch - An Article on Youth Violence", "His ass died for your sins, bitch") was unequivocably degrading to women (he said that he felt sorry for the female members of HTP because they could not see how they were being offended). When we asked him to find examples of HTP’s “racism", Mr. Pirk said it was impossible because he threw out all his back issues in a fit of rage.

In response to his problems with anonymity, we responded by saying that, in fact, we are very concerned with the opinions of our readers, that most students know who writes for the paper (we now even print the editors’ names on the inside cover), and that our e-mail address is prominently displayed on every copy. Comments about HTP are brought to the attention of the editors in person, via e-mail, or simply by posting a sheet on a wall in the halls (as Mr. Fyfe had once done).

As to the swearing, Mr. Pirk said that it is a negative influence on Grade 7 students and is inappropriate in a school setting. We agreed with him to some extent, but we pointed out that several magazines (such as Watch) are distributed in the school but contain swearing, so it is unfair to single out HTP for something that other publications contain.

Our arguments were convincing, and at sometime between the second and third meetings, a decision was made by the administration to continue allowing HTP to distribute freely on school grounds. The honeymoon was over, however, when Mr. Pirk’s opinion of HTP was soured by a post by Don on our website bulletin board. The post was entitled ‘Stupid things Mr. Pirk said’, and was a recounting of some of the unfounded allegations that Mr. Pirk made during the first two meetings. Apparently, Mr. Pirk read the electronic bulletin board over the weekend, and made his decision in anger. We were prohibited from distributing HTP on school property ever again.

Despite the fact that there is no school board policy allowing him to withhold our property indefinately, Mr. Pirk has refused to return the copies. He said that, seeing as we would only start distributing off school property (taking an example from the teachers during the Bill 160 protest), it was his decision to hang on to them. The HTP Staff has resolved to, rather than wallow in past nonsense, move on to bigger and better things (like the issue you are reading right now, future benefit shows, an HTP CD-ROM, etc). Can’t nobody hold us down.

The discussions with Mr. Pirk were both interesting and frustrating for us. We feel that Mr. Pirk deserves respect for at least listening to us (and for putting up with Furhan’s Steiner Stunner around Easter). Regrettably, though, he continued to make comments about our paper which, we feel, were untrue and unfair. Obviously, we here at HTP and Mr. Pirk have different opinions on what is offensive, what is censorship, and what is freedom of speech.

If we’ve learned anything from this whole fiasco, it is that democracy ends at the school’s front door; that like it or not, school administrations have absolute rule over their students, and that freedoms taken for granted out on the sidewalk disappear with the playing of ‘O Canada’ every morning.

It’s a shame that Mr. Pirk feels he is doing the school a service by continuing to hold on to the seized copies, even though we have no intention of distributing them in the school. Effectively, he is stealing out of the pockets of his own students, a gesture which is made even more pointless by the fact that, thanks to the hundred or so dedicated rock and roll fans who came to the HTP benefit show on April 3, we reprinted the seized issue and distributed it again. We won’t stop, ‘cause we can’t stop.