Film at 11

I realize it's been a while since I was in grade school and I realize that things change with time. But I thought that some pillars of childhood were sacrosanct.

The Yellow School Bus is one of those symbols that is unfortunately changing with the times. When I was a kid, riding the bus was one of life's first freedoms from the parents- a world of its own - where the normal rules of behavior just didn't apply. We could throw things, get up and walk around, talk loud, sing, whatever we wanted, just as long as we never broke the ONE rule: "Do Not Step Across the White Line." You remember that white line? The one right behind the driver? Sure, we could chat with the driver, but standing next to or in front of the driver was out of the question.

And there were no reminders of the rules or the consequences of breaking them that exist in regular life. The cruel world of auto accidents was just not part of riding the bus.

This is all different now. I had occasion to find this out over the July 4th weekend, when I was attending one of the suburban street fests. The free parking was in an industrial lot about three miles from the fest with free bussing between the fest and the parking on, you guessed it, a Yellow Bus. It was kind of fun climbing in there. I took my seat next to the nephew and immediately assumed the "cool kid seating position" - slouched down knees and shins against the seat in front of me. Ah, it was just like old times.

But then I looked up front and saw this:

You can see the standard First Aid Kit just to the right, but good lord - a Body Fluid Cleanup Kit? What are they doing to kids on the bus now that body fluids are leaking out? I'm hoping that this is just the orange absorby stuff that they sprinkle on the ground if you vomit - but something tells me that the fluid in question might be blood.

If this weren't bad enough, look at what else is new on the school bus:

A surveillance camera!! I can't believe it has come to this. Do we really need to watch them this closely? And who is doing the watching? In Chicago at least, everyone is being subjected to spying. Adults have a problem with the cameras because they violate what we learned about having a right to privacy. It creeps me out to think that we've started teaching kids that surveillance is a normal part of life. How very Orwellian.

Seriously, kids have always been cruel to each other - it is part of growing up in a violent society of humans. But does this really mean we need to tape them on their way to school? Or worse, myabe the camera there not to protect the kids from each other, but the kids from the driver.

And add all these new Yellow School Bus items together, and what message are you sending to the kids?

We've got a "No standees permitted" (probably not new, come to think of it) sign, and we're gonna watch you to make sure you don't get up and walk around. And if we catch you, there are going to be consequences requiring the use of the Body Fluid Clean Up Kit.