When former Black Panther and current Democrat Congressman Bobby Rush appeared on the floor of the House of Representatives in a hoodie and was ejected for violating the dress code (which forbids head covering), he added a new dimension to the racial Rorschach Test that is the Trayvon Martin shooting.  Apparently, the hoodie has come to represent black culture, so to be free of racism, all Americans must accept it as perfectly acceptable clothing in all situations, even on the august floor of the House of Representatives, where the nation's fate is debated.

Even though I have seen white, Hispanic, and Asian people wearing hoodies for well over a decade, apparently  the fact that it first became popular in gangsta' subculture is enough to permanently associate blacks with this  particular garment. I never associated the Unabomber with black people, but perhaps that is merely proof of my racism.

Are we now on course to see the hoodie as a fashion statement of tolerance? Will diversity bureaucrats in companies and government agencies start rewriting dress codes to permit hoodies in offices? Will casual Fridays be replaced by hoodie Fridays in the trendier firms?

If clothing diversity is the trend of the future, how far will it go? We do know how far it won't go. From stltoday.com: 

A Granite City High School senior doing research on his family's Scottish heritage purchased a kilt made out of the family's tartan and decided the garment's coming out party would be at the senior prom.

School officials, however, said no.

William Carruba was denied again Tuesday by the Granite City School Board, where he had turned in hopes of having the school's denial reversed. Officials there said kilts are "nontraditional" and that they do not fit into the district's dress code.

"I understand full-heartedly," Carruba, 19, said of the board's decision after the meeting. "I'll just ... wear pants."

Superintendent Harry A. Briggs told the 65 people in attendance that the denial was not simply about the kilt.

"We must adhere to our (dress) policy," Briggs said. "To do otherwise would be reckless on our part."

While he said he respects the tradition of the kilt, Briggs, who said he is of Scottish-Irish heritage, said normal attire must be worn to school functions.

"It's not what we call normal wear," he said of the kilt, adding that "attending the prom is a privilege, not a right."

_{A question to ponder: If a student at GCHS wished to attend the prom in formal African wear, for example a flowing dashiki, would the same policy be applied?  If not, would Revs. Jackson and Sharpton be silent?}

_{Hat tip: David Paulin}