by Jeffrey Wright

Created on: November 03, 2010   Last Updated: November 06, 2010

Why in the world one would think its ok to give a student detention for passing gas on a bus is ridiculous thought.  Passing gas is a naturally occurring bodily function sometimes made worse by eating certain foods, but certainly not a punishable offence.

After all, we don’t punish people for eating, and then having to go to the bathroom thereafter do we?  No.  Why should this be any different with passing gas?  This seems to me like saying that because you had to take up extra seat space because you have a broken leg your getting expelled from school.  it’s a pointless punishment for a non “crime”

What about this?  What if the student has an actual medical problem that makes him more gassy then usual.  No I don’t know what kinds of medical problems would cause that, but hypothetically speaking, what if that was so?  Are we going to punish someone for something that’s beyond their control?  Does that remotely make any sense?  It doesn’t to me!

OK, OK…I understand that in some cases it might be disruptive…but on a school bus there isn’t exactly a place to relieve that pressure.  Sometimes it just has to come out.  Maturity level dictates in most cases the reaction of the people around that “offender” is going to range from childish to even more childish and it's going to cause a stir.  There are worse things happening on the ride too, and from school these days to make the act of passing wind on the bus a crime punishable by detention.

Consider things like sexual harassment to outright assault and even rape, that has become an issue on buses today!  This is the caliber of seriousness I’m most worried about these days.  I stopped going to school almost 12 years ago now and I never had to deal with these types of problems.  These types of problems do more to disrupt and endanger passengers then passing gas ever did our could.  Passing wind didn’t endanger anything but the comfortableness of the nose.  Assault and harassment endangers are the problems that people should be worried about!


How bout we take the advice of my mother here.  Ignore the small stuff!  Don’t sweat it!  Its really not the big deal that people are trying to make it out to be.  Gas happens.  It happens every time I drink the mix I use to help me maintain my fiber intake.  My boss isn’t going to fire me for passing gas at work.  He may pick on me, but not fire me.  Why should we punish a person for having passed gas?

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