If O.J. Simpson had murdered two people in Portsmouth, the city elders would have outlawed Heisman Trophies. I made a survey earlier, on the subject of trench coats. But they have plenty of company in thinking that a little hysteria never hurt anyone. Schools in several other towns joined in the trench coat ban, with untold consequences for London Fog. Students in Illinois have been sent home merely for wearing black.
More alert minds can detect dangers even further afield.
Hordes of blond cheerleaders could be affected by a Massachusetts legislator's bill making it illegal to sell hair dye of any shade to those under 18. School uniforms are gaining popularity, a trend that can be expected to end with all pupils wearing orange jumpsuits. Thoughts and words are also being treated like deadly weapons. A boy in Virginia was arrested after writing an essay that featured a fictional student with a nuclear weapon strapped to his chest. The kids who committed the murders at Columbine High School were a little different, so hypervigilant adults have reached the conclusion that anything different is fraught with peril.