emuna, you must be young to say such things about 30 years ago. I am married 34 years and I can tell you that even though there weren’t so many brands of wigs, most women wore wigs. Also, I graduated Yeshiva of Brooklyn in 1969 and if you look at my graduation pictures, you would see that MOST of the hems only touched the top of the knee.
In my opinion, a big difference from those days to today is:
1) there were so few children that schools WANTED any warm bodies.
2) Most people were more open minded because they say what WWII did to the Yidden spiritually as well as physically. Most people had family that wasnt’ frum anymore after WWII.
So much of today is shtiyut (stupidity). When I got married, it was considered a major faux pas to wear black to a wedding. Now? And why is it ok for the Chosson or kalla’s sisters to wear colors but not anyone else? When I got married, during the summer about half of the Aguda where I davened wore straw hats! And we were still an Aguda shul.
People should not send their child to a school were the child is the frumest or the least frum. A MO parent who wants to send their child to a Chassidic yeshiva is looking for trouble. The same with a Chassidic parent who wants to send a child to a MO school.
WE HAVE ALL GONE CRAZY! I also have problems with people who wear “the uniform” then walk into a store and treat the staff like dirt. I have problems with people who wear “the uniform” and then do things that hurt people. Like the heads of a certain major frum organization that threaten to blacken reputations of people that threaten their power. Then these people sit there self-righteously and wonder why people are off the derech. DUH?!
OK, I’ve raised my issues with things, here is my answers: In places where there is a choice (like NY), schools have a right to restrict their school to people who uphold their levels i.e. Cholov Yisroel or not, denim or not, sleaves all the way to the wrists or 3/4 sleaves, white shirts or not. In places where there is not choice (like many places out of town), schools cannot deny a child a Jewish education. If your community school isn’t frum enough, MOVE. You can’t scream that everyone should change for you.
Schools also have to realize that if you squeeze kids too much, they will rebel. SOME things must be allowed. Pick your battles.
Sorry for the long post, but this bugs me alot!