Once the newspaper got the story, the case of the longhairs became a cause celebre. Ron and Len were interviewed, seen on T.V, and regarded by their fellow students as heroes. “These are not delinquents or hoods,” one reporter wrote, “but clean-cut American boys who are being harassed by monolithic school system.” A caustic editorial referred to the school decision as arbitrary and inane. A false story even circulated about the boys being rock-n-roll performers whose indigent families needed their salaries. Finally, the Civil Liberties Union jumped into the fray with a court order stipulating that the principal be required to show cause why the boys should not be allowed to return to class.
- A tempest in a teapot – orang yg membesarkan masalah kecil
- Cause celebre – a famous law case or controvery
- Delinquent – kenakalan
- Hood – kejahatan
- Being harassed – ditekan
- Monolithic – kebesaran, kekuasaan
- indigent – miskin
- impoverished – memiskinkan
- poverty-stricken
- jump into the fray – campur tangan
- stipulate – menyatakan
- principal – kepala sekolah