What’s more astonishing? A) Seventeen Alabama students were paddled for violating their school dress code on prom night; B) Corporal punishment is still legal in 20 states; C) Over 200,000 public school students are paddle-whacked each year; or D) Mainstream media coverage of A doesn’t mention B or C. Thank you, Jezebel, for putting the story in perspective.

And kudos to fashion offender Erica DeRamus, below, who just said no to the paddle–and got suspended. “This is not the 1940s,” DeRamus told Fox News. “We don’t take corporal punishment now.”