Students Dislike Uniforms, Respond By Burning Them

[Darth SS]

I think that uniforms are just too far, but I understand and would go so far as to support dress codes.

ANYWAYS: I would say this would qualify as a protest, mostly because it was evidently organized and non-violent. An act of rebellion would be to small all the windows at the school or something, but this was just a statement of "We hate the Blazers. We will not wear them."

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Ugainius

Have either of you actually worn school uniforms?

Possibly not, but having had to myself, I tend to agree. When I no longer had to wear a uniform, it actually took me a while to figure out what I actually wanted to wear. There was also less groupthink, and frankly, more diversity of personality. While teaching kids that school is a formal environment is great for pounding facts into their brains to regurgitate, it really stifles the best tool of all: a child's curiosity. Kids WANT to learn. It's hardcoded into their brains. Making them sit in a cramped desk, wearing the same thing as everyone else, not being able to fidget, and waiting oh so desperately for the long hand to reach the 12 on the clock and the bell to ring like Pavlov's dog kills that and makes learning patently un-fun.

[Ugainius]

The hell? They don't have to wear them all the time ya know? It's like this: Uniforms are a representation of the school and the school alone. It represents the school. You should be perfectly capable of expressing your individuality while representing the school at the same time.

And using clothes to represent your individuality especially at young age (since your clothes are chosen by your parent at that age anyway) is kind of faulty. I base individuality as what you do and who you are, and clothing (at least opinion) is hardly an effective method of expression.

[Mesden]

Wearing certain types of clothing falls under "What you do", so I don't see what you're getting at there.

Also, clothing has long since been a form of expression and visual self-identity. Hippies wore those psychedelic clothings for more than just groovy looks.

Anyhow, Uniforms in America have long since been a stand-over from the 50s nuclear family, everyone be the same, do the same think tank. Back when it was cool to be like everyone else. The kids of that generation (Baby Boomers) are the ones currently in power and leaving that power behind as well, as the next generation (60s...) begins to settle in. This is why you see more and more schools doing away with the uniform, while more conservatively minded, stick-to-the-plan areas seem to only want to make the codes stricter for all unjustified and borderline idiotic reasons -- The southern states, mostly.

[Mirai Gen]

Hell I had a school uniform. I hated it. Instead of bothering to administer punishment to people who wear shirts that say "FUCK YOU!" on the front, they just enforce a policy so they don't have to bother.

I do find the situation ironic, however. Picture this: Gang members in a school all wear blue or red or something to express their unity as a gang (Let's not jump the gun and think that they go and rob liquor stores or get in gunfights). School gets angry and forces everyone to wear a uniform to express unity as a school.

Really if you can show me just one statistic that shows that violence, drugs, teen unsafe sex, or any other superbad thing that actually gets affected in any way by uniforms as opposed to dress codes, I'll stuff this post up my reactor linkage.

Rock on guys, burn those fucking clothes and show them that just 'cause you're teens you're not pushovers.

[Fifthfiend]

Originally Posted by Ugainius

The hell? They don't have to wear them all the time ya know? It's like this: Uniforms are a representation of the school and the school alone. It represents the school. You should be perfectly capable of expressing your individuality while representing the school at the same time.

And using clothes to represent your individuality especially at young age (since your clothes are chosen by your parent at that age anyway) is kind of faulty. I base individuality as what you do and who you are, and clothing (at least opinion) is hardly an effective method of expression.

Why is it faulty to use clothing to express individual beliefs and associations of choice, but not faulty to be forced to be coerced into expressing support of institutions to which one is already coerced into belonging?

The job of schools is to teach math and reading and science and shit, not blind loyalty to arbitrary social constructs.

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Ugainius

The hell? They don't have to wear them all the time ya know? It's like this: Uniforms are a representation of the school and the school alone. It represents the school. You should be perfectly capable of expressing your individuality while representing the school at the same time.

And using clothes to represent your individuality especially at young age (since your clothes are chosen by your parent at that age anyway) is kind of faulty. I base individuality as what you do and who you are, and clothing (at least opinion) is hardly an effective method of expression.

Clothing is part of what you do, isn't it? Style is a true expression of oneself for the express reason that appearance is everything. Anyone who tells you appearance doesn't matter is lying. Good-looking people are pre-judged as more intelligent, more confident, and more capable than plain people on sight. Taller people are judged as more capable, more assertive, and better at leadership than people of average height on sight. People who look more powerful earn similar reactions. If you are short, slight, and plain, you are likely to get paid less, hired less, hit on less, and taken less seriously.

In the same vein, style can enhance your appearance and say something about the way you think. You can tell a lot about a woman by the way she does her nails. Any blues, greens, purples, or other unnatural colors means she's a risk-taker and willing to go out to left field. Soft pinks and roses indicate she's more moderate and stays with pre-established norms. Reds indicate confidence and dependability. French nails indicate she takes care of herself and is detail-oriented.

And don't get me started on shoes.

In the same vein, the colors you wear have an effect on your chances of being hired. Wearing blue to an interview increases your chances greatly. First because blue is the most common favorite color, but also because it gives the impression you're composed, relaxed, and personable. The style of your clothing also has an effect. For women, short heels with closed toes are the best shoe to wear at an interview.






Now, back to style in school. School is invariably the place where kids get most of their peer socialization. Hence, it's an important place in the formation of their identities. Clothing helps them experiment with that in a completely reversible way. It also helps tell others who they are, or who they want to be seen as being. Parents only dress their children for so long before the kids start asking for styles that they prefer. When that point rolls around, it means that they're trying to break out of just being a student or just being the child of their parents. This break is a natural part of human development. It's the fledgling leaving the nest. Most of the time, this begins just before puberty. Teens experiment to establish themselves as adults. Just because Western society keeps kids out of adulthood longer doesn't remove the biological factor making them want this. They experiment with things like clothing, hairstyles, music, sex, and drugs to determine who they really are. It all revolves around the individual adult they wish to become. By removing one of these channels for experimentation, it impedes the process and may encourage others. Therefore, having a school uniform DOES encourage a group, rather than individual, identity, which impresses on children that there's nothing special about them and that their lives will likely end up in mediocrity. It probably will, but if nobody expects otherwise, the special exceptions may not manifest and some otherwise promising doctors and lawyers will probably end up as clerks.

[Ugainius]

Originally Posted by Mirai Gen

Hell I had a school uniform. I hated it. Instead of bothering to administer punishment to people who wear shirts that say "FUCK YOU!" on the front, they just enforce a policy so they don't have to bother.

I do find the situation ironic, however. Picture this: Gang members in a school all wear blue or red or something to express their unity as a gang (Let's not jump the gun and think that they go and rob liquor stores or get in gunfights). School gets angry and forces everyone to wear a uniform to express unity as a school.

Really if you can show me just one statistic that shows that violence, drugs, teen unsafe sex, or any other superbad thing that actually gets affected in any way by uniforms as opposed to dress codes, I'll stuff this post up my reactor linkage.

Rock on guys, burn those fucking clothes and show them that just 'cause you're teens you're not pushovers.

Here you go.

[Regulus Tera]

Having worn uniforms all of my life until college, I think my ideas are a bit conservative about this issue in particular, but I nevertheless will put it into place:

Uniforms, at least from where I come from, are not enforced to brainwash or remove someone's individuality, but to teach that the alumni is at a level lower that the respective authority, in this case, the teachers and the faculty. It reinforces a sense of respect and discipline while maintaining a decent dress code in which the girls do not show enough leg to pass as a whore or the guys show half of their arse, which was something I noticed a lot when visiting a high school in the United States.

[TopHatAssassin]

It reinforces a sense of respect and discipline while maintaining a decent dress code in which the girls do not show enough leg to pass as a whore or the guys show half of their arse

This happened at my high school all the time (Catholic, so uniforms were a go). The girls would hike their kilts up, sew up the sides of the shirts to make them tighter, the guys would run around with their pants dangerously low. The uniforms were ugly as sin and horribly uncomfortable in all types of weather. But they didn't really faze me. I mean, it gave you something to wear, you knew exactly what you were going to wear that day. No wondering if this shirt goes with those pants and these shoes or if that kilt matches your eyes, no. You had the maroon or white polo shirt with the black pants. People would say "Oh, it's a ploy by the Man to try to keep us down!" Go rub salt on your ass, man, it's just clothing. You can either fret about it or just go with it and not pay attention.
As for all this blazer burning going on, I say more power to them if that's what they want to do. Not my clothes, I won't be cold come winter.