Spring Break
What's the deal with uniforms?
A change of clothes doesn't mean a change of heart
Andrea Robertson
Issue date: 6/18/08 Section: Opinion
The Pitt County School Board has decided that all students are to wear uniforms starting with the 2008-09 school year. The school board hopes that by adopting this new requirement, students will have a more peaceful school environment, clothing selection will be more tasteful and hygiene and cleanliness will be improved.
Uniforms have always been feared and loathed by most students; however, will uniforms really solve the problems we all encountered while in school? It is impossible to prevent all students from picking on each other, so what is the point in making them all look like minions?
At a young age, clothing is one of the last things on our minds. I remember hearing children comment on the lack of cleanliness of another student's attire, thus that student's clothes went under ridicule; however, the brand name was never brought into the attack. While we are young, most of the banter students give and receive is based on physical characteristics that are nearly impossible to change. We have the "four eyes" jokes, the "metal mouth" jokes, the "fat kid" jokes, the "weird kid" jokes and the list goes on.
I am not endorsing these jokes by any means, they are cruel and pointless; but they will not go away. Requiring each child to wear similar clothing will not make all children get along. Kids are cruel.
Even if the uniforms do prevent kids from joking on each other about appearances, once they enter high school we will still have the girls wearing Chanel earrings, the students with flashy cars, the jocks and the cheerleaders and unless we enact the Handicapper General from Harrison Bergeron, there will always be someone who feels that he or she is better than everyone else.
Once students reach their teens, they begin to feel that their clothing choices are one of the only things that they have to outwardly express who they are.
I will agree that certain things such as provocative clothing and gang-related clothing should be banned from schools. Students shouldn't promote sex and violence. However, there is nothing wrong with a student who wants to wear a t-shirt with a Volcom Stone logo. If parents and school officials were more stringent about the dress code then the need for uniforms would never be brought to the table. Plus, if students could break the old dress code, what is to keep them from breaking the new uniform and appearance policy? If the school can prevent students from wearing the wrong things under the new policy, why couldn't they prevent the students from wearing the wrong things before?
To think that making everyone dress the same will level the playing field and prevent the little boy with glasses or the teenage girl with braces from being picked on is ludicrous. From the time we learn to speak, we ridicule other human beings. We would be lying if we said that we didn't continue to do so into adulthood.
There is no need to turn a group of young people who are trying to discover the kind of people they want to be into sheep.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Uniforms have always been feared and loathed by most students; however, will uniforms really solve the problems we all encountered while in school? It is impossible to prevent all students from picking on each other, so what is the point in making them all look like minions?
At a young age, clothing is one of the last things on our minds. I remember hearing children comment on the lack of cleanliness of another student's attire, thus that student's clothes went under ridicule; however, the brand name was never brought into the attack. While we are young, most of the banter students give and receive is based on physical characteristics that are nearly impossible to change. We have the "four eyes" jokes, the "metal mouth" jokes, the "fat kid" jokes, the "weird kid" jokes and the list goes on.
I am not endorsing these jokes by any means, they are cruel and pointless; but they will not go away. Requiring each child to wear similar clothing will not make all children get along. Kids are cruel.
Even if the uniforms do prevent kids from joking on each other about appearances, once they enter high school we will still have the girls wearing Chanel earrings, the students with flashy cars, the jocks and the cheerleaders and unless we enact the Handicapper General from Harrison Bergeron, there will always be someone who feels that he or she is better than everyone else.
Once students reach their teens, they begin to feel that their clothing choices are one of the only things that they have to outwardly express who they are.
I will agree that certain things such as provocative clothing and gang-related clothing should be banned from schools. Students shouldn't promote sex and violence. However, there is nothing wrong with a student who wants to wear a t-shirt with a Volcom Stone logo. If parents and school officials were more stringent about the dress code then the need for uniforms would never be brought to the table. Plus, if students could break the old dress code, what is to keep them from breaking the new uniform and appearance policy? If the school can prevent students from wearing the wrong things under the new policy, why couldn't they prevent the students from wearing the wrong things before?
To think that making everyone dress the same will level the playing field and prevent the little boy with glasses or the teenage girl with braces from being picked on is ludicrous. From the time we learn to speak, we ridicule other human beings. We would be lying if we said that we didn't continue to do so into adulthood.
There is no need to turn a group of young people who are trying to discover the kind of people they want to be into sheep.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Samantha
posted 6/21/08 @ 3:39 AM EST
Regardless of what students choose to wear in high school, a lot of what they are made fun of is rooted in elementary and middle school. The advantage of school uniforms is that it puts everyone on a similar level to try and prevent certain things from happening around the school campuses, such as hiding weapons or bullying for being different. (Continued…)
Lisa M. Peacock Ma, Bs, Bsw III QP
posted 8/12/08 @ 6:29 PM EST
The only comment I would like to make is that some students don't get new clothes every year, much less have the money for a uniform. I am a case manager and I work with children who have parents that can sometimes barely get by and can make ends met. (Continued…)
Lisa M. Peacock Ma, Bs, Bsw III QP
posted 8/12/08 @ 6:31 PM EST
The only comment I would like to make is that some students don't get new clothes every year, much less have the money for a uniform. I am a case manager and I work with children who have parents that can sometimes barely get by and can make ends met. (Continued…)
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