School Uniforms, Mandatory or Not?

[TEXASFETT]

It's really crazy on this thread but I'm not for them as well but from being til graduating in 97' could wear whatever. Seems like this is a national thing but whatever works I guess. I would iron madien shirts everything man the glory days will be missed.

[AAAAA]

inner city Kids were killing each other over their sneakers and leather jackets.
it also cuts down gang activity in the schools

[Adam West]

For whatever it's worth, my parents did not make a lot of money and I did not wear what would have been considered "fashionable" clothes.

It was toughskins and I have no idea where the shirts were from. The funny thing is, I never felt poor. My father grew up on a farm so we always had great big vegetable gardens and we got by. I was also taught not to let people judge me by what I wear.

I distinctly remember wearing long pants one year that were actually from the previous year and a little too short. A few people made fun of my "high waters" but I just never let it bother me. I would usually just laugh along with them. Like I said though things have changed as least where I live. I swear you can walk in the local goodwill shop right near my house and buy Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitter clothing and it is barely worn. This stuff has been so mass produced, you can walk in there and buy nice shirt, pants, shoes, etc. for less than $10 and be dressed in style.

[LOU]

Yes novembr, you are correct. I am very much of the school "if you can't beat 'em, you HAVE to join them." I'm not happy about it but again, if it was my kid, all that matters to me is their success in this world, and like or not, which I don't, I would not allow my child to go on a job interview with purple hair. Not that I care if someone's hair is purple, as I said, that teller I spoke of was better than ALL the "professionally dressed" ones and I would've happily had 5 more of her, piercings and all, over what I was left with. But the fact is the righteous notion of "one man can make a difference" isn't always true and certainly not in your own best interest, as the teller who was fired learned. What did she change? Nothing, the bank went and hired another teller and trained her in a week. But that girl who lost her job would certainly have been better served by following my "if you can't beat 'em" phiolosophy than the one she opted for. In fact I'm certain she'd have been a branch supervisor by now. So yeah, it stinks, but if she was my daughter, I would have ordered her to remove the piercings when she went to work. It's for her own good and I would not let her throw her life opportunities away one after the other over some misguided belief that she should "stand up for what she believes in" baloney. She can't stop the machine and she's not throwing her life away over some meaningless principle.
So no I don't necessarily think these shallow judgements of society are correct in their assumptions about someone based on the location of a piercings; but it's a monster that's much too big to fight! So all we can hope for is one day some girl with her whole face pierced will walk into my old bank with a million dollars to invest; just so we can watch the bank's pitiful about-face...or some guy in a Judas Priest shirt walks into a church and throws $1000 in the parish collection basket.