Appearances Are Destructive- Summary:
The author of this article, Mark Mathbane, points that dress code could both protect student from school violence and promote their knowledge on learning. He took his two sisters in American school for examples. Because of the better education in American than in South Africa, Mark enrolled his two sisters at American public school with great expectations. However, other students mocked his sisters, just because the clothes they wore. They not only cried for this, but also wanted to transform their school.
After telling his sisters that there was nothing wrong with them, he visited other public schools and found that what his sisters encountered was unique. Because students in school cared not about their minds but about their appearances, it seems to be the common phenomena for now American students. Moreover, he found students were more familiar with names of brands rather than names of famous literature authors. They even measure parental love by how much their parents will spend on their clothing. Because of this kind of competition, some poor children may get involved with gangs or peddle drugs to raise the money. Girls also dress only sexy clothes up for more attractive than work harder in learning subjects. They have wrong ideas about appearances.
Therefore, Mark points this misleading of society and shows us lots of career keep their own uniforms. School dress codes can provide the order in the school and even provide the better learning environment. Students will also benefit from it by focusing more on their learning subjects. American school should admit that dress codes could make more benefits of safe and effective schools than the freedom of expression.
Appearances Are Destructive- Response
In Taiwan, most of schools, except from universities, keep their convention of wearing uniforms. It is an old rule that student should wear uniforms. However, things become different recently. Some schools lift the ban; more and more students complain or even protest the “strict” rules. Students seek the freedom of clothes that I do not agree with them.
As if I am a student in the school with lots of rules in students’ appearance, I must opposite for the sake of opposing. Maybe schools can concern students’ feeling and give them a little space. Such as making students design and choose their uniforms or inviting the famous designer to design. Nevertheless, some schools even agree student to wear casual clothes to school.
However, being an adult, I cannot agree these students nowadays. Because even giving the freedom of wearing clothes, they always have no idea about what is better one in the different occasions. In my student life, our school still had had the strict rules about how long our hair could be. If schools give them too much choices, they tend to become too much. In addition, parents need to make self-examinations. Many parents today spoil their children. They should take the responsibility of what their children become. I believe the old convention keep its reason and we should inheritance it rather than throwing it away.
That’s true what you talked about. In my opinion, I am quite enjoying to wear the uniform during the past school days. The best is I don’t need to spend the time, and care about what I should wear every day. I perplexed that why the students resist wearing the uniform to school.
回覆刪除Wearing uniform is not only requested at school, there are many companies are requested the staff have to wear uniform for work. Why the common rule become to the uncommon? It’s strange why people wanted to break the common rules. Uniform is an image, a symbol of one community. It represents a group, making the spirit. Uniform also enables one to recognize his own group and distinguish it from others. The rule is set up to control the different behaviors between people. In the old day, people are willing to obey the rule which was concluded. Inversely, it is totally different to the situation at present. It made a reflection to us, is that people had too much freedom nowadays?
Who should shoulder the responsibility of the recent situation? The different generation had their thoughts, that is meaningful and the unbreakable side effect of the freedom. Uniform is the trivial problem to discuss.
I also agree that schools should have some stipulations on students’ appearance. I still remember when I was just a junior high school student, my schools had a lot of restrictions on what students wore, how long the hair should be, what color of shoes and socks you wore and so on. At that time, I might be rejected at that, but now, as I am a college student, it becomes a cherish memory of my life.
回覆刪除After entering the college, I really realize uniform has a deeply meaningful implication. In my opinion, I agree with schools to have dress codes. Some may think dress codes infringe on the freedom of expression, but it has no influences on those who work as flight attendants, bus drivers, sports teams and so on. Dress code may restrict the way people wear, but on the other way, if people all wear the same, isn’t it represent they are the team, community, and organization. In conclusion, dress codes have their pros and cons, sometimes what you dress may not represent whole your personality.