Xell101

I think a 6 year old with a big blue mohawk is stupid, but it isn't my place to dictate his hair cut, nor was it theirs.

Elitegibson

If the mother gave permission, it was only because they said that he couldn't be in the picture with hair like that. The school has a right to set appearance standards, but they don't have a right to change them on some whiny parent's whim.

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-Erik

Stupid people shouldn't breed.

Lebell

You're right.

And IMO, the "whiny" ones are the parents that are bitching their kid should have been in the picture with a blue mohawk.

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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis

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kutulu

People need to get over themselves and quit being offended by everything. A kid with a blue mohawk isn't going to ruin the class pic.

Cynthetiq

in your opinion, for some they may think it's disruptive or not as nice looking as their schoolmates picture that doesn't have one.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

kutulu

Maybe some parents will be upset because their kids is next to the fat kid. Maybe some of the kids have really stupid clothes. How far do you want to take it?

It would be nice if we could see where school policy is on this. It wasn't mentioned in the article, was it?

Cynthetiq

it would be nice, and then people would just attack how stupid rule number 3 is like they are doing with the Liberty University thread.

It doesn't end, you're right with people having to get over it, but at the same time those that want to live "alternatively" have to equally get over it sometimes too.

it's called compromise.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

sixate

I would just like to point out that I agree 100% with this.

There is no place for a blue fucking mohawk in any school, and it's foolish to think there is a place for it. 99% of us would lose our jobs if we came into work with a blue mohawk. There is a place called the real world, and if you want to succeed you have to conform. Hell, I don't like it, but it's a fact of life, and it doesn't make any of us conformist whiners. The only ones whining here are the people who want kids to look like freaks.

moonstrucksoul

such a diverse set of opinions on this topic. interesting views all the same. In my opinion, what the school did wasn't right, but that is up to the school district and/or courts to decide.
my opinions:
1. A six yr old with a mohawk is bad parenting, why? because you are teaching a child to get attention (negative and positive) with their appearance.

2. schools should have uniforms and dress codes. why? because it's just less disruptive, they are there to learn, not show off their clothes. With uniforms, the lines between the rich kids and the poor kids is less distinguishable. it will help reduce all the hazing and kids picking on other kids because of their clothes.

I'm not a conformist, but i do believe that there is a time and a place for everything. and public schools are not the place for seeking attention through clothing and hairstyles.

anyone who doesn't think that a six yr old wants a mohawk for attention, then you obviously need to pay more attention to children.

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filtherton

I'm confused when it comes to the work/school comparison. They are two very different things. Nobody gets fined for truancy if they don't go to work.

How exactly is a blue mohawk disruptive? How? What the hell is wrong with someone that they can't learn with a mohawk in the room? I want a real explanation, none of this "well, it just is" bullshit.

Cynthetiq

fines are just a different way of a punishment. you don't show up at your work enough times you get fired.

work and school are very similar, they are modeled as such because it's preparation in entering the work force. i don't have a supporting link at this moment, but I do recall reading it someplace.

note the time structure, work 2 hours, break 15 mins, 2 more hours, break for lunch, work 2 hours, break 15 mins. work 2 hours go home.

as for disruptive, for me in my school it was disruptive because I was mad and upset that someone esle was flaunting the rules. I was concerned with when they were going to get into trouble and if they didn't why did I get into trouble because I wore sneakers. It was a total distraction to me.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

kutulu

I always thought that big tits were disruptive to my learning.

shakran

That's where you're misinformed. Freedom of expression applies to adults, not kids, as does the rest of the constitution.

If you want verification of that, note that teens who work are required to file tax returns even though they can't vote - taxation w/o representation.

sixate

People don't get fined for truancy if they don't go to work, they fucking get fired!!

It's disruptive because there are kids who will call the kid a fucked up loser freak, and pick on him to no end. I know because I woulda been one of many kids fucking with the idiot. If you want to stand out and look like a freak, expect to get picked on like one. Kids are ruthless, most of us were.

Nobody said you can't learn with a blue mohawk, did they?

Would you still have a job if you went into work with a blue mohawk? I seriously doubt it. School is supposed to prepare kids for the real word/adulthood, isn't it?

filtherton

I know that it amounts to being preparation for the workforce to a certain degree. I just think that justifying forced conformity based on that reasoning is somewhat foolhardy. There is a difference. I could be complete ass to any of my high school teachers and as long as i did it in the right tone of voice i was untouchable. You can already get away with so much in school that you could never get away with at a job. The two things really don't compare when it comes to certain things. Anyone with half a brain knows that most workplaces won't allow you to have blue mohawk. This is common sense in america. We all learn by inferrence that conformity is one of the most important parts of being a social being long before we get through elementary school. I know that i have to take out my earrings if i want a better chance of having a successful job interview, despite the fact that my school allowed me to wear them. Seriously, how is letting someone in elementary school or high school look different going to effect their job prospects at all?

moonstrucksoul

ummm, they're children? most childrens attention spans are minimal, thanks to popculture and tv, (another thread , another time).

but this is just my experience.

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filtherton

A mohawk will only be disruptive as long as it is percieved as being rebellious or atypical. Give it a week, or a month and see how disruptive it is. If anything by making such a huge deal out of it they are only succeeding in making a huge deal out of it.

Breasts are really disruptive to most any boy over the age of 11. Do those who would deny the right to hairstyle choice based on said hairstyle's distraction potential think we should split schools up by gender just to make sure no one's education is disrupted?

shakran

You're right! They get fired, can't get unemployment because it's demonstratably their fuckup, then they run out of money and declare bankruptcy, sometimes become homeless, and often go hungry. School is the place where we teach the children how to behave so that this does not happen to them when they no longer have the safety net of a school.


OK, for one thing, the kid behind him can't see the board anymore.

For another, when's the last time you passed by a guy with neon hair that you didn't look over at him? You really want YOUR kid busy looking at the idiot with the smurf hair when he's supposed to be learning how to read?

For yet another, it teaches the other children that if you want attention, the easiest way is to dress or groom yourself to look like a sideshow. Forget accomplishing something - that's hard. Just dye your hair and do your best imitation of a centurion's helmet and you'll get all the attention you want.

Plus, whether it's disruptive or not, it teaches the kid with the mohawk that it's OK to look like a freak, and if people don't accept you, that's their fault. That's total bullshit. It's just like the people who run around in gothic clothing leading each other around with leashes attached to studded collars around their necks, then wonder why they can't get a job anywhere but a used CD store. These people are idiots. If you want to be accepted in society, you have to conform to societal norms. If you don't care about being accepted, that's great, more power to you, but don't bitch when society doesn't give you a job.

Cynthetiq

I can tell you here at MTV I sometimes wonder....

there are some people here with blue hair, multiple piercings on face and body, tatoos.

They wonder why they cannot catch a break and get hired for some of the executive positions. I don't find it disruptive in this environment. Heck I have long hair to my waist almost, but when in Rome. I find it very interesting to see people on the elevators in suits standing next to people with all these body modifications.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

timalkin

Well said, shakran. Hats off to you.

sixate

Bingo!

:::OshnSoul:::

I can understand moonstruck's p.o.v.,
this is a 6 yr. old.
I spike my son's hair when he wants me to, but no mohawk and especially not color!
He's only 6. I would want him to enjoy school and know that school is for learning, not about getting the attention of others. Besides, he is already natural at being the center of attention w/o any eye-catching haristyles or clothes.
Being a teen is different, although I agree with moonstruck- schools would be improved with a dress code. School isn't about what you wear and how you do your hair- it's about learning. If you take away the street clothes and give them uniforms- not just a strict dress code- but actual uniforms, cliques wouldn't be a major development.
I am not on the parents' side, nor the principal's side- I feel sorry for the kid who had to deal with this.

filtherton

And you think allowing children to dress like individuals in school will facilitate what you describe? Whatever. Like i said, anyone with half a brain knows that they have to jump through many hoops to get a job. One of which is to look how your employer expects you to look. In school, you don't have to worry so much about your appearances and i think that's good. I think your proposed connection between how one dresses in school and how one dresses in the workplace is silly. They are two different things. I dressed like a dirty little fuck in school. That doesn't mean in don't know how to dress for a job interview. Like i said, silly.


Irrelevant, unless we segregate the tall kids too. Might as well, seeing as how their heads are probably disruptive.

Do you honestly think that every other kid in this 6 year old's class has led such a sheltered existence that they could do nothing but stare at a freaking mohawk all day? I could understand looking at it for a minute or two, but shit, even breasts get old to look at when you're constantly exposed to them.

Who are you to pretend to know what kids are learning from this? We could sit here all day and hypothesize as to what the children learn from a kid with a mohawk. That still won't make biased speculation a valid prop for an argument.

Wow. Honestly. Freak? hmm. How is it bullshit? Break it down for me. I was always taught that, as americans, our differences are part of what makes us strong. I guess i was wrong. Apparently, the key to being a good person is to go along with whatever the majority is doing, you know, don't rock the boat. I guess if it worked for you...

I'm not really certain where you're coming from here, but i'm pretty certain the responsibility to accept or reject people does, in fact, lie within each individual person. If someone chooses to not accept someone with "weird" hair, it is their choice(or, fault, in your terms). To be sure, a lot of people don't really take the time to evaluate whether society is doing a good job of deciding who looks "right" and who looks "wrong". That's fine, that's your right as an american. Just don't pretend that being an ethnocentrist isn't a choice.

How did we get from a six year old with a mohawk to the hypothetical "you" bitching about not being able to find work? What are we really talking about here?

You're right though, no amount of individuality will change the fact that the majority of americans are afraid of and misunderstand people who are different from them. It is interesting to see you say such things though. From reading some of your other posts i thought you were a big advocate of rewarding people based on abilities rather than appearances.

Let me ask you this. Do you think it is fair that we are all expected to conform to various folkways which, despite being completely arbitrary, can ultimately decide whether we sink or float? Do you think that it is acceptable for the more qualified candidate to not get the job because his hairstyle was unconventional or because his earrings were too big? Why? What's the point?

It seems obvious to me that this isn't really about a six year old. This is about you ranting against every other goth kid who ever made you feel uncomfortable. I have some advice for you and timalkin and sixate. The next time you see someone who looks different, be it a mohawk or piercings or whatever, and you start to feel the righteous indignation/scorn rising up inside of you like an ulcer, just ask youself a simple question: Why the hell do i give a damn about how this person chooses to look? Why is it so important for me to feel like i am better than this person?

shakran

It certainly can. After all if they won't carry what they learn in school to their job, then why do we have them in school?






You're right. That's why kids can wear jeans and a Tshirt to school.

Lemme ask you this. Your kid comes home and says Billy wore a Tshirt that said "fuck you" on it. Do you think that's an appropriate thing for the kid to be wearing? Why not? It won't distract anyone, it won't teach anyone anything, it won't influence anyone. Why not let 'em wear it? While we're at it, let's let them wear pants with a penis painted onto the crotch. Same arguments apply. If you claim nothing the kid can wear can influence, distract, disrupt, or teach bad lessons, then why not let the kids wear literally ANYTHING?








That reason was a bit of tongue in cheek humor. I'm sorry that you did not perceive that.


Oh please dude. Little kids will stare at a speck of dust when they're bored in a classroom. Do you honestly think a blue mohawk WON'T attract attention?

Not to a kid they don't. And neither will the mohawk because normal parents will refuse to let their kids get one, so it has that tinge of "forbidden fruit." Makes it much more attention grabbing.

a double major in journalism and child psychology. Who are YOU to pretend to know what they are NOT learning?

and if you interpreted that concept to mean "I should grow a big blue mohawk to strengthen our counrty" then you're beyond hope in this argument.

No, that's the key to being an accepted person. If you want to rock the boat, that's great and I wish you all the luck in the world. Don't complain when people reject you, however, because you should know going in that that will happen.



Which goes back to my point about the goths trying to get a job. Sure, it's the fault of the interviewer that he's not open minded enough to accept someone with fake blood dripping from their eyes, but it's the fault of the goth for being a big enough dumbass to actually think people would accept that in a job interview.
If you want to be a nonconformist, you can't be surprised when people don't accept it. What YOU want is your cake and eat it too. You want to do whatever you feel like doing and NO ONE is allowed to form a negative opinion on it. That's simply not living in the real world.

And you are correct - I am. However I'm also a realist who realizes that if you want to get along in this world without constantly fighting, then you gotta conform. Whether you want to do that is up to you.


No, I don't. I also don't think it's fair that you get sunburn from the sun. But it happens and if I want to go through life without feeling pain, I don't go in the sun too much. If I want to go through life without being a reject, I don't dress like one.


Yes I do and I'll tell you why. If I'm hiring people for my company, I'm looking for the smartest people I can get to fill that position. Now, smart people know that crazy hair and body piercings aren't widely accepted in a business environment. Therefore, if an applicant shows up in my office wearing that crap, I can safely assume he is a moron. I don't hire morons.


Wow. That interpretation shows an amazing lack of perception. You couldn't be more wrong.

OK, and I have some advice for you. The next time you encounter a realist like Sixate, Timalkin, or myself, before you succumb to that kneejerk reaction that we just hate everyone who isn't white and cleancut, try to correctly interpret what we're saying rather than assuming we're just a bunch of old intolerant farts, eh?

Lebell

I was going to comment more on the concept that being an "individual" is ok, even while pissing on other peoples rights, but shakran and sixate are doing fine.

But I will say that comparing standing next to a fat kid in a school pic with standing next to a kid with a blue mohawk is ludicrous.

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mikeysj

i think people make way too big a deal over physical appearances today..

sixate

If you don't see a difference between a tall person, and a giant blue mohawk in a classroom, there's no reason to discuss this any further. Tall is normal, giant blue mohawks are not, and to say they are is ridiculous.


Yes, hell, I'd stare and make fun of a dude with a blue mohawk all day and wonder why the hell he'd want to look like a freak. So I'm sure kids would make fun of him, too. Go ahead and say I'm immature. It doesn't really matter to me. I'm just being honest.

Lastly, I'll never get tired of looking at breats.

filtherton

You honestly think allowing children to dress how they want in school will damage their job prospects later in life? Really?

Because having a mohawk is no different from a shirt that says fuck or a penis drawn on a pair of pants? Nice comparison. I'm surprised you didn't bring up something about a kkk shirt(which you'd no doubt support since malcolm x shirts are okay). I agree that there is a line, i just put it in a different place than you.


I saw it, it just wasn't really that humorous.

So what's the problem? You admit that a dust can be just as distracting as a mohawk. Perhaps we should be more concerned with making sure that chidren don't get bored in class than whether tommy is fascinated by timmy's hair.

Forbidden fruit is appealing because it is forbidden. Make it not forbidden and no one will care.

Score. George bush has an mba from the ivy leaagues. He's got a great reputation as a businessman.

I was just trying to point out that we could speculate for hours about what the kids are learning from this. This will not change the fact that we don't have all the details and are in no position to pretend to have a complete picture of what the children will take away from this situation. A real scientist will acknowledge when he doesn't have all of the facts and is only making vague educated guesses.


Let me introduce you to the idea of diversity as a vital factor in the strength of a community. More perspectives are often better than less perspectives. Surely that's not a foreign concept to you. Take your journalism major and do an article on biodiversity. If you don't see a connection than you might be beyond hope too.

I'm not complaining about rejection. Like i may have implied above, i try not to waste my time with people who are wowed by a mohawk or a black ensemble. They generally aren't very stimulating.

How are we still talking about getting a job? Hello? Remember when i agreed with you that you have to look presentable to get a job? I said something about anyone with half a brain knows that they have to look nice to get most any kind of job. My point is that letting this child have a mohawk won't damage his future ability to get a job. Prove to me that it will without using a slippery slope argument and without making questionable jumps in logic.


Of course you have to conform. What we are talking about here is the degree to which someone should conform. I presume that you don't believe in absolute conformity. I hope you can see that there are different degrees of conformity as well as different kinds. I hope you can see the value of nonconformity in that it has been a vital component in many of humanity's greates achievements. This isn't really relevant to appearance. I just wanted to point out that if the world were left to realists, like you claim to be, we'd still be in the middle ages hanging off of the pope's nuts.


What does sunburn have to do with this? You are aware that sunburn isn't the result of closedmindedness, right? You're problem is that you're afraid of being a reject. You seem to put so much value in the opinions of others that you can't bear the idea of having to carry the weight of someone else's disdain. At least, that's how you're coming across. Perhaps not, but that is what i gather from your desire to not be a reject.

What if they dress alternatively when they are not working? Like i said above and before, anybody with half a brain knows that you have to dress conservative to get most jobs so, while i agree with your perspective on this one point, i don't really think it is relevant.

I guess i just mistook your choice of loaded words and negative generalizations when refering to those different from you. You were just coming across like you had a big chip on your shoulder when it comes to gothkids. Sorry for reading between the lines. Perhaps in the future you could avoid using loaded words like "freak" "reject" or resorting to mischaracterizations like and maybe you won't come across so bitter.



What do you expect me to do based on your passionate pleas for conformity. I never said anything about white and/or clean cut. That's you projecting. Perhaps we could both benefit from trying to correctly interpreting one another. Also, perhaps we could benefit from communicating using neutral language so as not to stir passions any more than they need to be.


btw sixate readily admits that he is an intolerant old fart(see quote below).


I see a difference in that one is a choice and the other is not. unfortunately we aren't talking about choices we are talking about getting rid of things that disrupt the learning of others. (Don't take it seriously.)


I'm not sure if you know this sixate, but there is a difference between being honest and being an asshole. I'm not saying you're an asshole, just that you should know that there is a difference and shrugging your shoulders with a "i was just being honest" doesn't mean that you're not being an asshole.

shakran

Yep. Because you're not teaching them that there's a time and place where wild appearances is appropriate, and there are times and places where those appearances are not.



Excuse me? You start out by making a bullshit argument and finish up by saying I support the wearing of kkk shirts? How the hell did that happen. Do you know what logic is? Can you apply it? READ THE POST in its entirety and COMPREHEND it before you go shooting off your mouth. It'll save you from looking foolish.



Tell me how to force every parent of every child in that school to allow their kid to get a blue mohawk and we can talk. Otherwise, quit with the sweeping grandiose ideas that have no chance in hell of succeeding in the real world.

Your point? You still haven't listed any qualifications that YOU have to comment on what can and can not effect a child's development. At least I have the sheepskin. What do you have?


Are you claiming to be a real scientist? What is your degree in? How many child psychology classes have you taken? How many sessions have you had with children? How many times have you observed the group dynamic of an elementary classroom?

You have absolutely no basis in fact to say that the kid will not be distracted, yet you claimed above that he would not. And you want to talk to me about vague generalizations?


OK, you really need to learn what diversity is. It's differences between cultures, not hairstyles. Let's ground our arguments in reason, shall we?

And as I said, if you want to wear a mohawk, that's great. Don't bitch when others think you're bizarre.


Because letting him have a mohawk, or pierce his nose, or get 7 piercings in his ear, or lip, or navel, or nipples, or letting him lead his girlfriend around school on a leash (i've seen that, btw) is teaching him the attitude that he should look however he wants to look, and fuck society if society doesn't approve. That's all well and good, but when he takes that fuck society attitude into the interview, it's gonna shine through like a spotlight.

Looking respectable in school is not asking too much in the way of conformity. Mohawks are not a vital component of humanity's greatest achievements. I would be willing to wager that at no time in history has a mohawk been responsible for any achievement, great or small.


and if the world were left to people who felt they should be able to do whatever they want, look like whatever they want, say whatever they want, we'd have long ago descended into total anarchy and wouldn't have even reached the technology of the middle ages.




Until you demonstrate that you are qualified, please stop analyzing me, because frankly you're not very good at it. I am not afraid of being a reject. I am realistic enough to know that if I do certain things society might not like it. In other words, I'm smart enough to realize that my actions have consequences. Too many people are utterly shocked when society doesn't like the 10 rings in their lip. These people are idiots. That's my entire point.

Try rereading my post if you're still confused about the sunburn bit.

When I'm in a job interview, where I'm asking that someone else to hire me, you're damn right I put value in his opinion. Only an idiot would not.

Wrong again. Listen, I said if the kid wants a mohawk in the summer, that's fine. He's not expected to be a member of a classroom. When he IS expected to be a member of the classroom, he should also be expected to act like one. Mohawks, like penis paintings and fuck you shirts, are not appropriate in school. If you think that what you wear cannot influence a child, then I assume YOU are OK with people wearing a KKK shirt to school.


I really don't think you're reading my posts in their entirety. Or if you are, you are failing utterly to comprehend them. Your arguments are consistantly not based on what I said.


No, I wasn't. I was coming across as someone who did not understand why "gothkids" are so surprised when people have a negative reaction to what they are doing. If they want to be goth, that's fine, but they need to understand that not everyone is going to like it.

Perhaps in the future, before reading between the lines, you could actually read the lines themselves. I think that would help you understand what it is that I am saying.


What would be the fun in that?

filtherton

Since i've apparently misinterpreted everything that you have said why don't you tell me what your point is again?

I guess i just disagree with you that allowing a child to have a mohawk will somehow damage anybody. Despite having dyed hair in school and being a reject i know all this and, so far, it has not effected my employment opportunities in any way that i cannot live with. I don't need a degree to tell me that it doesn't really matter because i am living proof.

I'm not sure where you're hearing all of these gothkids complaining about not being accepted by society. I have heard people complain about the superficiality of society because they ended up on the wrong side of conformity. It's not "Why won't they accept me?" It's more like "Why can't they see that i'm just like them except for my hairstyle/jewelry/manner of dress?" Intelligent people know when they are making choices that will probably result in bearing the scorn of the conformists. I know my piercings will harm my job prospects at many places and i accept that. I also know that i will do what i have to do to earn the money that i need to survive here including taking them out. I don't, however, accept for a moment that it is fair or rational to place as much importance on appearance as our society does. The only way a piercing effects my ability to do a job is if the people i work with and/or the customers can't accept it. That's wrong and pandering to it will only encourage it.

Kurant

It's a 6 year old kid with a mohawk? Who cares?

It's all in fun, the kid likes it, the parents think it's cute. He has NO right to touch any child that's not his own, being his hair, shoes, whatever.

mokle

You know, they said that about women voting at one time.

And 'coloured' people riding on busses.

And about being gay.

Perhaps some people here are just too close minded.

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Cynthetiq

to those of you arguing over if a shirt is distracting or not, let me interject something. Whatever you may think is "okay" in your book and "no I didn't mean KKK where did you get that?"

If it said, "Nazis kill Jews Dead" or "AIDS kills fags dead" would also have to fit under your tshirt freedoms.

Obviously your common sense kicks in suddenly and you say,"No that's wrong!" but sorry it also has to be right.

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I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

sixate

All of the things you just listed are just normal people, not a giant freaky blue stupid mohawk that does nothing other than say: Look at me. I like to be a fucking attention whore because I'm a moron.

If you can't see a difference then we really don't have anything to discuss now do we?

Astrocloud

So a six year old is a moron?

I was once a 16 year old with a mohawk. What does that make me?

Cynthetiq

based on what he's written I'd extract that in his opinion a '16 year old "Look at me. I like to be a fucking attention whore because I'm a moron."'

EDIT:
I was just thinking about this and noted...

There's not many parents on this thread. Most of the people discussing passionately here don't have kids and/aren't planning on them.

IMO Proof is in the pudding. Those that have kids that have done such things, we'll see where they are in a number of years. For some it's a fad, passing fancy. Others it becomes a lifestlye.

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sixate

The six year old is a moron because the parents made him one.

You have my opinion already... Blue mohawks are stupid. Period.

filtherton

I'm not sure how t-shirts became a part of the discussion, but i agree with you. Let me just say though that i have never seen a mohawk that contained a message of bigotry.

I can see the difference, but i am also aware that there are really an infinite number of ways for people to try to get attention, including wearing your sobriety and your atheism on your sleeve and proclaiming it from the rooftops. Being an attention whore doesn't make you a moron, it makes you an at least moderately insecure human being. If we were going to attempt to outlaw any activity or appearance that is a direct result of attention whoring than we'd have a pretty fucking boring world. You're just trying to protect the normal channels for attention whoredom(wearing expensive clothes or driving an expensive car) denying someone who goes about it in a different way(getting a mohawk).

moonstrucksoul

i have always said that what you think is right/wrong, normal/strange all changes the minute you have a child.

it's good that non-parents feel compelled to advocate for children, but parenting is all about choices. and it is always going to be up to the parent to choose what is best for their child.

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filtherton

I can't advocate for a child, but i can advocate for what i think i would have benefitted from as a child. I can also claim that knuckling under to the superficial whims of popular culture isn't a good way to teach a child to be true to him/herself.