I'm not sure I ever made an introduction yet.

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by Platapus

That reminds me of a conversation The Frau and I had with her daughter who was in highschool at the time.

Every year, in Virginia, the topic of school uniforms comes up. Her daughter was absolutely against it. Wearing a uniform would stifle her individuality.

I told her that she currently wears a school uniform.

"No I don't!!"

Yes, you do. You wear exactly what your peer group wears and nothing else. The colour, style and brand name must match what all your friends wear. When you peer group changes how they dress, you follow theirs lead and change also. Where is the individuality when you wear only what your peer group wants you to wear?

She then tried to explain that they are all acting as individuals.... together.

It's not necessarily about "individuality" per se, but more about connecting yourself to a certain group, as you say. However, your daughter is also right in that a group as a whole can often want to be "individual": independent and clearly distinguishable.
Me myself, I'm a metalhead. Metalheads have a pretty distinct culture, with different clothing, hair and even behaviour codes. Being forced to wear a uniform would severely limit the possibility for me to affirm my membership to this group.


BTW, what is the advantage of school uniforms? I can't think of any.