This one is for you Kate....I think you know why.
Editorial Number 4
Societal Mores and Labels
By Marco Del Rossi, Dylan and Paige Michalchuk
Society is a fickle thing. We believe that there is stupidity in numbers; the larger the group, the lower the IQ. Seems a little hypocritical considering we are doing this editorial as a group but this is three opinions on the same point. Society tries to label us and fit us into the nice, neat categories. These categories have been predetermined, we aren't sure by whom but they have survived centuries. We are human beings with multiple facets of personality. These things make us who we are and who we could become in the future. I do not know anyone who can fit into just one category.
I, Marco, for example am a complex person. I play soccer, but am not into other sports. I write poetry but am not a literary snob. I am gay and smart but that does not make me a wimp. I am extremely loyal to my family and friends, but that does not mean I won't stand behind something morally wrong. I believe in my friends but I won't support them through a crime. See I fit into many boxes at once.
I am the same way. I am Dylan. I play hockey, football and soccer, so yes I like sports but am not a dumb jock. I get good grades and care about my appearance but I am not a fashion snob. I am also gay but you won't find too many people commenting on it. I am an excellent big brother and son but I do make mistakes. I also can not fit into one nice, neat category.
We saved the best for last, it is I, Paige. I am a cheerleader but not as vapid as some. I am fashionable and stylish but I do think of other things. I am a perfect sister and daughter but I too make mistakes. I am a great girlfriend but I am also happy to be by myself. I love people but like my alone time. I too can not fit into one box. Not that I would really want to fit in a box.
This was just between three of us, and we can't fit into one box. I am sure that you can't pick just one label either. Society needs to realize the restrictions they place upon the youth today are causing problems. These problems include same sex relationships being closeted in fear, rapes not being reported because no one believes them, and even cutting has become an issue. Some teens are so afraid to break out of their nice, neat existence to live their lives. They have gotten used to living up to a role that was forced upon him or her at birth, that they do not know what they want for themselves. We are breaking out now. No more pretty box with the shiny ribbon tied tight. I don't want the ribbon or the box anymore and I certainly don't want the label. I just want to be me.
So, students, stand up and break away from stereotypes and labels. I believe how can society expect me to soar if my potential if I am trapped in a box. Why should I try and reach my full potential, when my potential was predetermined. I would rather make my own mistakes and create my own "labels" because then I can change them at will. I am a person, not an object that can be expected to be labeled, shelved, and expected to never grow, change or develop.
Honestly, where would literature and art be if everyone stayed in his or her preconceived notion of self. Walt Whitman wrote poems about same sex relationships, granted he was fired from his teaching job because of them, but he is still considered one of the greatest poets of all time. He is still widely read and translated across the globe. Shakespeare had some male lovers, so did Van Gogh, Da Vinci, and Michaelangelo. These are still considered some of the greatest artisans of our lives. Salvadore Dali was considered a genius in spite of the fact he painted religious figures in compromising positions. He was dropping acid at the time and was having these hallucinations. Lewis Carroll was dropping acid when he wrote Alice in Wonderland. Still considered a children's literary classic. I wonder how these society parents would feel knowing this little bit of information. The Marquis De Sade was writing explicitly about his sexual encounters with both men and women from an insane asylum cell. See all these great people broke out of their boxes and became famous.
These are just a few examples of the greatness of non-conformist potential. They all left the familiar territory of their labels and did what they wanted. They discovered great things about themselves in the meantime and shared it with us through their art. Just imagine what we could do in the new millennium if we discovered our potentials on our own. We could be great.