You shouldn't come to rely on the school, and further,...
Uniforms In Schools K-12
Pro maintains that school uniforms are convenient because they will make getting dressed easier and less time consuming. I maintain that this is irrelevant. Just because one might spend 2 minutes picking out their outfit instead of 5 doesn't mean that schools should mandate same-ness. Maybe some people (especially women) LIKE shopping and don't mind. Further, what about my supposition that some people might simply prefer to make their own clothes? This entire point is based on a lot of hypotheticals and contains mostly irrelevant arguments. For instance, I've said, "What if someone's uniforms are all dirty and they don't have any clean ones to wear to school?" Pro came back with, "Well most schools have a supply in case of emergencies." In that case, what if they DON'T? Or what if they don't fit? Or what if kids are unaware of this option? Or what if people abuse this option? Or what if the school runs out? Etc. You shouldn't come to rely on the school, and further, realistically most students would rather just stay home from school for a day than borrow a random school uniform. I know I did. Pro has said, "Your first argument is a transfer fallacy of composition. In other words, it relies on the assumption that what is true of the part (a student with 4 uniforms) is also true of the whole (students with more or less uniforms)." The same could be said about every argument put forth from the Pro in this regard in favor of school uniforms. I'll explain what I mean as we continue out throughout the debate. For now, I'd point out that the first argument of it being less of a hassle to have uniforms is simply (a) irrelevant and (b) not proven. It wouldn't be less of a hassle in every or even most situations for all people, and simply because it might be easier to be told what to wear doesn't mean that it's the favorable option. Some people LIKE choice and variety. We live in a society that appreciates individuality. 2. Pro's next point claims, "Whether or not the student wants to wear the uniforms is insignificant (plenty of taxpayer dollars go to things they/others do not want)." So basically what Pro is advocating for is a continuation of the trend that tax payers pay taxes for things against their desires. Interesting. I wonder how the students in uniform will feel about that trend when learning about concepts like "fascism" lol. Pro continues, "Uniforms can be bought at places such as Walmart/thrift stores." Really? Because the ones I had to wear in HS had my school's name on them and could only be bought from a specific retailer. Talk about a lack of competition (there's that fascism again... kidding). Pro also writes, "Students who cannot afford uniforms have the option to receive free/reduced priced uniforms that have been donated." This shows that he's relying on charity; an option that is hardly ever sufficient. 3. Kids will always be teased. If it's not about their clothes, it'd be about their looks, intelligence, athletic ability, etc. Pro quotes a teacher stating, "I have taught 40 years and have seen increased PRESSURE in the area of fitting in." So, to solve this problem we FORCE people to fit in?! There is something inherently wrong about that. We should be embracing and encouraging individuality, and teaching important lessons such as not valuing an individual or judging them by the clothes that they wear. Also, you don't need uniforms to have an "appropriate" educational setting. That comes with discipline and good educators. Students can be home-schooled in their pajamas and still receive an outstanding education. 4. Anyone who wants to cause a school harm would hardly care about having a uniform. As I've already said (Pro did not refute it), many of those who cause harm to schools i.e. school shooters go to the school and would therefore have a uniform, making this an irrelevant point. Also, people don't typically fight over another person having crappy clothes.