Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 November 2000 — Page 7
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Expressing yourself with body piercings or tattoos
By Jane Tuv
“Basically, because all the guys are not sure about themselves and permanent.
North Central High School Alesha Cooper North Central High School Recorder Interns
Expressing one’s self is a major aspect of having freedom. Expression does not necessarily come from language. It may come from art, a person’s face, music, style of dress and body tattoos or piercings. In our present day, it is very common to observe people who consider accenting their body with piercings or body art as important. There are people who challenge the style of those who choose to have freedom and claim that the only reason those people add things to their body is because they are unsure about themselves, and have embarked upon a quest to discover themselves Piercings and tattoos are viewed by many as fashionable. For a long period of time women have pierced their ear lobes and put earrings in them to enhance their looks and accessorize their bodies. Beginning with the mid-80s through today, men have proven themselves to be fashionably oriented and
pierce their ears as a sense of style.
had their ears pierced, I decided to get mine too,” said Derrick Ellery, a 14-year-old Broad Ripple High School student “My brother also has his ear pierced; since I follow his footsteps, I was motivated to go and get mine done. It’s in style,” Ellery said. Although many men may get their ear pierced as a symbol of “style,” it is looked down upon by many. In addition, there are those who pierce their bodies to express their personality. “I am a very outgoing person and I like looking cute. I have my belly button pierced because it accents my personality,” said Brooke Massey, a 16-year-old North Central High School student There are people who oppose piercing and think that those who have them are confused with themselves. There are some, however, who think piercing is innocent if done in moderation. “I don’t understand teen-agers that I see everyday who constantly add on to the number of their body piercings,” said North Central student Natalie Wooley. “It seems as if those teen-agers
continue to add more holes in their bodies. They won’t be satisfied until there would be no skin left to pierce,” she continued. “Piercing is not a new revelation. It has been around for a while beginning with a small piercing of the earlobe. I think that is fine, but excessive piercing is unappealing. I don’t understand the reason behind it,” said 46-year-old Lee Mar-
tin.
In today’s society, it is very common to see people wearing ornamentation in their ears, noses, chins, eyebrows and more. No matter how skeptical some are, it will always come down to a person’s choice and belief in what she would like to do with her body. Excessive amount of body piercing is viewed as normal and fashionable in a predominantly teen-age community; however, adults may think differently. Correlating with the fad of piercings, is the over prevalent art of tattoos. From television to the streets, people wearing permanent symbols embedded on their bodies can be seen. Tattoos range in design, style, color, and price, but a unified idea remains behind them
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— for the most part, they are
So why would a teen insist upon marking themselves with such a statement? Unlike other fashion statements, such as earrings, removing a tattoo is not easy. In fact, the process, which uses laser technology, is long and expensive. Removing a tattoo can cost thousands of dollars, a high price to pay for something that only costs about
$50 to get
“I got my tattoo because of the fact that I wanted one. It was, and still is, popular, and I decided to get one,” said Keisha Miller. “I mean, of course people look at you funny when they see that you have this permanent thing on your body, but I try not to pay attention. I think you have to have a lot of selfconfidence to get a tattoo, because people will comment on it practically everyday.” No matter how teens may choose to express themselves, they must first realize the consequences that come with their actions. Tattoos and piercings are not simple, and in fact can be very painful. If a teen decides to get one of them, they should consult their parents first, and make sure that they receive the proper treatment
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Racial segregation at school
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By Robert Russell Shortridge Middle School Recorder Intern
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Is there racial segregation at school? Everyone I know says no because we’re all at school together. That’s not what I talking about. It is the way that pebple put themselves in these groups all day. I see all the AfricanAmerican kids in a group, all the Hispanics in a group, and the Caucasians in another. That’s what I’m talking about. There are some people who stay around all different races. I know someone named Tony and he stays around all different races. Throughout the day I see this especially in the lunchroom. Where it is very big is in the lunchroom. Where all the popular kids sit at a table and all the not so popular kids sit at another. There is the table where all the Blacks who aren’t popular sit at their table and then all the white kids at a table.
Sarah Smith, 19, a student at Broad Ripple High School, sal that yes there is racial separation at school. “All you see is white with the whites, Blacks with Blacks, Hispanics wi Hispanics, and you will see a few white people around Blad and so on. I stay around everyone, because I don’t like to see the same faces all day, and because I just don’t like to be arouhd all the same people everyday.” Jason Watkins, 13, of Shortridge Middle School, said, “I stay around mostly Black people, but it is not because I don’t like them; it’s just because most of the people I know at school are Black except for the white kids around my house.” Jason Ziko, 14, also of Shortridge Middle School, said, “I would be found to be rhostly in between, because I have a lot of friends and I like them all so there would be no reason for me to just hang around one race. Especially at lunch — that’s when I know that there is some type of separation because I sit at a table with all different races. Sometimes you feel kind of left out because you’re not with all your buddies.”
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VIOLENCE AMONG YOUTHS
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Ta Shawna Williams Recorder Intern Broad Ripple High School
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Teen violence is very common in this generation. Though it is not acceptable, it is not a shock to see a violent crime committed by a teen-ager. Many would attempt to say that it is the parents’ fault because they did not watch their children more closely. Others will attempt to place the blame on television or the music teens are listening to. These points can be argued but, everyone acknowledges that there is a problem that should be solved. The first point that needed to be addressed was justification. Is there ever a time that teen violence can be justified? “People should never have to take it to that extent over minor stuff. Nothing is worth taking another life, it’s crazy,” said Derrick Kelly. He made it clear that you get nothing out of it but guilt, after the act is committed. “No situation should result in someone being hurt,” commented Aerial Smith. Both teens agreed that a situation can be solved by talking it out. “It is better to ask someone instead of listening to the he said she said,” added Smith. They agreed that all teens that commit crimes are not bad people. Teens just need to control their anger. Alternatives such as recreation centers and programs that offer jobs to teens, are some of the solutions the teens offered. We should seriously consider these points, so the next time we turn on our televisions it won’t be our sons, daughters or friends.
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