For Uniforms

[Bobcat]

with school uniforms the students don't have to worry as much about who
has on the most expensive clothes or the most up to date style all the
would have to worry about is their grades and GPA

[Deborah]

On the other hand, if you can choose your own clothes, you can
emphasize some features and hide others. If students all wear the same
thing, there is more focus on physical appearances and differences like
body shape, length, volume, disabilities, color. Dress students in
uniform and you'll instantly see who has the biggest breasts or bums,
etc, especially if you let them parade in line for closer inspection
and comparison (which somehow seems to go hand in hand with uniforms).

So, what is the bigger worry? Being bullied for one's appearance, or
being unable to buy expensive clothes? Do nice clothes have to be
expensive? Do rich kids wear expensive clothes? Actually, uniforms are
more expensive than the T-shirts and pants you can buy off the shelf.
Most kids have other clothes as well, apart from their uniform, so
doesn't the addition of uniforms make things more expensive? Also, do
uniforms really make kids believe they're all equally rich? Now, who's
kidding who? Should parents perhaps also buy the same cars so there's
no comparion when they drop the kids off at school?

So, what kind of argument is this? Should kids perhaps eat the same
thing each day too, so they will worry less about the food they're
going to eat and thus concentrate more on their homework? Do uniforms
really make students focus more grades, GPA, etc? The little research
that there has been into such issues indicates this is not the case.
Instead, there appears to be no improvement in academic performance.

Apart from the fact that this argument doesn't appear to make much
sense, another issue is students' rights. People who do not have much
literary skills may prefer to express themselves in other ways, e.g. in
their choice of clothes. Restricting this choice effectively means
restricting their freedom of expression. This is at odds with free
speech, which usually is one of the first things that spring to mind in
regard to human rights.

[sam.c...@gmail.com]

Well said, Deborah!

There's more arguments at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/school-uniforms
and at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/schooluniformsdebate