Do whatcha want but don’t log back on later tonight and cry about how you were removed.
Summer of 1975.
wore jeans for four years of high school.
Figured if they were good enough to learn in, they were good to end in.
My Mother is the only person to ever bring up the point that I did not “Dress up”
Make sure your shoes are shined and the robe stays shut.
Grrr! You wrote yourself that it’s the beginning of adulthood, this graduation ceremony. That means dressing appropriately to the situation and not being so terribly self-centered (and though I’m sure you’re not, I know some people who’d deliberately break a rule just for the attention whoring). The reason your principal is barking orders at you like you’re a kindergartener is because he’s got good reason to suspect you’ll act like one. Prove him wrong and do the right thing. Like Guin says, you’ve got to have a pair of khakis you can borrow or something. They’ll be more cool than a pair of jeans anyway. Oh, and congrats!
I wore blue jean cutoffs and red high heels under my choir robe/graduation robe. Even back in high school I couldn’t understand why people got all excited over graduation. All I wanted was proof that I never had to step foot in that building ever again.
Yes, I’m sure your principal will be terribly hurt by you performing your “act of civil disobedience.” The only person who you will hurt is your parents and the people who bothered to show up to watch you graduate.
Apparently, your principal is right. You still are a kindergartner.
Suck it up. Wear something nice under your gown and smile pretty for your parents when they take your picture.
Just curious: when you are asked to leave, will you sit down and insist on being dragged out, or will you cave in and leave quietly?
My first convocation was at university, where they went down the row through all my classmates, skipped over me, and continued down the row. Eventually they got back to me, but for a while I figured that I was not going to graduate.
My next convocation was in a heat wave, and I quietly dislocated a couple of ribs due to heat cramps while wating.
My next convocation went well for me, but unfortunately a couple of folks in line in front of me passed out in the heat of a tunnel in which we were lined up.
Through each one of these miserable occasions, I had opportunity to reflect on why I was there. It came down to my family and friends, who had emotionally supported me throughout the years of study, and who wanted to share in a public recognition and celebration of my accomplishments.
If I had turned up looking like a clown, or had distrupted the event, it would have detracted from my guests’ enjoyment.
So Blalron, think about why you are attending before you decide how you will comport yourself.
It won’t. Unless you can get a few hundred people to do it with you, I doubt he’ll give it a second thought. Just don’t waste your time by going.
Oh, I fogot the most recent convocation. All went well, and afterward my sister held a formal reception: a wonderful evening whch I shall cherish forever, with my family and friends playing on the grand, blowing horns, dancing, singing, laughing, and feasting together.
Sometimes dressing up is fun.
Jeez. Some people are being jerks about this.
I think the point is that sometimes it’s fun to be different. Sometimes it’s good to disobey (mostly) pointless rules. These actions just liven things up a little bit. I recognize that people need to wear uncomfortable, ugly clothes for certain things (job interviews) but much of the time it’s just not neccessary.
I suggest you get yourself a BRIGHT RED pair of converse for the ceremony.
Jesus, Muffin! Where the hell did you go to school? Death Valley?
And no, Freiheit, we are not being jerks about this. We’re being honest. The only people Blalron will hurt will be himself and those who bothered to show up to support him in his accomplishments. Maybe he should think about just whether all this is worth it over some trivial issue.
I managed to go through graduation without getting caught. I was kind of disappointed, I sort of wanted a confrontation.
I would have unzipped my robe, revealing to all my T-Shirt with a picture of a bald eagle and the word FREEDOM written underneath.
Then I would walk 6 miles home.
Would you like some varnish for that cross?
Did you enjoy your graduation ceremony?
Now that you’re done, what’s your next step: college, job, travel?
Good GOD, you’re an immature, spoiled brat!
I’m sure they were just glad to be rid of you.
I know it’s all over and done with, but here’s another voice chiminig in with: Conformity is sometimes appropriate.
The commencement ceremony isn’t just about you. It also belongs to your other classmates. That’s why they make everyone wear the same thing, because they want the class represented as one. This is symbolic and maybe a little stupid, but it also is kinda cool. I know when I think back on my high school graduation, I remember how cool it was that all my classmates were there, going through the same ritual, feeling similar feelings, and thinking about the same thing: The class of 1995.
I was at my sister’s commencement ceremony about a month ago. There was a guy who had taped some kind of sign on the top of his cap, and when he came out he was hotdogging and showboating down the aisle, to the cheering of his fan crowd. Nice for him, but it sure was distracting. His friends might have thought he was cool, but I thought he looked like a fool.
I think there are some cases when quiet rebellion at commencement is fine, like when controversial speakers are standing on the podium. But wearing tennis shoes just cuz you wanna look cool seems a little bratty to me.
I’m confident that all three of those will eventually take place. Job first though.
I’m hoping my mother (who is a teacher) can get a full time teaching position at her college, because then I can get free tuition.
I admit, I didn’t dress up for my graduation; it didn’t even occur to me to. I wore the same old jeans and Chuck Taylor’s that I wore everday to school. But I wasn’t as bad as some. Just a couple seats down from me was a guy wearing red and yellow polka-dotted bermuda shorts and white slip-on sneakers. We were seated in the front row, and he sat with his robe wide open, displaying his shorts to all. Part way through the ceremony, he kicked off his shoes and sat barefooted (we were on the football field and it was a very hot day). I confess, I thought it was pretty funny. 12 years later, I still have no regrets. If we ruined the day for anyone else, they didn’t mention it at the all-night party or at the 5 or 10 year reunions. Guess they got over it.
Wear whatever you want!
But, for the record, the term “civil disobedience” does not apply to your situation. Go read up on some MLK literature if you want to understand what it means. I am confident you’re not intending to be disrespectful, just making a suggestion.
Congrats on your graduation!
That’s what I thought.