Friday, November 17, 2006

no dope

So I had a weird encounter last night. I was hanging out with some people I had just recently met, and one of the kids happened to be quite interested in my piercings. In an attempt to delicately ask me if I'm "taken seriously" by my professors, he prefaced the question with "So you have to know that looking like that, you're just inviting questions." I politely told him I'm aware that people may be interested in learning more about my mods and why I do it, but I did not get the mods specifically for the attention (he had babbled something about me doing it for the attention during that lovely preface).
I then went on to address the professor issue. I told him about the Body in Human Experience course I had taken my freshman year at Wheaton, and how that furthered my interest in the psychology of body modification. I told him about the independent study course and blog that resulted from my taking that course. Then I told him about how Wheaton sent me to New Zealand to study Maori body art, all expenses paid. He shut up.
We continued to talk, specifically about literature (I'm an Enlish major :o) ) and found that we had the same favorite book. I spit a lil knowledge about some post-modern authors, and he offered an alternate analysis to that favorite book of mine. Around this point in the conversation, I felt a distinct shift. Somewhere along the way the piercings had fallen from my face, one by one, and I became person to him.
It just made me think...I really want to keep my mods around forever, of course because I love them to death, but also because I have a HELLUVA lot of ambition and I know I am going somewhere in life (hopefully becoming a freelance writer eventually). I want to make my mark on the world and have a positive effect on people's lives, and maybe help eradicate the discrimination of modded folk along the way. If I can show one person that modified doesn't equal unintelligent, or delinquent, or rebel, I'll be satisfied. Actually I'll be satisfied regardless, but that'll make me feel good, like I have the power to change someone's perspective on something, perhaps without ever having met them.
Oh and also last night, we couldn't take our eyes off of this documentary on CBS. It was about heroin addicts living on the streets, and basically followed them through various difficulties they encounter daily. About 5 minutes into the program, I realized along with the rest of the kids watching that 3 out of the 5 addicts had septum piercings. I think I began to get looks. This is where stereotypes come from. 3 out of 5. That's the majority...
I may like my ganja but heroin? I'm no dope (hardy har).

So yea google gave me this for "dope." And I thought she was cute.

No comments: