Dress code

Ooh, it's been a while. I've been obsessively reading ethics for my second summer class. It's really interesting and engaging, the professor is great, but man, it's burdensome. I might have bit off more than I can chew, given my job and everything else.

I think I've ranted about dress codes in this blog before, but my wife's new situation provided a bunch of clarity for me. She's observing high school math classes, soon to be student teaching, subsequently doing an internship. Her ethic going in was to always dress up and show the kids that you're an authority figure. I think that's all the more helpful since she's now in one of the toughest high schools in our town.

That idea—dressing up to send a signal of authority to kids—resonated a lot with my habilimentary theories. The substance of my usual rant is very utilitarian: Dress me up comfortably so I can do my best work. Different places I have worked have been very deontological. (This ethics class isn't going to waste.) They say we should dress professionally, firstly because we all know it's right, but then a little bit teleological/utilitarian in that we will work professionally if we dress that way. (Actually, they say the latter first, but you can see in their eyes that the fact that they're having this conversation with you hurts them because you're so dense as to not realize that dressing "professionally" is a moral good.)

One thing I gained from my wife's experience is that what we wear is even more pretentious than I realized. Unfortunately, the other thing I gained is an even more condescending picture of the clothing legalists. I see them as having the mentality or moral development of high schoolers or younger. You mean I can make you think I'm professional just by wearing different clothes? Unbelievable! And these are the people with the biggest salaries! If I'm willing to play the game, I can get rich, too! Too bad I'm such an idealist.

My wife introduced me to a theory that the big people world is nothing more than a bunch of junior highers with all the petty rivalries and immaturity. I bought into that theory, and then I saw this quote from Tom Brokaw from a graduation speech at Skidmore College: "You've been told during your high school years and your college years that you are now about to enter the real world, and you've been wondering what it's like. Let me tell you that the real world is not college. The real world is not high school. The real world, it turns out, is much more like junior high. You are going to encounter, for the rest of your life, the same petty jealousies, the same irrational juvenile behavior, the same uncertainty that you encountered during your adolescent years. That is your burden. We all share it with you. We wish you well."

Turns out that one more aspect of our world fits perfectly into the theory: You can deceive simple minded people into thinking you have authority simply by what you wear. Doesn't matter if they're in high school or in your workplace.