Uniforms: Problem Solver or Problem Causer? This is a persuasive essay, stating facts and ideas that uniforms should not be mandatory in schools.

Essay by adoyle February 2003

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Walking down a crowded hall in a public school, one can see something that is very important: diversity. Slowly but surely, this privilege is being taken away. Ever since President Clinton proposed mandatory uniforms, there have been some major opinion clashes; from both parents and students. In the following paragraphs, it will become very clear that school uniforms cause more problems than they solve.

Schools are always promoting diversity. Enforcing dress codes such as uniforms proves them quite hypocritical. Uniforms actually introduce conformity and communitarian group-think. Who wants to be the same as the person next to them? Not many people do. Making uniforms mandatory takes the students right to express themselves and to be different. Many students use their clothes as a way to tell people about themselves and to express the mood they are in. Take away that and it's like taking away one of their basic human rights.

Some say uniforms actually save money. In reality, uniforms usually are very costly. Plus, the parents must pay for a totally different wardrobe for their kids after school. It's not like the students are going to wear their uniforms all day. So in the end, the parents actually end up paying a lot more when their children must wear uniforms.

Another reason people like the idea of uniforms is due to all of the school violence present today. The people think that if kids all wear the same clothes that will reduce the violence between the students. First of all, the students will still know who is rich or poor, skinny or fat, etc. The students will still be able to draw conclusions, good or bad, with or without the uniforms. The uniforms only provide a temporary disguise. Secondly, the uniforms are only a quick-fix. Instead of...