Body Mod, Meritocracy, and Selling Out

At A Glance Author Beaker Contact [email protected]

Author's note: This is an excerpt from a speech I gave to an AmeriCorps VISTA training conference in November 1999. It outlines many of my ideas regarding integrating body modification as a lifestyle into "mainstream" society. For more information, or simply to discuss these ideas, feel free to contact me at [email protected] or visit my web page at http://www.bmeworld.com/beaker I realize there are a number of holes in my arguments, so I welcome all viewpoints and criticisms, assuming they are respectful and fair.

"Selling Out" and the Concept of Meritocracy

The idea of integrity is one that only recently has become important to me, as the decisions I make begin to impact people around me sometimes even more than they affect me. Since other people are coming to rely on me, I am finding it more and more important to let those people know exactly what I stand for.

I moved for this job under the impression that I had been hired for my skills and attitude, and that my modifications would only be talked about if they became a serious issue.

Well, the first day on my job, I was asked to remove everything visible. Needless to say, I was none too happy with this, but I complied. I complied to show my boss that I was dedicated to the program I was working on, and that I could wait for another time to fight my fight of ending appearance based prejudice. In hindsight, however, I believe that compliance was a mistake. The fight of ending prejudice must be fought on a day-to-day basis, and you have seen me sell out for the last time.

Once I interviewed for a job with a major airline, and I took out all my visible mods for that interview. It felt wrong then. Once I was nearly fired for the color of my hair, so I dyed it back. It felt wrong then. This time I was asked to remove my visible mods based on some peoples' perceptions of them. It feels wrong now. I was told that some people who may come through my office find body piercing distracting. Okay, this I can understand, and I counter with the argument that a few minutes of explanation before we begin working can clear up any questions, and we can focus on the task at hand. Then I was told that others find it disgusting. This is not acceptable to me. I, as are all of you, am well qualified for my job. I bring idealism, passion, a willingness to work, and a strong background to my project. None of these things has anything to do with my appearance, and they are the important parts of any job. If my job performance is to be judged, it will be on the quality of my work, not on my appearance. This is the basis of a social system called meritocracy.

Meritocracy is a system in which individuals receive cultural rewards (money, power, prestige) based on those individuals' personal merits or accomplishments. I do not believe in a classless society. I believe that humans as social creatures will form strata. But I do believe in a cultural stratification based on work ethic, intelligence, creativity, and integrity, rather than money, gender, family background, or any other arbitrary standards of appearance or lifestyle. If my hiring is to be based on whether or not some random person thinks of something as inconsequential as my body modifications, that is prejudice.

What sort of appearances am I talking about? Well, there are obviously the body modifications ("Jewelry," please, not "hardware" or "face rings."). But there's also hair color and style, height, weight, makeup, style of dress, and gender selection. All of these things are personal standards that have little to nothing to do with job performance. Obviously, there are exceptions. There is the flight attendant who could be too heavy to fit down the aisles, or the sailor who is too tall to work on a submarine. But these exceptions are few and far between.

So what will I do, and what can you do to bring about meritocracy and tear down the last bastion of appearance-based prejudice?

First and foremost, each of us must demand to be judged on our merits, not on our appearance. However you look, assuming you are clean, do not allow those around you to judge you based on it. Bring it up. Call people on it when you hear it. Ask if they are being influenced by your appearance. Turn down the job that hires you conditionally based on the way you look. If we all did this, companies would have no choice but to hire those who look unusual, and change their standards accordingly. If you miss out on a job, I am sorry, but wouldn't you rather work at a place where you are judged on the quality of your work? These jobs do exist, and these are the companies we want to support. Of course, many of you have families to support, which brings up another issue. I am not encouraging anyone to turn down a job that would feed their family.

Second, if your appearance becomes an issue, remind those around you or Civil Rights movements of the past. Meritocracy is the natural extension of movements like Women's Suffrage, the Civil Rights movement of the 60s, and the post- Stonewall Gay Rights movement. Maybe before Martin Luther King, employers could say, "I'm not a racist, but many of my customers are, and therefore I won't hire a black applicant." Don't leave race or gender as an arbitrary standard. Extend your civil rights to whatever your lifestyle and appearance may be.

Third, do a great job. Abraham Lincoln said, "Whatever you are, be a good one." If we are to be judged on the merits of our personality, we have to present a good personality. When you are hired, do your job well, and force people to realize that you are good at what you do, no matter what you look like.

Once, I worked at a corner convenience store. The owner didn't want to hire me at first because he didn't like my piercings. But the manager gave me a chance, and soon the store came to see an increase in business because I was polite, attentive, and helpful. So both the owner and the customers learned that my appearance had nothing to do with my job performance, even though customer service is one of the first fields to be brought up in this debate.

Fourth, be conscious of, and attempt to eliminate, your own prejudices. We all have them. When they creep up on you, remind yourself that id you want to be judged on your personal merits, you must judge others likewise.

Finally, do not be silent. Don't listen to racist jokes. Write letters to publications that present your appearance or lifestyle in a negative light. I have a tattoo representing an AIDS activist organization called ACT-UP. Their motto is "Silence = Death." The less we say about appearance-based prejudice, the more it will flourish and continue. The "moral majority" and the Christian right wing is a small group, but they are vocal, and not ashamed of their ideas. Hence, their agenda makes it into the national spotlight, and the issues they choose are the issues we discuss. For that reason, I respect them as a movement, no matter my personal opinion of their ideas. If each of us makes it known that we will not stand for prejudice in any form, it will become a national movement, and change will be affected.

If I continue to sell out, I will be depriving myself of a fully expressed life, which is an inalienable human right outlined in the Declaration of Independence. It ends right now. Anyone who asks me, "Didn't that hurt?" will get a polite reply. Any employer who makes an issue of the way I look will be deprived of my skills. Anyone who bases their opinion of me on my appearance or lifestyle will be missing out on a good friend. If each of us takes this opinion and eliminates arbitrary standards of acceptable appearance and lifestyle, our eyes will be opened to the beautiful variety of people who surround us, and we will move one step closer to a fair and egalitarian society.