My school has a mandatory public speaking event every year. You write a speech, you say it in front of the class, you sit down, you get marked, and you put it behind you. A few unlucky and jittery individuals, however(One per class), are chosen every year to move on to a semi final round in front of judges. And five students per grade level are chosen by the judges to move on to the "final round". Which takes place in front of the entire grade level. Plus all other public speaking semi-finalist. As well as many parents. And kids who snuck out of class.
At A Glance Author Captain Marcus Contact [email protected] When It just happened Location Lakeside Academy, Lachine, Montreal, Quebec This year I wrote a speech that I titled "Body modification is not mutilation" Not only did I get eighty seven percent mark on my speech, but I passed through to the semi-finals, beat them, went to the finals, and won first place in my level.
Now, understand, I harbor no delusions of my ability to convince the masses that body modification is "okay". But I wanted to chose a controversial topic, one that I could talk about, but not a ridiculous to try, like "Why you should get scarification" (My favorite modification). And I did something that I didn't expect I could do. I succeeded in convincing a few people. Here is my speech.
In the dictionary, Mutilation is described as "An aggressive harming of oneself or others", and "To render a limb or organ imperfect through modification" So then. If what you are doing is non-aggressive, then there should be no problem, right? Or if you are furthering perfection by modification, that should be okay. Because the key words are "Aggressive" and "Imperfect". A well thought out modification is never one of these things.
Brave judges, More than worthy opponents, and those of you in the audience still awake, I'm sure you have all heard the expression "no pain, No gain". Guys, when we do our sets, our bench-presses, our pushups and curls and sit-ups, there is a rule. You have to "feel the burn" we have to push our muscles to the point of pain, and go through hell, because it's worth it. It makes us stronger, It makes us hotter. And girls, you wear high heels, the hurt your feet and cause back problems, and you tie your hair up in cornrows and braids so tight that it hurts, Because its worth it, because it makes you sexy. The most common thing to be heard when you're going through an injury, or a tough breakup, is that "what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."
I think that I've established something here. Human beings feel the need to experience pain to grow. Pain can makes us strong; pain can make us beautiful.
But if that's the case, why do you see somebody with odd piercings, or scarification, and think that because they had to hurt themselves to do it, that means that they hate themselves or are suicidal? This is almost never true. They are simply more willing to suffer, for a different kind of beauty.
You don't see it in the highschool textbooks, but piercing and tattooing has been around before language. Neolithic man had tattoos and women where scarred and pierced. Even now, in Africa, lip plates the size of saucers and even neck stretches are a common sight. Ever since before human beings became cultured, Tattoos, scars, piercings, stretches, splits, these things have been symbols of power, symbols of status, symbols of marriage, of love, and above all, symbols of beauty.
As Jon Cobb said; I feel that some piercings reflect the personality, and those are more like haircuts or styles of clothing that you embrace. Other piercings are supposed to be there. When you look in the mirror you don't look different so much as same somehow, as if it has been there all along.
These things are all engraved in our deepest and most basic natures, from before society. Suicide and self-loathing are products of culture, and so cannot be part of the origins of modification.
Now, if you see somebody with a traintrack of haphazard scratches going down their arm, they obviously have something wrong, even if it's just for attention. It is important to define the line between modification and mutilation. If shapes are carved in a design on somebody's arm, that's modification. Random scratches are mutilation. Clean and maintained cuts are probably modification. Colored, dirty and crusty cuts? I'd guess mutilation. But once you can tell the difference, Modification is just another kind of beauty.
In the words of Netana Whakaari of Waimana, you can lose your most valuable property through misfortune in various ways. You may lose your house, your wife, and other treasure, but of your Moko, you cannot deprived, except by death. It will be your ornament and your companion until your last day.
In the end, I'm not saying that you should go out a piercing just because I said so. No, If that's not your thing, I respect that. What I'm saying is next time you see a modification. (A weird piercing, scarification, or a facial tattoo, and you don't like it, just ignore it. We all have our own perceptions of life, we all have our own likes and dislikes. So grow up, and forgive a little. If you're feeling brave... try appreciating it.