judging people on appearances

The PSYCH101 was horrified to hear about the practice of Phrenology & its deployment to justify racist social control. 

Interestingly this Internet definition doesn't mention the race thingy. Too upsetting I suppose. Basically, (white) scientists measured the skulls of society's beautiful, intelligent & financially successful fellows (all white) & deed these the Gold Standard on Head Shape & Size. Wo BeTide someone with a non aristocratic dome, be found near the scene of a crime! 

While sanding floors today,y mind kept drifting to my early days at Marist Brothers Hamilton. This boys high school has since achieved notoriety as a Hub for Paedophile Clergy. Back then we all thought the Brothers were mad disciplinarians, gay or very strange. But, being the 1970s we mostly copped it sweet & said nothing. A tiny minority of boys jacked up at mistreatment & assaulted their abusers with a hale of verbal abuse or actual physical assault. They were quickly & quietly expelled, no doubt with the cause of the problem being kept quiet. 

But, I digress. In First Form I had the misfortune to be in Brother Cassian's class. He belonged to the Mad Disciplinarian School & used a leather strap or bamboo cane to stamp his authority. He did have one other oddity; The Slob Row. Each Monday morning he would check each boy's hair, the maximum length was "above the ears & no touching the collar". If a boy's hair offended, he was strapped & ordered to get his hair cut. The following Monday, all the boys were checked & any offending boys were closely scrutinised & if Cassian was not satisfied, he would label that boy a Slob. He was then ordered to move to back of the right side row of desks, the boy sitting there was asked to move. The Slob would then be excused from further inspection & never directly addressed in class or tutored. As the year progressed the right hand row, ie. The Slob Row, slowly filled up from the rear of the class to nearly the front, & I had a Slob sitting next to me. Behind him were basically al my mates! 

Well the day finally came when another Slob was detected & Cassian addressed me, quite remarkably & without scorn or rancor he asked me if I wanted to stay where I was. I didn't say no, all my mates were here. So I became an unofficial Slob. 

Many years later I wish I had a conviction, like the lads behind me, to stand my digs & say "screw you Cassian & your stupid standard ". That's me, rebellious without statement. But to tidy up my thinking on the point of judging people on their appearances, its without factual basis, sells creatives & rebels short & manufacturers a mind numbing conformity for no real gain. Walk your walk!