Defense or prosecution?

[protege]

Sorry, but I'm totally with the majority of the posters. There's far more weight on a negative appearance then there is on a positive appearance.

That's why if I'm in a meeting, or other "responsible" situation, I tend to over-dress at times. First impressions are everything.

For example, 15 years ago, I landed myself in traffic court. Some idiot hit the brakes in front of me, I tried to stop, slid into him. Cops came, my father argued with them, got me cited for reckless driving, failure to maintain control of vehicle, 6 points, etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, I showed up to the hearing in a suit. My father had a suit on, and so did the witness. The magistrate had a reputation for being a hard-ass, and I wanted to present as good an image as I could.

The charges were all tossed, mainly because the cop didn't bother to show up. Even so, we still presented the evidence--photos of both cars, bumper tests (both the Tempo and the Chrysler I hit failed!), a weather report from the day, signed statements by myself, and the guy I hit, plus the bullshit police report. On that, the cop put down what *he* thought happened, and totally ignored us! Even though we knew it was bullshit, we were very careful not to say so.

It's all about first impressions, folks. If you show up looking like a responsible, clean-cut person, people are usually willing to hear your side of things. If you show up looking (and acting) a piece of Jerry Springer show trash, well...it's usually not going to end well.

People judge you by your appearance. Unfortunately, but they do.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Amazingly, the defendant himself was wearing jeans.

He was clean, and looked well groomed. However, somewhat baggy jeans and a striped polo shirt, untucked, is a bit casual for a court in which you are being charged with assault (or anything else.). The witness looked like a complete slob. It wasn't even a NICE shirt from a strip club. It had been through the wash way too often.

[Kiwi]

I would be of the opinion that it isnt a wise choice to turn up as a witness in a domestic violence case wearing a t shirt advertising a strip club. Both are associated with the exploitation of women (to some, but not all people). It isnt wise to turn up in a t shirt at all.

[Munty]

Hmm. When I did Jury duty over here (In the UK) as long as our clothes didn't look like garbage, we could wear whatever we wanted to. So most of the jury turned up in jeans and tshirts.

As for juries being judgemental, I have to admit that I was very judgemental on the defendants (If the trial hadn't been resheduled, then I seriously believe that all of the defendants would have been declared as guilty as sin). In my defence, all of the jury members that I talked to agreed with me.

[Rapscallion]

That's jury duty, though. The jury aren't on trial - they don't have to dress to impress.

Rapscallion

[Shabo]

Same thing when I went to jury duty. I dressed up, even though I didn't have to, but practically no one else did. We almost got to jury selection, too.

[SnapAddict218]

Ok, possibly he didn't own a button down shirt-thats more common than one would think. So it is a possibility that a tee shirt and jeans were "nice" for him. That's fine. One can still look presentable in jeans and a tee, provided that they them selves are clean (has recently bathed) and the clothes are clean and in good repair. Supposing that the man did take time off from work, where that is normal attire, I would think that he should have some foresight to explain to the courtroom that he didn't have the opportunity to spiff up.

That being said, why oh why would choose that particular shirt? Same could be said if he showed up in a tee shirt advertising booze or drugs, or one with a risque saying on it (. Why not a plain color, or even a Mt Dew shirt at best! I think the point being made is that the character wittness needs to take the time to think about the image s/he is projecting to the jury. If s/he appears disheveled (sp) that will, and should, impact their credibility. After all, we are known by the company we keep. Generally we surround ourselves with company of the like. Not always, but generally. While I whole heartedly agree that being a strip club patron doesn't equal spouse beater generally those types of espablishments have a less than....for the lack of a better word, professional reputation. (note I italicized generally because there is always the other side of the coin) Also, my take on the OP is not so much that his obvious patronage of strip clubs means he has little or no respect for women (although, considering the charge, it does seem a poor choice) but rather that he was not dressed appropreatly for a serious event.

Clothing, hair, makeup, jewelry-appearance in general plays a part in how others percieve you. If clothes shouldn't matter when making an impression about at person, then why do we dress up for a job interview? Why couldn't I have shown up to my interview @ AAA in cut offs and a "Thunder from Downunder" spagetti strap tank top with my thong hanging out the back? Because it's not professional. While I may have had all the credentials they were looking for, there would be no way that I would have been taken seriously considering my appearance. Same goes for a courtroom, or any other situation where you are on display.

But that's just my 2 cents!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

A friend I related this story to this past weekend suggested maybe the witness wasn't as much on the defence's side as the defendant thought he was!

[AFpheonix]

Considering you can get a cheapie rayon button down from a drugstore for just a couple of bucks, I think the guy was just either completely clueless, or he was hoping to get his "buddy" out of the way for awhile.