Yes, those kids from the Christian Youth Group are a MAJOR threat

[Jester]

Speaking of judging based upon how we look....

Setup: My senior year of high school (1987-88) I was working in a restaurant. And there would be times when I would close and be going home as late as 2 am or so. And in this town at this time, there was a curfew for anyone under 18. I was 17 at the time. The curfew did not apply to people who were working past curfew with their parents' permission, if they were just going home from work.

Situation: I am bicycling home from said restaurant around 2 am one fine evening, dressed (as I often did) in ripped jeans and a rock concert shirt. Styx, as it turns out. Basically looking like a typical stoner.

Young Cop pulls up next to me and asks me to stop. I did.

YC: "How old are you?"
ME: "17."
YC: "You do know there's a curfew?"
ME: "Yes, I do. I was working, and am heading home now."
YC: "Where do you work?"
ME: "[My restaurant.]"
YC: "And your parents know you were working tonight, and coming home this late?"
ME: "Um, of course."
YC: "Well, the reason I pulled you over is not so much the curfew thing, but we've had some robberies and vandalism around here lately."
ME: "And what does this have to do with me?" [Cop was friendly, I knew I could smart off a bit.]
YC: "Well....I saw the way you were, um, dressed, and..."
ME: "So you're pulling over slobs tonight?"

YC realized I had a point, and we had a good laugh about that. Turns out he liked Styx, and we spent a little time talking about them (as that was the rock shirt I was wearing). Then I went on my way, and he on his.

Lesson: The way I choose to dress does not reflect on my criminality, thank you very much.

[powerboy]

Just because someone is dressing a certain way, does not necessary mean that they are like that.

[protege]

In my model railroad club, one of our members has a mohawk. "Jake" does it just to freak people out, he's not a punk by any means. He just enjoys the reactions when people notice that his hair is green. So far, it's been purple, blue, orange. We're all daring him to get it zebra-striped

Locally, most bikers treat other motorists with respect. They're usually the ones pulling over to offer assistance. From what I've heard, many of these people actually attend the funerals of our soldiers. They're present simply to let the families know that someone *does* care about them, and also to help keep the nasty protestors (namely a certain bunch of idiots from Kansas) away.

[Jester]

From what I've heard, many of these people actually attend the funerals of our soldiers.

Most of the bikers I've met ARE former members of the military themselves, so this is something you would expect. As has been said, most (not all, but most) bikers are pretty cool people.

Just like with any group, though, there ARE the lowlife scumbag asshole shitballs present, but overall, bikers tend to be pretty damn cool.

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

Just because someone is dressing a certain way, does not necessary mean that they are like that.

And I quote Wednesday Addams (with a slight alteration):

"Homicidal maniacs look just like everyone else."

[Lace Neil Singer]

And occasionally wearing gothic clothes and black eyeliner is a problem...why?

Maybe I should wear that stuff out in public and not in the privacy of my own home...

It's not a problem to me, but apparently some chavs think that anyone who does wear that kind of stuff is a goth and therefore worthy of abuse. -__-

[Sharsarannon]

It's not a problem to me, but apparently some chavs think that anyone who does wear that kind of stuff is a goth and therefore worthy of abuse. -__-

Safety in numbers, friend, and hang out in the right places. Around here the only Chavs or" wannabe gangstas" we have are all dorky little highschoolers or momma's boys who go to community college because their parents sent them there, or no college at all because at 24 they still don't have their GED. IN short, few of the annoying ones are ever worth our time and attention.

I point out to the boards that most Christians I know are NICE people. It's the random biblethumpers you need to be scared of.
Likewise, most pagans are awesome. It's the highschool "Ooh-i'm-a-witch-now, I worship the goddess and all ancient cultures were feminist" crowd you need to run from.
Most Punks are awesome. Most goths are mellow and cool. Most jocks and cheerleaders are actually just busy being social, they're not as stupid as they seem. Even stoners are at least non-malicious, if little else, heh.

Honest practicing religious people in general get a Horrible rap in my area, mostly because the loud minority likes to call attention to themselves by pretending to be a victim of "organized religion".
Religious people are usually really nice, if often a little unusual because of how their group culture is. Most religions require people to play nice.

The SC in question on this thread was hysterical- Yeah the kid's gonna steal because she's a rockstar for God, singing about her savior. Must be a delinquent.

You have to keep in mind that people in other Groups, scenes, religions, whatever have their own culture that goes with them, and they may have always been told that people like you are this or that. The only way to solve this problem is to surprise them by being kind and polite, so they learn.

[karma_gypsy]

As has been said, most (not all, but most) bikers are pretty cool people.

My husband is an avid biker. He owns a Suzuki C50 (cruiser) and he's 30-something years old. Most bikers are nice. Yes. They are. The ones that don't own the Harley's are the nice ones. The folks who do own the Harley's seem to be pretty snobby and have a tendency to look down upon foreign made bikes (granted, some are nice, but they are few).

[kerrisan]

Those lyrics sound SO familiar. now I'm going to be going nuts trying to figure out what song they're from.

And Gawdzillers, I love LPBW, and I love your icon! Zach is so great!

[aurelemsrealm]

It just goes back to the old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

I've met some of fit their particular stereotypes perfectly, and I've met some who are nothing like what you'd expect at first glance. I grew up in small town southern Illinois, so going away to a university at 20 years old was a mild culture shock to me. I adapted quickly because I knew there was a world beyond home even if I didn't get to actively experience it until then.

Even I tend to not be what people expect because I'm quiet and reserved. Once I get a feel for people I start to voice my real opinions, and apparently manage to surprise people on a regular basis with a piercingly sarcastic jab or bluntly honest observation about whatever is on my mind at the moment. Another facet of my personality is that I can seem to relate just about any topic to any one of my favorite shows like Star Trek or The Simpsons, or some movie I really enjoyed. I'm just driven to focus on the absurd ironies of life, and therefore, my outlook on life sometimes surprises others as I come up with some crazy, completely off the wall theory about the meaning of life. That's just me, though, and apparently few people expect it until they get to know me because my first impression is quiet and serious.

[justZu]

Isn't the senior group one that might be apt to steal?

Of course! They have to, they're on a Fiiiiiiiiiiixed Iiiiiiiiiiincooooooome.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My mom was once gift wrapping for the holidays when I was working at Store1. I was on cashwrap, and I went over during a slow time to visit her, since she was there by herself. She pointed out a girl to me, wearing all black, short skirt, fishnets, big black kneehigh platform boots, with black and electric blue hair in a longish, spiky style... She had asked my mom if she knew where she could find Weird NJ magazine. Of course my mom had never heard of it, and told her that, and said she didn't actually work there. The girl thanked her and went to find an actual employee.

My mom was curious about the magazine so I got her a copy and she spent the rest of her downtime flipping through it.

[Gawdzillers]

Those lyrics sound SO familiar. now I'm going to be going nuts trying to figure out what song they're from.

And Gawdzillers, I love LPBW, and I love your icon! Zach is so great!

I've also got one with a hat.
It's a crappy MS Paint hat, but it's a hat.

[myswtghst]

Jester's story actually reminded me of one of my own. I dress in my own style, which tends to reflect my mood on a given day--it ranges from punk to prep. I do have 8 piercings and 3 tattoos, though my hair is long and a normal color right now.

When I was in high school, my senior year, we did a play called Teechers. It was set in late 80's Britain, and the style of the show was mostly punk. After dress rehearsal one night, we were let out, and I ended up driving a few guy friends home. With three of us in the car, listening to Linkin Park, and still in costume (the boys in leather with spiked hair, etc, and myself in a little boy's t-shirt, a plaid mini, ripped blue and black tights, black leather motorcycle boots and jacket, and wearing far too much makeup, eye and lip), we got pulled over. The cop even told me how shocked he was by my manners and how sweet I was, given how I looked.

[purplecat41877]

Determining that someone is a shoplifter is not based on looks. A shoplifter is determined based on the way s/he acts.