The freedom to be
By Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo or Frodo or ME
Non-conformist: A person who chooses to stand out, to be different. To "not conform" to the standards and ideas of other people.MY name is "Bilbo" and I am a non-conformist. I think I'll tell you my real name later on.
Life for non-conformists can be tough. In high school, it's just hell. Plain and simple. You dance to your own beat. You play by your rules. This existence of ours would be so bloody dull if everyone listened to the same music and wore the same clothes.
I am called Bilbo Baggins because of one truth. I lived up to my namesake. For the clueless, J.R.R. Tolkein wrote this funny story called "The Hobbit," part one of a saga. His saint, Bilbo, was a short, rather plump Hobbit with leathery soles. He was looking for adventure to get away from his everyday rut. He chose not to shave. I identified totally with the character by choice.
When I entered Kalani High in 1993 we read "The Hobbit" in freshman English class. I didn't shave and I walked around campus barefoot. For that time, I looked like a hobbit. I was like this before I read the book. It was my classmates who chose to name me that name.
If I did conform, I would have fit in, right? I assure you I stuck out like a sore thumb at Kalani and freshman and sophomore years were nightmares.
So far, this article has a slant to it -- a very bitter, sarcastic, facetious slant. Let me tell you why. I was a rebel without a cause, not anti-social, just an outcast. I wrote goofy poems for no reason. I didn't try out for sports. I had different opinions. I was not part of any of the established collectives called "cliques."
I definitely wasn't one of the boys, the bruddahs or the homies.
TRUTHFULLY, I do not regret it because I still managed to make a lot of friends. So life got better. My grades perked up and I crawled out of my shell. I actually went to the mall. (Tower Records and the movie theaters had been my only little hangouts.)
God forbid, I went to the bloody prom!! It was OK. It was fun. Why? Because I talked only to those I wanted to talk to because they were cool people. I cannot be a phony, butt-kissing socialite.
My point is that it's OK to break out of the mold others try to set for you. Here is the mother of truths as best I know: It's OK to wear aloha shirts that were in about a decade ago. It's all right to say that you like Guns n' Roses. It's OK to walk on campus barefoot. If people harass you about these things, SMILE AT THEM! They don't have a clue.
At the same time, it would be to your advantage to try to understand where others come from, to take an active interest in their uniqueness. Perhaps then they can learn to understand you better. It's easier to make friends this way. Plus, people won't think you're a freak.
So be yourself, but put your best self forward. Walk proudly with you head held high. And say to yourself, "!@#%@#%! It's OK to rebel against the cliques. It's OK to not wanna be like the popular ones! It's perfectly OK to NOT have a dropped tinted racer-style Honda (just an example) playing g-funk gangster tunes VERY LOUD! And it's perfectly OK to express your tastes in clothing."
If you see six guys walking down the street with very low, worn, long-cut baggy pants, wearing Stussy shirts, carrying choke pagers with them, laugh (to yourself, very quietly), "They've been bloody brainwashed!"
This is the statement they make: "I wear this to be popular because I cannot think for myself."
Confession time: My real name is Kenneth Edward Nishiguchi. I'm ranting, I'm raving, be true to yourself, PLEASE!!!!
Bilbo has spoken, so what about the rest of you out there?
Kenneth Nishiguchi is a '96 Kalani High School graduate. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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