I was on the PATCO High-Speedline this afternoon and found a panhandler in the aisle accosting riders for a buck if they could spare it. The fellow had one of those horseshoe-shaped nose piercings, which made him look like a pair of silver snotters were dangling from his nose, and a gemstone was gleaming from below his eye socket.
So the guy who could afford body jewelry wanted a handout.
Sorry dude, you can pawn the bling and learn to get your priorities straight (as in staying healthy first by getting some food, and looking bling-y later). Nobody was reaching for their wallets.
Sure, some folks out there would say give the kid some change. We’ve all had those rebellious stages, after all, and he might really be out of luck. However, choosing jewelry over food, clothing or shelter is not a responsible way to exist.
Some of this body jewelry is just too strange, such as gigantic O-rings in people ears. I can just imagine the wind roaring through those holes. I can imagine the massive, saggy earlobes when those things come out, and the staggering plastic surgeon bills to restore order when the kids are ready for the job market.
When I was young, ear piercing was a masochistic rite of passage for only the really brave or stupid. One post in each ear, and that was pushing the envelope. Usually by the time the sales clerk broke out the implant device to shoot the earring into the lobe, panic (and some nausea) had already set in), and faces turned green and scrunched up with awe and terror as a poor victim got zinged. Some sadistic parents had tiny posts introduced into infants’ ears because it was a cultural thing. My folks didn’t subscribe to that sort of stuff.
If you don’t have piercings, it’s hard to imagine having them; if you have them, you probably feel naked without them. They’re just extras, though, and the rest of one’s presentation in the social circle doesn’t often suffer for a lack of jewelry, but for overdoing it.
I’ll just stick with a watch.
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