Persistently one of the most fierce topics to be debated in Great Britain is fashion. Not necessarily as you might think to do with what Lady Gaga has slaughtered to cover her body or the lack of what Miley Cyrus does to cover hers, but rather the controversy revolves around what everyday people should be allowed to wear. Our heated dialogue over what is considered to be fashion faux-pas has evolved from celebrity scrutiny to shrill shock over what our fellow, ordinary citizens are donning. And I love it.
Often was the cry that America's questionable export of celebrity culture is rotting our children's minds, but as recent stories suggest, our young mind's are far from mimicking the folly of our close friends across the pond. Instead we are now of an age where what shocks and appalls us are what our contemporaries think of current affairs. The two ladies that successfully won a halloween costume competition dressed as both the Twin Towers springs to mind.
The resulting fallout of the ill-advised Twin Tower debacle is quite evidently damming of the two ladies and their decision to seemingly mock a grave tragedy. But as it stands their willingness and ability to engage in such an activity speaks volumes of the trust we place in one another as individuals in a liberal democracy. Pride in oneself is a celebrated virtue that even the likes of Russell Brand are willing to recognise so when some deem it appropriate to behave in a certain fashion it is good that they do so. Not necessarily because what they are doing is innately good, but rather because of their public display of shocking stupidity everyone benefits.
The benefits of which being that we are able to condemn them to the extent that they realise their ill-judgement; that they will emerge from this situation better human beings; that we have all been shocked to the extent that we speak up on what we value as a society. In the stunning display of ignorant fun these two witless ladies have allowed all to engage in a bit of democracy, developing a quick and unilateral ideal of what consideration and compassion should look like. In this case not dressing up as the Twin Towers.
As the dust begins to settle on this particular issue we will all take a sigh of relief as we recline back in front of the monitor scouring the internet for the next bout of stupidity. For we will be content with the knowledge that we have just helped two young ladies become aware of their actions as individuals, which will aid them in their future lives and consequently ours.
One of the most commendable characteristics of Great Britain is its ability to learn from its mistakes. Armed with a diverse and uncompromising free press, and a vibrant online social networking community there is an effortless war waging everyday to encourage people to become self-aware of their possible impact on the world. Whether it be a troll hurling insults at Piers Morgan or a young lady dressing up as a Twin Tower, the fallout of each of these events push us towards a better tomorrow. In the never dying light of modern technology, no bad deed goes unnoticed.
As we go from day to day yelling at one another over what is acceptable to wear and what is acceptable to say we engage in an invaluable part of our society. To have ourselves heard does not always have to mean by the government or by a bureaucratic state, it can just mean being heard by those we're talking to; the people who have betrayed common sense. These mistakes should not be left to people in power to rectify, it must be down to everyone else as they are more affected and effective. When we battle stupidity we make our society a better place to live in. In this sense, we need stupid people like the young ladies who wore the Twin Tower costumes. We need them because it allows us to remind ourselves what it means to be members of a community and society, and helps us to evolve our understanding of what it is to be individuals.
Be shocked by people's silly costumes and outdated beliefs but applaud their willingness to project themselves. For if they did not then we would not be able to help them change for the better and therefore contribute to society. If we lived in a society where people were too scared to express their stupidity, then that would be a stupid society to live in.