My mother guilt tripped me into buying a class ring last night. "It's an important part of the high school experience!" she said, "I'll buy it for you or I'll pay you back, anyway!" and of course the unspoken, "It'll make your aging Mama happy! You don't want to make me sad, do you?" and, "Don't you want to fit in for once? This sort of thing is exactly why you were bullied in elementary school!"
Well then, Mama, I guess you've won this round. You've also won the medal for "best passive aggressive maneuvers in the family." My entire family goes stays afloat due to passive aggression (ex: "You won't come to the party? Ohhh, Grandma June would be sooooo disappointed if she were alive" and "Mother (Great Grandma June) died on my birthday you horrible sister, I want to grieve in peace for the rest of my days. Never talk to me again you insensitive so and so!"). So my mother winning that medal is saying something.
Just why is me having a class ring this important to my mother? Also, what is its significance? Apparently, the momento function. Which brings me to another of my mother's passive agressive subscripts, "You want to have something to help you remember high school when you're fat and old like me!"
It must be the momento function, because really, why else would someone buy something that pompous? Unless they are a pompous person, that is.
The above brings to light the fact that the very definition of high school is "pompous." From sports-worship to sweatshirts, schools like to declare themselves - and students and alumni like to declare their schools. Is that what class rings are all about? Or is it that people like to belong to people, places, and groups. Being in a crowd comforts us, and a class ring shows pride for the first non-family group we belonged to.
I myself am unsure how I feel about all this. I guess class rings amount to a combination of the momento function and pride, but I really don't know.
What do you think? Do you see any other hidden social messages in the class ring?
Just food for thought, really.
I bought my class ring today! Just because I wanted one I guess. There really was no reason behind it like remembering high school. I admire the history behind it and as I was picking one out my mom was telling me about her ringing ceremony at her school where they presented her with it. She told me she was excited because it was her first "real" piece of jewelry. She also told me about how her high school boyfriend (and later ex-fiance in a juicy twist) gave her his class ring to wear on her thumb to signify their couplehood.So I guess when I get my ring and as time goes on it'll remind me of my mother and the stories she told me about herself while she was in high school.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts. I didn't know what exactly the point of a class ring was, and apparently that is up for interpretation.
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