Identity and Membership

This is definatly a difficult topic to answer and speak on. I guess a group that I associate myself is being a skateboarder. I like to think that my identity is not shaped by this collective, but when looking at it realistically it has shaped me how it wanted me to be. The images that are associated with this are generally kids that look like social out casts of society with piercings and tattoos along with beanie hats that make them look like delincuits. Society as a whole normally sees us as criminals that do drugs and commit vandalism a long with a laundry list of other crimes. I defiantly look like a skater. I wear all the skate close and shoes as well as having tattoos and piercings. Also I can't go anywhere without my beanie hat, I love that thing. My identity defiantly defers from the path of skaters which society has assumed. Yes I do look like a skater as well as skate. On the contrary tho I do not do drugs nor do I committee crimes of vandalism and destruction. Just because someone does something does not mean they are like all other members of that group. I do really well in school and I work hard at whatever I do, which is definitely not how people see skaters. It is hard to live the proper life you want to live when people already define you by the way you look and in reality you are nothing like what you look like. I love meeting parents of the people I hang out with. They always have a terrible first impretion of me because of how I look, but then after having an intelligent conversation with me they are bewildered at the thought of thinking I was a bad guy. I love proving a point to people that judge.