Serious Reasons Why I Would Never Have Made a Good "Drop-out"

This is a serious warning. I messed up. I should have put "warning" in bold type to kick-off my first sentence, but I didn't for it was late at night. So to give you a fair warning, the topic in this hub will irritate you if you do not know how to understand how I write. No, I am not writing that way on purpose to see how much steam will spew from your ears or fire from your eyes. It's just my style.

The topic I speak of is serious, but somehow, there is a string of humor in the text, but you have to have eagle eyes to see it. In fact, I would love it if you found the humor that I have confidentially hidden in my thoughts. That way more people will laugh.

So I want to hand the serious side to you on this topic: Drop-out's. This is the term used in the late 1950's and throughout the mid-1960's to aptly-describe kids, mostly teens, who "cut" school and stayed "cut." Thus they became known as "drop-out's." Back in the olden days, this term: "drop-out," was considered vulgar and not to be spoken in mixed company. You remember this time? It was this time in our country when such a thing as morals existed.

I vividly-recall a hub I did a time ago where I talked about "cutting school and being cool," so do not get off-track with this work about dropping-out from all of your studies.

I cut once or twice. No, I never felt the least bit cool. But on the top level of students-turning-rebels were the drop-outs, petty thieves (those who felt big at shoplifting a pack of cigarettes), and a few daring hearts who thought that sipping three cold beers at the drive-in was bold and daring. Child's play compared to being a drop-out.

I knew some drop-out's in my younger years. And the reasons they gave for 'leaving all of their education behind,' would have made great fodder for the late Dr. Hunter Thomspon's off-centered novels. I am serious. These guys, when I asked them why they chose to drop-out of school answered with a solid face. No grin. No smile.

Some of their reasons were:

• "You need to stop hitting your head against the wall, Kenny. Dropping-out is THE coolest way to live."

I chose to not use the reasons where the drop-out's resorted to profanities to brace their reasons. But you get the idea.

My point, to sum-up my introduction: To "cut" school is being cool to a degree, but those with hearts of Thor who dare to "drop-out" of school have chosen "the" highest level of rebellion known in school systems and society itself. Check it for yourself. Some of our greatest movie stars, athletes, singers, and politicans were all "drop-out's." And they did great.

And here are even more reasons for "me" to drop-out of school:

• I could not stan and point a finger at the guys who trod the "Drop-out Road," when I was young. No, sir."Oh, I, uhh, just couldn't get to school on time. Bus's always late, I had to work in my dad's shop at night, and just didn't think I'd be using some of that junk we were being taught in a mechanic's line of work."
• "Kenny, I just got tired of being scolded all of the time. Sure, I won't lie. I did break a window in the school room and I told the teacher it was all in fun, but she held a grudge against me from that day on."
• "The rules, man. So many rules. I couldn't figure them out."

• "That history teacher, uhh, that smart butt, Mr. Clark, had it in for me from day one for the way I wore my blue jeans ripped, but hey, that is the style and I'd rather be in style and cool than to follow some silly rule a dork like Clark hands out!"
• "It's great, Ken! Free everything. Food, shelter, spending money and that will last as long as I live here for my folks are so afraid of my drop-out friends and I that they are afraid that my gang will move in here that I can take anything I like."

Before I close, I want to share with you some of the

Reasons Given Me by Other Drop-out's on Why I Should Bail From School

(And I put them in quotes to make them more realistic).

• "I get to sleep as late as I want."
• "I party til' way into the night."
• "Ken, the cops leave us alone because we outnumber 'em."

Note: if you are a young person just entering high school, if you are being pressured by some low-life, selfish, trouble-making, drop-out's to join them, well, just keep a copy of THIS story in your folder or somewhere near and re-read it and ask yourself, "Do I seriously want to screw-up my life?"

So now back to me. This is the title of today's work:

Serious Reasons Why I Never Would Have Made a Good "Drop-out"

• Bloody Fist Fights -- are very common to the drop-out when he is standing his ground for leaving school. And you have to be able to defend yourself adequately with invisible right and left hooks in the process. Thing was, my dad never taught me the first thing about boxing or street fighting.
• Loud, Vulgar Yelling Matches -- between the drop-out and a good hearted, educated relative always happened at the Thanksgiving or Christmas reunion. It was ugly and it made all things a mess. Even the various families argued and then split over why "Billy Jim" dropped-out, then went home to Cleveland and never spoke to each other again. Including "Billy Jim."
• A Sense of Iron Confidence -- this should say enough about this qualification to be a good drop-out. A successful drop-out has to have self-confidence in order to shoplift something for jim and his buddies to forage on until a real meal comes along. And that same self-confidence runs a dark trail to boot. The drop-out needs a better way of going besides his feet, so his iron confidence persuades him to start into the dangerous business of grand theft auto. This can easily give the drop-out a criminal record for the rest of his life. But it happens. When it came to iron confidence, well, I never had that much. I was thankful to have enough confidence to answer my teacher when (and if) they remembered my name.
• The Facial Look of Fright -- that any drop-out could give to a weakling guy like myself. I do not know if the drop-out's had to practice looking evil, but they did. Some even added a lighted cigarette to this facade to insure more fear was being sent out to people like me. But thing was, I never had the gall to make others fear me and I admit it. I did sneak around and smoke (without inhaling) cigarettes with my now-late cousin, Donnie.
• My Physical Build -- was more of a hazard than an blessing. I was clunsy at times due to my weight being more in the tenth-grade than it should be. And what I noticed about the drop-out's in my hometown was that THERE WERE NO overweight drop-out's. Case closed.
• Weak Emotional System -- was even more of a hazard. I knew in my heart that if I ever were to be a good drop-out, I would be expected (by whatever drop-out gang I was running with) to mug and inflict fear into a guy in junior high school. And friends, I just didn't have the heart to bring tears to a weaker, smaller guy. No way.
• Lack of Respect -- from other drop-outs and people who cut school regularly was bearing against me being a successful drop-out. I would be asked before I started sharing with the drop-out gang, "Are you man enough to say good-bye to the sticking school system? If not, then stay away from us."

And now years later, I am glad that I did, 'stay away' from my friends in the drop-out gang.
But the main reason I chose to not be a successful drop-out was:

My Mom and Dad -- either or both of them would have tore my butt into shreads if even mentioned the term "drop-out" in our home. Yes, I sound corny, so let it be. My parents loved me that much as to punish me for even dreaming of such a life as being a drop-out.

I know that this reason may not fit into your sensitive, never give children discipline, let kids do what they want, way of living, but sometimes we just have so say, "This is none of your business."

Okay. "This is none of your business."