Out Of Bounds

At its last meeting of the year, terming it a "motherhood and apple-pie issue," the Suffolk Legislature overwhelmingly passed a measure banning body-piercing by anyone under 18 who could not show signed and notarized permission from a parent. Only one exception was made, for piercing ears.

Most Americans older than Generation X probably agree that making holes in your body and stabbing bits of metal into them is pretty weird, although, when you stop to think about it, body-piercing isn't much weirder than sticking bunches of burning vegetation in your mouth and inhaling the fumes. Kids should be discouraged from both practices.

But can anyone explain why drilling through an ear is acceptable while drilling through a nostril or belly button isn't? Shouldn't it be a case of no holes barred or all holes barred?

The difference, of course, is that earrings have been culturally acceptable in the Western world since recorded time began. In some parts of Africa it is the other way round. In India certain women wear a red spot on their foreheads, but wearing one in the cleavage probably would be frowned upon. Tribal cultures throughout the world have elaborate and ancient styles of personal decoration, including neck rings and lip plates. Our own teenaged culture follows dress codes that are as rigid while they last as they are trendy.

There continues to be debate about whether government should forbid the free use of substances that are mentally or physically harmful. It is totally out of order for it to prohibit cultural practices that are not.