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Apologies for the general lateness of things. Many work projects donchano. Speaking of ignorance I don't believe this American idea that what's important is the inside, and that nothing you do to the outside can change that. Years ago, I saw this Japanese reality show where they would take people with physical abnormalities and change them to see if it would improve their lives. One woman, who had very large upper dentition, said that if her physical problem was fixed, her self-esteem would improve, and I agreed. When it comes to the mind, the neural juices and the physical manifestations often affect each other, rather than a simple cause and effect relationship. That said, I am watching a show that is driving me insane. They are dealing with two people who are getting plastic surgery to improve their lives. One is a pre-teen kid who is getting his perfectly normally ears pinned back because kids tease him about them. One is a woman who is getting breast reduction to alleviate the "stigma of large breasts." I have major objections to both of these cases, and for similar, and differing reasons. Unless you are talking about a serious abnormality, like a withered leg, or a giant birthmark, plastic surgery is not appropriate for children, because they are still growing. They are not supposed to like little adults, because some things develop at different times. How many large eared, buck-toothed, zit-faced kids grew up into perfectly normal looking adults? Furthermore, when kids tease you about one or another thing, they are not really teasing you about that. You are not being teased because your ears are imperfect, you are being teased because that's how kids are. Whatever it is that is making the other kids tease you is likely a defect in your personality, real or imagined, and having painful, risky, and expensive surgery is not an appropriate response to that. Having been very teased in school, and having rather abnormal ears, I kind of know what I am talking about here. As for the breast chick, I know that there are documented self-esteem issues with girls who develop earlier or more than their peers. Ultimately, you are dealt the physical cards you are, and you have to make the best of it. Being a 5'4" woman with a 34DD bust is just not the worst thing in the world to be, and if you can't see that, you need counseling, not surgery. Now, if you simply don't like the way they look, the sag, or you have back pain, that sort of thing? Sure, get cut, but changing non-abnormal physical traits is just not going to help your mental problems. I am not anti-science or anti-surgery. I think plastic surgery is awesome, and I'd like to get a little myself, but the fact is, everyone has something about themselves they don't like. Sometimes it's real, like a large birthmark, a deformation, or a big, fat ass. However, I have always been against things like breast augmentation (or cosmetic reduction) because as great as science is, it just can't improve on nature. Give me natural breasts of any size over those made by science. Sometimes the imperfect result of medical intervention is better than the fucked up hand nature dealt you, but when nature does good, and you just don't like it, you aren't going to get anything better from medicine. It just doesn't work that way. — Saturday, October 4, 2003; Secret Pineapple Island Lair 
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