The teen culture of today is obsessed with status. Everything we do has to show just how cool, dope, hip or “jiggy” we are. Our conversations, our clothes, our very mannerisms are judged and deemed either socially acceptable or not.

All kids who grow up in America are taught from a very young age that there are winners and there are losers. Capitalism has engrained in our minds this concept of an economic caste system, and at our age, when we are finally starting to develop our own identities, we strive to be one of the “winners” even though we have no real money. We judge who is a winner or loser by appearance. Expensive brand names are considered “cool” because the wearer can show in a name across his chest his economic superiority. It is no coincidence that expensive brand names are preferred; and that often those brand names are displayed all over the clothes for everyone to see. The idea is to show the world you are superior.

Money is wasted each year on expensive clothes that are only superior to others because of the name on the label. In today’s fashion market the quality of the garment has nothing to do with the price of it. Time and cash are wasted trying to create the same looks we see in different advertisements. We are in no way better people if we manage to succeed in copying these looks. In fact, we might as well be wearing sandwich boards because we are nothing more than advertisements for giant corporations. We even pay large amounts for the opportunity. Fifty-year-old millionaires tell our generation what to wear. We are nothing but drones for corporate America. We need to assert our independence from Madison Avenue and the marketing powers that be. We can do that by shopping at Goodwill.

Goodwill stores sell incredibly cheap clothes. We can all afford to shop there. There is no dividing line between groups of people based on attire. No more judging clothes and looks simply on what brand the clothes are. There are also no ads there, and they don’t have any sort of marketing scheme to influence what we buy. There is unlimited opportunity for creativity and self-expression. You’re not going to find the same thing twice at Goodwill. This eliminates the opportunity for copycat trends and fashions.

People would have to do their own thing, not just copy what is “cool.” Often what you find is not just old stuff from the mall. You find truly unique clothes, clothes not made by the fashion industry, clothes made by various clubs and organizations for its members, or by companies for their workers. A lot of what is there is humorous in its presentation. An example: T-shirts with slogans like “Quaker Steak Oil and Lube” as well as blue jeans, ideally worn, that fell into my hands for $4. This is recycling at its finest.

By wearing things with an element of humor, or indifference, we are truly showing our independence. We are saying that we don’t care about trivial matters like fashion; that we aren’t going to be caught up in the silly nuances of past generations. We are saying that our generation is a free thinking one, and that we are going to make our own decisions and not be influenced by the “fashion people” who supposedly dictate what we wear. We are going to stick together and not bring people down. We are going to show real levels of compassion for the less fortunate among us.

And here’s where it all transforms from just a good way to save money into a true humanitarian movement. Goodwill gets its clothes through donations. They take the obsolete and obscure of the fashion industry and mix it with the free stuff given away for work or for recreation programs and mix it all together on their racks. Then they sell all the stuff for a few bucks apiece. It’s a system in which there are almost no costs, and because of this a great deal of money is left over after they pay their employees. What does Goodwill do with all this money it makes? It puts it back into the community.

Goodwill Industries provides services for the mentally handicapped, the disabled, people with brain injuries and are contributing in many other ways for the less fortunate. They find these people jobs and help them live on their own. Every time we shop at Goodwill we are making a donation to charity and giving back to our community. By saving money on clothes we could start a whole “Goodwill revolution,” and make the world a better place.

Go into your local Goodwill store and take a look around. There, in the cornucopia of old shirts and worn pants, is the power to change the world.

Joshua Keefe lives in Bangor and is a junior at John Bapst Memorial High School.