THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 30, 1994 TAG: 9409300044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHANDA FARROW, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
THE ROOM IS DARK. Its walls are covered with tiny human skulls and dolls with bloody faces. Innocent, headless dolls are lynched from the ceiling.
It's not scene from a Stephen King horror flick. This is 17-year-old Brett Edenton's bedroom.
Brett, a senior at Cox High School, favors jet-black, shoulder-length hair. He is wearing his everyday attire - black T-shirt and jeans with black combat boots. Earrings in his nose and ears add sparkle to his pale face.
Because of all this, Brett is often stereotyped as dangerous and menacing.
Despite his looks, Brett is not satanic. He's not a criminal, either. He's a regular teenager who has moral values, decent grades and informed views about issues that affect teens.
``People do not have an effect on me,'' he said. ``I'm not going to stop dressing the way I dress because it does not meet the qualifications of onlookers.''
But he has had to wrestle with the stereotypes.
Once, a school official intercepted a depressing letter he sent to one of his friends. Noting how depressing it seemed, she notified his parents. The next day, Brett had an appointment with a psychiatrist, a situation he did not enjoy.
``I thought (the psychiatrist) was an idiot,'' Brett said. ``I preferred to either talk to my friends or work it out myself.''
He never went back.
People who are acquainted with Brett find him kind and outspoken.
``He's friendly and honest and acts (like) Brett and not like someone else,'' said his close friend, Kerstin Gennert, 16, a junior at Bayside High.
Besides being the stereotype of a weird teenager, Brett's favorite color is black, which he says expresses his feelings. Black, he says, covers up all colors. He despises white because it doesn't have any meaning or significance.
``I don't like colors because people talk about matching and how others don't match,'' Brett said.
Brett doesn't follow a particular religion. He believes in a higher being, but he just doesn't know how to respond to it. He finds the different religions confusing.
Religious groups ``have different opinions about God and the origin is changed around so much that nobody really knows what is true or false,'' he said.
Despite his strong views on issues like religion, Brett doesn't go around spouting his ideas. But he does think teenagers should be heard, able to voice opinions about the issues affecting them.
``I think it is stupid that people who are teens are not allowed to give their opinions on social issues involving us,'' Brett said. ``I should be allowed to talk about what I feel and whoever wants to listen can, but to those who do not, they don't have to.''
Horror movies are Brett's favorite films, and his taste is reflected in his bedroom decor. He has a bookshelf full of horror movies - from ``Nightmare on Elm Street'' to ``Fright Night.''
``I like morbid stuff,'' Brett said.
Bruce and Judy Edenton, Brett's parents, said at first it was hard to adjust to Brett's bizarre tastes. But now they accept them as long as he keeps the headless dolls and skulls in his room.
Being a part of a stereotyped society, Brett tries not to judge those who judge him. Though his appearance leads to discrimination - such as people staring at him in the mall - he handles situations without a fuss.
``I just think those types of people are ignorant, and I don't know why they think that they can get the best of me,'' he said.
Brett is considering attending Virginia Commonwealth University. He is undecided about a major, but is thinking about art. He believes through art he can express himself.
He likes the environment at VCU and believes he will face less stereotyping in the big-city atmosphere in Richmond. His advice to other teens who feel as if they are being judged unfairly: ``Remember, it's not one group being discriminatory or racial, it's both. We have to work together in order to keep the peace.'' MEMO: Chanda Farrow wrote this story as part of the newspapers' 8th Annual
Minority Journalism Workshop. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Chanda Farrow is a senior at Maury High.
Photo by IAN MARTIN, Staff
Cox High senior Brett Edenton holds a drawing he made of his
favorite band, Nirvana.
by CNB