You run into first period late… out of breath, you hand your teacher your crumpled homework and look up tentatively. He scoffs and disdainfully mutters, “What do you expect me to do with this?” What warrants this reaction? You know that the work on the paper is all there and all correct but for some reason it has been disregarded because it was crumpled up. The physical state of paper, an object with no intrinsic value and only potential, somehow trumps the value of what actually exists on the paper. Purely based on physical appearance, a crucial document could be completely disregarded if it was crumpled, and this happens every day at San Luis Obispo High School. Is this fair?

 “If you get a piece of paper from someone and it is crumpled up, it’s like that person clearly doesn’t care,” said senior Kit Scriven. It’s sad that this societal connotation exists. With countless sheets of paper used across the world every single day it is utterly mind boggling to think that a judgement can be made about someone based on the physical state of paper. To fully understand the scope of the argument, one must first understand the rubric of paper validity. The most valid form of paper according to society is flat paper. The second most valid is paper inside an envelope. Third most is folded, and the fourth and least valid is crumpled. Purely based on physical presentation, this rubric makes sense. Flat paper is certainly the most appealing and clear form of paper whereas crumpled is the least. “When presented with the same document, one in flat paper form and one in crumpled paper form,” Said P.E. teacher Pat Johnston, “the flat, traditional form tends to be a symbol of professionalism.” One may argue that crumpled paper is less valid purely because it makes the information harder to read. Johnston’s sentiments are valid and in a professional environment, important documents, if crumpled, would certainly lose readability and thus validity. However, most of us are not in a professional environment that warrants this type of care, and I urge everyone to crumple all the unimportant documents they have to begin fighting back against this stigma.

 A good amount of people probably feel as though the topic of paper validity is trivial at best. You can’t crumple an email so what’s the fuss, right? In our increasingly paperless world, what paper is left should have the freedom to exist in any form without judgement being passed about its validity or it’s owners. “As a person who has delved into the world of origami, I can say with considerable force that a flat piece of paper can be a huge advantage. But at the same time, we shouldn’t discount a crumpled sheet just because it doesn’t look as nice, a crumpled sheet has character,” said graduate Will Compton. Don’t be afraid to crumple your paper students, remember, character goes a lot farther than looks.