(no subject)
This is a continuing anthropological study of teenagers and more specificly the high school scene, and what makes people act and feel the way they do.
P.S. This is just my opinion, which is probably going to change over time. But for now is my view of this subject.
In high school, the people are generally divided up into two groups; the popular kids and unpopular kids. Whether you like it or not, when you enter this people group of modern teenagers, one of these group titles will be pinned onto you. This horrible stereotyping of kids by their peers and sometimes even adults is the cause of most of the depressing and stress associated with high school. But it is not to say that these stereotypes do not exist. Certain stereotypes have probably always existed. The popular kids such as the jocks and cheerleaders type girls, the nerds, the loners, the anti-conformists…ect, ect. People assume that these groups come about simply by the way these people are. This is partially true; the jocks are there because they probably enjoy sports and are good at it. The nerdy bookworms are in that group because they are better at problem solving and feel comfortable there. But the reality of these groups in high school is that you place your own self in that group. Kids complain all the time about being left out or made fun of, but to be blunt, it is mostly their fault.
Take the bitter loner kids for example. These kids are the ones with an oblivious chip on their shoulder. They give off the vibe on not needing anyone (except for some core friends) and have an ‘angry at the world’ mindset. Now these kids do their very best to give off this impression, in what seems to be an active effort to push people away. But I have a theory that would say otherwise. It seems to me that they are just interjecting themselves into a group for a very specific purpose. Which is, they want the approval of their peers and to have something they feel the kids on the outside do not have, mystery. In their hearts they want attention, like all humans we desire approval and attention at some level. Their actions in trying to be loners I believe is really a way to receive attention from those on the outside, and in a way ‘one up’ the popular kids. They know (and are probably right) that the popular kids think they have everyone figured out. And so to counter that they create a certain air which they feel will make them stand out. They hate the haughty air that the popular kids have, and they try and find ways of destroying that air. So in what looks like efforts to blend in, they are actually trying desperately to be noticed and thought about.
Even though no one in the popular crowd would ever admit that this plan works, in truth it does. I believe it is the cause of most of bullying and dislike that the more popular kids have for others. The popular kids enjoy their spot at the top of the high school food chain. But most of the enjoyment that their spot gives them is the pleasure you get from knowing that everyone wants to be like you. In their mind they believe they have arrived, they are at the top of the social mountain, and the rock which they have conquered is everyone below them. They believe everyone below them is in an effort to reach where they have. But when they see someone who seems to be content to sit at bottom of the mountain, it angers and confuses them to no end. It shatters their view of everyone and that they thought they had everyone figured out. They then wonder, sometimes quite honestly, why these other people can’t be normal aka, why can’t they be like me?
The next subject of study are the individuals who don’t appear to be apart of any group. I have named them floaters. These ‘Floaters’ are the kids who could be classified as the unaware nerdy kids. They appear to be completely ignorant as to their behavior, and unlike traditional nerdy kids, do not try and be apart of their common peers, but instead try and be in with the popular kids. I believe this is because they truly want to be on the top of the social mountain, and they seem to think the only way to get there is too hang around the others at the top. Mostly these kids’ actions result in them appearing even more awkward and making themselves available for more ridicule. It’s not to say that it’s a bad thing to try and be liked in a particular group, if that’s what you desire. But these particular kids seem to have no grasp on how to act in the ‘popular’ crowd; they stick out like sore thumbs. There is however some exceptions to this rule, if your parents have a high paying job or you yourself have a lot of money, then sometimes the popular kids will allow you into the group based on the somewhat decent rich image you might have. In other words they put up with you to look good. With my interactions with these floaters outside of the popular group suggests strongly that this awkward behavior is mostly produced when they are said popular people. When talking to other people outside of that group they seem over all pretty normal. This might be because they are not worried about trying to impress me and trying to be funny. When they are relaxed they say something when they themselves think it is funny. When they are around the popular people they say, and laugh at what they think the popular people will think is funny.
This might be the reason you observe so many people change how they act around different people. This then also brings up the question; when are they really being themselves? When there being around you? Or around the popular people? I believe these sums up the stupidity of the high school experience. In high school people seem to lose themselves and their personalities to the high school scene. You are who you want to be like or impress. What benefit is there in being yourself? When are you actually being like yourself, or just trying to be like someone else, or some image? There are so many images to choose from these days, even images that try to make it seem like you don’t have an image.
P.S. This is just my opinion, which is probably going to change over time. But for now is my view of this subject.
In high school, the people are generally divided up into two groups; the popular kids and unpopular kids. Whether you like it or not, when you enter this people group of modern teenagers, one of these group titles will be pinned onto you. This horrible stereotyping of kids by their peers and sometimes even adults is the cause of most of the depressing and stress associated with high school. But it is not to say that these stereotypes do not exist. Certain stereotypes have probably always existed. The popular kids such as the jocks and cheerleaders type girls, the nerds, the loners, the anti-conformists…ect, ect. People assume that these groups come about simply by the way these people are. This is partially true; the jocks are there because they probably enjoy sports and are good at it. The nerdy bookworms are in that group because they are better at problem solving and feel comfortable there. But the reality of these groups in high school is that you place your own self in that group. Kids complain all the time about being left out or made fun of, but to be blunt, it is mostly their fault.
Take the bitter loner kids for example. These kids are the ones with an oblivious chip on their shoulder. They give off the vibe on not needing anyone (except for some core friends) and have an ‘angry at the world’ mindset. Now these kids do their very best to give off this impression, in what seems to be an active effort to push people away. But I have a theory that would say otherwise. It seems to me that they are just interjecting themselves into a group for a very specific purpose. Which is, they want the approval of their peers and to have something they feel the kids on the outside do not have, mystery. In their hearts they want attention, like all humans we desire approval and attention at some level. Their actions in trying to be loners I believe is really a way to receive attention from those on the outside, and in a way ‘one up’ the popular kids. They know (and are probably right) that the popular kids think they have everyone figured out. And so to counter that they create a certain air which they feel will make them stand out. They hate the haughty air that the popular kids have, and they try and find ways of destroying that air. So in what looks like efforts to blend in, they are actually trying desperately to be noticed and thought about.
Even though no one in the popular crowd would ever admit that this plan works, in truth it does. I believe it is the cause of most of bullying and dislike that the more popular kids have for others. The popular kids enjoy their spot at the top of the high school food chain. But most of the enjoyment that their spot gives them is the pleasure you get from knowing that everyone wants to be like you. In their mind they believe they have arrived, they are at the top of the social mountain, and the rock which they have conquered is everyone below them. They believe everyone below them is in an effort to reach where they have. But when they see someone who seems to be content to sit at bottom of the mountain, it angers and confuses them to no end. It shatters their view of everyone and that they thought they had everyone figured out. They then wonder, sometimes quite honestly, why these other people can’t be normal aka, why can’t they be like me?
The next subject of study are the individuals who don’t appear to be apart of any group. I have named them floaters. These ‘Floaters’ are the kids who could be classified as the unaware nerdy kids. They appear to be completely ignorant as to their behavior, and unlike traditional nerdy kids, do not try and be apart of their common peers, but instead try and be in with the popular kids. I believe this is because they truly want to be on the top of the social mountain, and they seem to think the only way to get there is too hang around the others at the top. Mostly these kids’ actions result in them appearing even more awkward and making themselves available for more ridicule. It’s not to say that it’s a bad thing to try and be liked in a particular group, if that’s what you desire. But these particular kids seem to have no grasp on how to act in the ‘popular’ crowd; they stick out like sore thumbs. There is however some exceptions to this rule, if your parents have a high paying job or you yourself have a lot of money, then sometimes the popular kids will allow you into the group based on the somewhat decent rich image you might have. In other words they put up with you to look good. With my interactions with these floaters outside of the popular group suggests strongly that this awkward behavior is mostly produced when they are said popular people. When talking to other people outside of that group they seem over all pretty normal. This might be because they are not worried about trying to impress me and trying to be funny. When they are relaxed they say something when they themselves think it is funny. When they are around the popular people they say, and laugh at what they think the popular people will think is funny.
This might be the reason you observe so many people change how they act around different people. This then also brings up the question; when are they really being themselves? When there being around you? Or around the popular people? I believe these sums up the stupidity of the high school experience. In high school people seem to lose themselves and their personalities to the high school scene. You are who you want to be like or impress. What benefit is there in being yourself? When are you actually being like yourself, or just trying to be like someone else, or some image? There are so many images to choose from these days, even images that try to make it seem like you don’t have an image.