The KillJoy Rants: High School Social Life

[ABMorales787]

Most people here have gone through it or are in progress. High school, where kids slowly become adults. Really? It seems high school slowly becomes the number 1 source of social disturbances. Prejudice, racism, bullying, etc. As a student, I always asked myself why? People here always seem to have this insaseable thirst to prove something to everyone. To be accepted in "society"? How often do you see people longing for attention from the mass even though they already have friends? Demeaning themselves just to be "popular". Why? Whats the point? So people can admire you? Admire what about you? Shouldn't being yourself all that should matter?

I remember being there not to long ago. I wasn't too popular, probably hated. But back then all that mattered to me was graduating and leaving. I had my friends and that was all that really mattered. One of my friends however had this terribly bad habit of acting like a total goof to get a couple of girl's attention. Those girls were already our friends but my buddy wanted more "acceptance". He began doing any thing they asked for. Buying snacks, throwing their lunch trays away, carrying their backpacks and other stuff. Sure, its common courtesy, but he was literally on the floor wagging his tail for treats. He never got the treats, he did get a few whacks to the back of the head for "acting up", but never got one bit closer to what he wanted. Notoriety. To be seen as a ladies man is school. Instead he looked like an idiot. I gotta ask. Why do people do it? Why do people sink to such lows in an attempt to reach high's that will never last? Why do people worry more about acceptance than their own futures?

 

[Mr. Steve]

Simple: because back then, you don't exactly have your priorities straight, but you got a faint idea of what you're about to do.

Honestly, I never thought what to do after college. Never gave it much thought because I didn't care much for it, and was never shown any options so I would just hang out with my friends. Luckily, it panned out very good for me since I got in a college and I'm liking what I'm studying.

Thing is, that High School is a stepping stone to what's out there. People back then, in what is probably their ignorance, they try to be cool so that they would have something to show others around them. Obviously, this can entail changing who you are, something that's never supposed to change, only have additions to what it is. Besides, High School is mostly a superficial moment in life in most places.

 

[Notorious718]

Most people here have gone through it or are in progress. High school, where kids slowly become adults. Really? It seems high school slowly becomes the number 1 source of social disturbances. Prejudice, racism, bullying, etc. As a student, I always asked myself why? People here always seem to have this insaseable thirst to prove something to everyone. To be accepted in "society"? How often do you see people longing for attention from the mass even though they already have friends? Demeaning themselves just to be "popular". Why? Whats the point? So people can admire you? Admire what about you? Shouldn't being yourself all that should matter?

I'm a senior in high school right now and I'm sure it's no secret to you that people in high school are still fairly immature. They are trying to figure out who they are, and where they fit in. As they do this, they may try different personalities. People at this age are very impressionable and are therefore also largely influenced by what they see on TV and by the actions of others. I've noticed that a lot of my schoolmates feel the need to "fit in" with the crowd. I do agree that being yourself is what matters but sadly, not all teens feel that way.

I remember being there not to long ago. I wasn't too popular, probably hated. But back then all that mattered to me was graduating and leaving. I had my friends and that was all that really mattered. One of my friends however had this terribly bad habit of acting like a total goof to get a couple of girl's attention. Those girls were already our friends but my buddy wanted more "acceptance". He began doing any thing they asked for. Buying snacks, throwing their lunch trays away, carrying their backpacks and other stuff. Sure, its common courtesy, but he was literally on the floor wagging his tail for treats. He never got the treats, he did get a few whacks to the back of the head for "acting up", but never got one bit closer to what he wanted. Notoriety. To be seen as a ladies man is school. Instead he looked like an idiot. I gotta ask. Why do people do it? Why do people sink to such lows in an attempt to reach high's that will never last? Why do people worry more about acceptance than their own futures?

It's called puberty. Hormones are rushing through their bodies and teens do whatever they can to please the other sex which I think is completely understandable. Of course, there are a few people who truly are fake, stupid, materialistic, shallow, etc. and those are the people who I have a really big problem with.

 

[Super Crazy]

At first, in high school, I just wanted out. I had moved the US to Canada, and it was a huge deal for me considering everything that happened in the year or two in my life leading to that moment. After a year or two, I made some real good friends, and all I cared about was hanging out with them, nothing much else. By grade 12 I was bored of high school, and wanted to drop out graduating year, I'm glad I didn't though.

And people worry more about acceptance in high school because of the environment around them. In high school if you're not popular, attractive, or play sports, or any combination of the three, you're not cool. In high school everyone strives to be that kid with all the friends, with the best body and best everything, all due to what the mainstream pumps into us.

We live in a society now where it's not what you know, but who you know so to speak. At least that's how I look at it anyway.

 

[Nitafrong]

I always find the depictions that you see of North American High Schools that I see in movies and television a little strange. It all seems a bit exaggerated and about as real as Scrubs is to a hospital. However you guys who have been can probably tell me how accuarate they tend to be.

I went to a Grammar school which as well as being single religion, was also single sex (our town had specifically Prodesdant and Catholic schools). This wasn't really out of choice but more becuase this was the best school for me in the local area. While it may have included the unhappiest portion of my life I don't think it was quite as attention grabbing as your experience seems to have been. Certainly people were split into groups ranging in terms of popularity- but the popular ones were the cool ones, the dominant ones and the more adult people.

But to answer your question Killjoy- people always want acceptance- its completely natural. We are a pretty sociable race which goes to a huge amount of effort to present a certain image to the rest of the world. In high/secondary school we are a bit more immature and it takes us a while to fully develop and so our attempts to go about this tend to be a bit more extreme. I wouldn't unduly worry about it though.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Human beings are (for the most part) a very social species. We want to have many friends and for our peers to like us. People go through things they think they never would, just to earn the real-life equivalent of green rep points.... other people liking us. The best advice is to just be yourself. I wish someone had told me that back in my teen years. Remember when Charlie Haas had that gimmick of coming out as a clone of various other wrestlers? That's similar to what I was like as a teen. I was a chameleon. Changed myself to get others to like me and, at one point or another, was part of every single stereotypical social circle.

On average, I changed social circles roughly once a semester. I was with the gamer crowd, then switched to the preppy crowd (the nice and non-bullying half of it) because people were calling me a "nerd", then I made some stupid mistakes I'd rather not get into any details on and became a lone wolf as a result of that, then I transferred schools and was determined to be "cool" this time around so I fell in with the partying crowd, then the preppy crowd (the mean half this time), then my football teammates, then for my last semester before graduating I was emo and a bit of a lone wolf again before coming back to my roots as a gamer....

Finally when I got to college I basically said "Forget this crap, I'm just gonna be me from now on!". To a VERY small extent I'm still a chameleon since I am comfortable around most social circles, but I always act like myself and know that my true friends will accept me for who I am regardless. It would have saved myself a lot of heartache as a teen if I had just done the same back then.

People do stupid things to get accepted by others.... the best thing someone can do is just be themselves. The good news is you find your true friends that way. The bad news is, there's always going to be someone who doesn't like you. No matter how good of a person you are. It's something we all go through. Eventually most people grow up and stop trying to be accepted by people who aren't even worth their time.

 

[Razor]

Most people here have gone through it or are in progress. High school, where kids slowly become adults. Really? It seems high school slowly becomes the number 1 source of social disturbances. Prejudice, racism, bullying, etc.

No, parents are still the Number 1 source of all of that. Ever wonder where children learn to hate? I guarantee you whites are not programmed to hate black people.

As a student, I always asked myself why? People here always seem to have this insaseable thirst to prove something to everyone. To be accepted in "society"?

I would say yes, seeing as how we're social creatures.

How often do you see people longing for attention from the mass even though they already have friends? Demeaning themselves just to be "popular". Why? Whats the point? So people can admire you? Admire what about you? Shouldn't being yourself all that should matter?

Sure. But we've evolved from merely having someone like you. Now the American idea of being popular is "Being liked by everyone!" I agree here, the idea of being a social creature has been stretched too thin. Some people just don't like you, no need to bend over backwards for everyone.

I remember being there not to long ago. I wasn't too popular, probably hated. But back then all that mattered to me was graduating and leaving. I had my friends and that was all that really mattered.

Ah. Loner. Gotcha.

One of my friends however had this terribly bad habit of acting like a total goof to get a couple of girl's attention.

Acting like an idiot to get a girl's attention is suddenly bad? Better tell all the boys in 2nd-12th grade then. They have to find something new to get a look from Suzie during Recess.

Those girls were already our friends but my buddy wanted more "acceptance". He began doing any thing they asked for.

He's desperate for a girlfriend, then. Bitch needs friends who will smack him out of it. Way to fail your friend.

Buying snacks, throwing their lunch trays away, carrying their backpacks and other stuff. Sure, its common courtesy, but he was literally on the floor wagging his tail for treats.

That's not common courtesy. That's wanting a girlfriend/vagina.

He never got the treats, he did get a few whacks to the back of the head for "acting up", but never got one bit closer to what he wanted. Notoriety.

Because he went about it the wrong way. But continue.

To be seen as a ladies man is school. Instead he looked like an idiot. I gotta ask. Why do people do it?

Why did he do all those things for the ladies? He wanted vagina.

Why do people sink to such lows in an attempt to reach high's that will never last? Why do people worry more about acceptance than their own futures?

Acceptance is linked to future. If you aren't accepted by anyone, how you ever going to get a job? A wife? A family? You can't extrapolate acceptance as being bad in every case. It's a necessary part of our primitive social structure that has probably existed since the days of our Caveman ancestors.

It's just that case that people have gone to far and seen acceptance from everyone as necessary. They need to tone it down a bit, and realize that getting the bitch from the 12th grade to like you isn't completely necessary to live.

 

[Tastycles]

The problem with high school is that thanks to the orgy of hormones that it is, it is the only place on earth where the social hierarchy is so clearly defined that you can put a name on anyone at all. As a result, people are desperate to improve their social standing, but because of the structure, you're basically stuck where you always were. I was reasoably lucky in school to be friends with people perceived as cooler than me. As a result, I didn't really have to try and impress anyone, and I didn't.

The most cringeworthy moment of 90% of people's lives comes from some attempt to rise up the social ladder at high school, and as embarrassing as it may be, about 20 seconds after you leave, you will realise that nothing that happens there will ever be remotely important to you ever again.