Being a student at a fairly large high school, I see my fair share of cliques, and exclusive social groups. I see the many general characteristics of the groups, and how they act, dress, and treat other people. I will also say that I am not judging people by stereotypes, or individually. There is no doubt that there are groups of people with common ideas that band together and show similar behaviors to each other. Many people will look away from the groups, casting it off as something childish, or irrelevant to their lives. Most people don't look to the people who are affected by these groups. I can personally say that I'm in an exclusive group of students. Being in honors classes, I have known the same group of students for my past 2 1/2 school years. Comments are made about the "lower" classes, who are actually students in above average classes. Again, not everyone makes these comments or has this mentality, but this is a group, or clique, within our school. Cheerleaders are also a big group in which people will talk about. Not all cheerleaders are promiscuous, but some are at our school, as are other students. People get too wrapped up in what someone said about them, or which people are dating others, or who got the highest grade on that test. There are hundreds of others who are cast aside and are made fun of because they don't fit the requirements of the social group. Countless times I've heard people ridicule a person because they are friends with someone not even in an honors class. Society and people in general have the power to overcome the majority, and start doing things out of the ordinary. Be a cheerleader in the chess club, or befriend someone nice even if they have green hair. It's a time to be different and make a change.
The Disasters of High School Cliques
By blinkon182 - Posted on March 19th, 2008
I don't think there is a way to prevent groups, and I'm not sure I would want to. It's natural human instinct to want to be in a group of people. We are social creatures. But you're right, it is time to be kind to people that are found outside of those groups. i think that's just something that comes from maturity, and having an attitude and outlook of compassion. When you're young, you tend to be a bit mean, and to have a need to build yourself up by breaking other people down. at least, some people do.
I like your idea...if only more kids were like that...I go to a huge school and cliquing has never really been a big problem for me but it has for others...I've been privileged enough to gain that elite status of the in-crowd...in fact I've been in the in-crowd for all of my high school career...but I'm also on the debate and speech teams (generally for "nerds" and at our school they are also predominately minority which unusual in the whole state) I have other extremely popular friends in band and choir and on the brain game team...but at the end of the day we are still the people everyone wants to be...and I'll admit I've said my fair share of mean things and I've been called stuck up and a "plastic" but I've been able to see how it is for some kids and I've changed my attitude and the way I look at being in the in-crowd...while these are still my friends I don't consider myself one of "them" any more.
It's a nice thought, but unfortunately we do not live in a perfect world. Cliques will always exist, they are kind of what makes high school high school.
It sounds like your honor classes friends are in for a rude awakening. I had a student ask me if my husband had a 4.0 in high school, and if I had a 4.0. I was weirded out by the question, then she started to go on about how she couldn't see how someone who was doing research could be with someone who didn't have a 4.0. I informed her that my GPA in high school was much lower than that, and that I didn't base my friendships on GPA. I think she ended up making a B in the class. :)
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