Post by alexandranoel on Sept 14, 2008 20:31:52 GMT -5
Essay Topic 2: Is popularity more important than anything else..dying of thirst? What is the difference between being popular and belonging to a group? Can everyone be popular?
Popularity is something that some people care deeply about, and others could care less about it, in my opinion. Most people are just happy being themselves, while others believe that if your in a more popular clique you have a better, more social and fun life. Instead of doing things you don’t like or acting a certain way just to fit in, wouldn’t it make more sense to fit in with people who have the same interests as you do? I, and I hope many other people, would chose not being popular over dying of thirst, because you should be happy with who you are.
Thinking of this personal choice does have its downs to kids not in the popular crowd. Some cliques are actually teased and bullied- and for some its much easier to hurt others emotionally and be “fake” as some would call it, just so they are not bullied themselves. This particular description well represents Josie. In Nineteen Minutes, there was a chapter where Peter was in his math class showing a pie chart on the popularity in their school. All of the athletes and pretty girls were in the popular group, while there were “band geeks” and people like Peter in the unpopular group. When Peter put Josie in the group that’s friends with anyone, she got aggravated that her popularity was at risk because she actually talked to Peter- who was bullied since Kindergarten. She really did talk to him occasionally, but admitting that would make her less popular- which she apparently cared and wasn’t even happy with who she was.
There are many different groups in school, especially high school, which popularity is included as one of them. Being in a group in high school all depends on your interests and the way you act, dress, and look. Groups, or “cliques” are everywhere in high school, they walk around together, sit with each other at lunch, and hang out with each other after school. Popular groups, often have people who are either jocks, rich or very good looking. Unpopular groups may include people who aren’t as attractive, smart, and not meet up to the popular group’s standards. Poor kids, overweight kids, Goths, drug addicts, artsy kids, and smart kids have shouldn’t be treated any differently, but those are some smaller, more specific high school groups that normally aren’t the popular groups. These kids are unfortunately treated worse than popular kids, but some of them are so much happier being unique.
It wouldn’t be possible for everyone to be popular- because being popular is based on the things that separate you from non popular kids. For everyone to be popular, the high school kids would be living a lie. If the standard popular image applied to everyone, which wouldn’t be possible, there still wouldn’t be the possibility of them being like everyone else- and everyone would be friends with each other. The only way everyone could be popular if cliques were non existent, and whatever you looked like would be accepted by everyone, which wouldn’t happen. In Nineteen Minutes, Matt Royston, a popular athlete and Josie’s boyfriend, mentions right after making fun of Peter and hurting him, that without “them”, as in the nerds, there wouldn’t be an “us”, as in the popular clique. If there wasn’t anyone for the popular kids to bully around or be better than, cliques would be very different.
In conclusion, popularity should never be important enough to someone that they would rather “die of thirst” then be unpopular. If unpopular kids weren’t bullied, mostly everyone would want to be themselves instead of acting like someone else. Some chose to be unpopular because it fits their intrests but most are forced into it because of their personal intrests. This can’t be fixed, but it’s not possible for everyone to be popular. True friends are much better companions in every way possible, and I’m sure most people feel more comfortable in with people they trust and have similar intrests.
Alexandra DeMarinis
Popularity is something that some people care deeply about, and others could care less about it, in my opinion. Most people are just happy being themselves, while others believe that if your in a more popular clique you have a better, more social and fun life. Instead of doing things you don’t like or acting a certain way just to fit in, wouldn’t it make more sense to fit in with people who have the same interests as you do? I, and I hope many other people, would chose not being popular over dying of thirst, because you should be happy with who you are.
Thinking of this personal choice does have its downs to kids not in the popular crowd. Some cliques are actually teased and bullied- and for some its much easier to hurt others emotionally and be “fake” as some would call it, just so they are not bullied themselves. This particular description well represents Josie. In Nineteen Minutes, there was a chapter where Peter was in his math class showing a pie chart on the popularity in their school. All of the athletes and pretty girls were in the popular group, while there were “band geeks” and people like Peter in the unpopular group. When Peter put Josie in the group that’s friends with anyone, she got aggravated that her popularity was at risk because she actually talked to Peter- who was bullied since Kindergarten. She really did talk to him occasionally, but admitting that would make her less popular- which she apparently cared and wasn’t even happy with who she was.
There are many different groups in school, especially high school, which popularity is included as one of them. Being in a group in high school all depends on your interests and the way you act, dress, and look. Groups, or “cliques” are everywhere in high school, they walk around together, sit with each other at lunch, and hang out with each other after school. Popular groups, often have people who are either jocks, rich or very good looking. Unpopular groups may include people who aren’t as attractive, smart, and not meet up to the popular group’s standards. Poor kids, overweight kids, Goths, drug addicts, artsy kids, and smart kids have shouldn’t be treated any differently, but those are some smaller, more specific high school groups that normally aren’t the popular groups. These kids are unfortunately treated worse than popular kids, but some of them are so much happier being unique.
It wouldn’t be possible for everyone to be popular- because being popular is based on the things that separate you from non popular kids. For everyone to be popular, the high school kids would be living a lie. If the standard popular image applied to everyone, which wouldn’t be possible, there still wouldn’t be the possibility of them being like everyone else- and everyone would be friends with each other. The only way everyone could be popular if cliques were non existent, and whatever you looked like would be accepted by everyone, which wouldn’t happen. In Nineteen Minutes, Matt Royston, a popular athlete and Josie’s boyfriend, mentions right after making fun of Peter and hurting him, that without “them”, as in the nerds, there wouldn’t be an “us”, as in the popular clique. If there wasn’t anyone for the popular kids to bully around or be better than, cliques would be very different.
In conclusion, popularity should never be important enough to someone that they would rather “die of thirst” then be unpopular. If unpopular kids weren’t bullied, mostly everyone would want to be themselves instead of acting like someone else. Some chose to be unpopular because it fits their intrests but most are forced into it because of their personal intrests. This can’t be fixed, but it’s not possible for everyone to be popular. True friends are much better companions in every way possible, and I’m sure most people feel more comfortable in with people they trust and have similar intrests.
Alexandra DeMarinis