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Rant & Rave
PICTURE yourself walking down a crowded school hall, looking at the other students walking around. In a split second, you are able to characterize them as punks, nerds, cheerleaders, jocks, druggies, gangsters, skaters and preppies. Labels limit possibility
of friendshipBy categorizing them, you've probably also guessed their fashion sense and the kind of music they listen to.
That was a little experiment to show how easy it is for people to form stereotypes about one another.
Is it human nature to categorize everyone? Why do we need to fit everyone into these little slots? Can all of mankind be fitted with these simple labels? And once we fit individuals into whatever niche we decide to stick them in, do we choose to like or dislike them based on these arbitrary niches?
When the stereotyping process is broken down like that, doesn't it sound ludicrous?
When you walk onto any school campus, you can immediately see the lines drawn between groups of students who view the world with an "us vs. them" mentality. As a whole, I've noticed people will hang out with their "own kind," according to the labels society hands to us.
That's why I love the clique I hang around with. We might be considered preppy, local, nerdy, slacker, punk -- we don't discriminate. If we all had our stereos going at once, the music you'd hear would really run the gamut from Korn to Britney Spears, Wu-Tang Clan to Blink 182, Chemical Brothers to Pure Heart.
If there were enough people who could see the beauty in different tastes and lifestyles, then, eventually, prejudices could be overcome. We could break down society's labeling system.
It's time to stand up and demand to be recognized as a person, not a category. Make a late resolution to hang out and talk to someone that isn't a part of your group. Beyond appearances, their interests, talents, ideas and ideals may surprise you.
I know that sounded corny, but there may be some interesting people in the freakshow in the corner of your cafeteria. Trust me, I'm one of them.
Chad Wago is a senior at Roosevelt High School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
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