But the thing that really gets me is the vivid recollection white people have of their high school social ranking. Have you EVER met a white person who says, "I was extremely well-liked in high school"? No. You have not. EVERY white person will reference this time in their lives by saying "I wasn't popular in high school." Poll the Blacks. Poll the Hispanics. Do they ever say "I was a nerd."?
Can you explain this to me? I mean, really, when you "look back" with white people, what do you reminisce about? Depeche Mode, Izod Lacoste, and (yes, Paige) Drakkar Noir. But when you hear, oh, say, my husband look back, it's all talk about football and cruising the PCH. Salsa dancing? Quinceanera? Those fun Hispanics. Cow tipping? Ding-dong-ditch? Yeah, the white kids.
Ask the minority crew if they were popular in high school. They have no idea what you're talking about. They had fun, they did their own thing, and they have great memories of it all. Ask the caucasian persuasion, and they will name any number of possible social groups in which they were placed: nerds, band geeks, goths, druggies, barfs, etc. A rare few will have called themselves jocks, and they may admit to having indeed been popular. But they are a rare few.
Anyway. I don't get it. It seems like the Breakfast Club never really goes away.
And ironically,
do you see tha vanilla pattern here???
19 comments:
Okay, I'll admit it, I was cool. In junior high school I was a total nerd. In High school I made the dance team and suddenly I was cool. So I guess I was a nerd disguised as a cool kid.
TOTALLY sat at the cool table..
(but then.. I'm REALLY cool.)
Glad I could reinforce that us white kids really DO remember our rankings.
I was in between. I wouldn't say I was in the popular group although I was friends with a lot of them. I liked being in the middle though.
I have NO idea. I have not interviewed mixed races about high school. But now I know... I guess.
Oh. AND, I have most of Breakfast Club memorized-- and a poster of it in my basement. I loved Izod.. and my sister actually had a Lacoste liscense plate on the front her PINK and GREEN car.
I still love Drakkar-- and I caught my oldest boy and his friends ding-dong ditching just this week.
Way to nail the stereotype.
Who knew I was so completely caucasian??
This post was perfect social commentary. Every word rang true to me...even ugly sweater parties...I'll agree...totally white. You should write human interest column in a newspaper. I love how you make me think about things that I would never ponder.
My biggest deal was thinking I was fat (Yeah, I was totally that annoying girl) Sadly, what I wouldn't give to be my high school weight today. Okay...enough about me...sorry.
I was a "drama geek" in high school. I tried to branch out and do other things, but the tag stuck no matter what I did. Throw the polys in that mix...they don't care either.
I was Molly-now I wish I could have been Ally. She was messed up then but I'm sure she is now a brilliant writer. Andrea, I think you were born in the wrong body and you're right-white people are weird. Its because we have no culture to call our own so we make it up as we go.
What is Anime?
What is an ugly sweater party?
What is country music?
Apparently I did not sit at the cool table.
I think perhaps it might be a little of a sex thing. I have plenty of minority girl friends who talk about their social position in school. I rarely hear guys talking about what their social ranking was though.
OK, I do know what country music is, kind of.
I was cool, but I am Half Mexican. Does that still count?
We had an Ugly Sweater contest at Christmas, I love Farmers Markets and I'm on Facebook...does that mean I'm more White than Mexican even though I was born in Mexico???? Come to think of it, I was called White Trash once - by a Mexican :-0
Yeah, I am thinking it is a male thing, but also what about all of those gangs out there. They are totally a way of social positioning and most of them are minorities.
Hmmm...never thought of this before. Love Christie's comment!
I heart The Breakfast Club.
Just for your information, I changed my Profile picture just for YOU! Do I look my age now?
Thanks for the push to do it!
I wasn't popular...BUT I WAS INSANELY HOT!!! Almost as hot as I am now.
I went to four high schools so I was always the "new girl" which instantly made me more interesting. I got asked to the Jr. Prom by the only black boy in my school, who was by the way, VERY cute. I didn't get to go with him which brings up one of my life regrets..."what would it have been like to kiss him?" (Because I kissed every guy I ever went out with. Does that make me a sleeze?)
My husband is white and won't call himself a nerd. Probably because he wishes he was black.
Now, I'm glad to know when I claim to have been a nerd in high school it can be blamed on my race rather than my anti-social tendencies, lack of "cool" friends and nerdy academic drive.
I was very well liked in High School and continue to be well liked to this very day. BY DA LADIES, oh hell yesssssssssss.....
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