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Promoting equality and diversity in school
Promoting equality and diversity in school
The implications of conformity on society and the individual
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Throughout The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, Alexandra Robbins makes a variety of assertions. Her main claim is that there are many students who feel as if they must fit into certain groups in school to be accepted. To support this claim, Robbins has gathered evidence by interviewing common high schoolers from several different areas. Throughout her interviews, the students tell her about their experience. She observes a common pattern in all of the students, as a result, she has strong proof to support the claims she makes throughout the book. Within this essay, I will explain the specific claim, the evidence, and the form the evidence
The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth is a book by Alexandra Robbins which summarizes the story of seven different teenagers that have many different problems, which many of todays teenagers also have. I found myself having many similarities to the teenagers in the story, for example, when with her group Whitney, the popular bitch, thinks “You didn't day that when we were alone, but now that you're in front of a group you do” (Robbins 21). I can relate to this because I feel as though many people are pressured to say or do things they normally wouldn't whenever they are with their group or ‘clique’. Robbins has this idea that the freaks and geeks, or “cafeteria fringe” will someday grow up and use what they are criticized for to become more successful than the other peopler people. She calls this the ‘Quirk Theory’ (Robbins page 11). This helped me to learn that right now, in high school, not being ‘popular’ may seem like the end of the world, but the reality of it is that after these four years, it wont even matter, but what will be important is how you learned to grow as a person and the true friendships that were made. This makes me want to focus more on my education and learning to grow as a person instead of focusing on how many friends I have or who I sit with at lunch, because truthfully it wont matter once high school is over.
David Denby thoroughly explains the distinction between the reality of high school life to what is portrayed in movies in the article, “High-School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies.” He argues that many of these movies are extremely predictable and all have the same story line. Denby gives numerous examples of the cliché teen movie, which entails the skinny, blonde popular girl and her jock boyfriend who, let’s face it, has his shining moments in life, in high school. Denby’s main objective throughout this article is to distinguish whether these films reflect reality, or just what we imagine to be reality. He also touches on the other side of the social spectrum which usually consists of a quiet, female outsider who is known to be smart and
The persuasive essay, “Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy MIddle,” discusses, how there maybe a difference but maybe it is 50/50. He discusses and argues about where is the middle. In addition, he believes that people want to fit in but be different. The author supports her argument by justifying and defining about how it is human nature to want to be liked. In addition, to that people have a feeling of liquid fire going through there veins which is the natural feeling of someone feeling there need for individuality and people want to attain the status. The authors purpose is to persuade the readers, specifically high school students in order to show the healthy middle between conformity
“School can be a tremendously disorienting place… You’ll also be thrown in with all kind of kids from all kind of backgrounds, and that can be unsettling… You’ll see a handful of students far excel you in courses that sound exotic and that are only in the curriculum of the elite: French, physics, trigonometry. And all this is happening while you’re trying to shape an identity; your body is changing, and your emotions are running wild.” (Rose 28)
However, such accusations such as laziness and entitlement, although common, have been prevalent amongst those of college age as proven in “A’s for Everyone.” Shepard had investigated the cause behind this and had put the blame on grade inflation in the years prior to entering college, the pressure to get superb grades due to high tuition costs, and most importantly the belief that “effort” constitutes a grade bonus. However, if one has entered the school system in America, one could see the relative ease in which one could improve their grades through inordinate amounts of extra credit. Multiple students have heard and even seen fellow students ask their parents to even come in for meetings of which equate to blaming their child’s poor grades on the teacher and harassing said teacher to allow their child, soon to be a hardworking, productive citizen of society, to get the “grade they
Teens, in particular, have always sought to separate themselves into different social groups. Whether they’re named the nerds and the jocks or the preps and the rebels, one group has always been “in” and one group has always been “out”. It’s just the names and uniforms have changed(Doc A). This has never been more apparent in the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Set in the 1960’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma, two groups of teens —the no-good greasers and the rich Socs— are at constant odds with each other. While it may be easy to tell who are the outsiders in the novel at first glance, lines become blurred as the reader gets deeper into the novel. It’s true the Socs and/or the greasers may be the outsiders referred to in the title of the novel, however, the title truly pertains to the individuals who see beyond the divide of the 2 groups aforementioned above.
In many high schools, there is an unspoken social order amongst peer groups; teenagers are either included in the popular group or the unpopular group. These social standings are determined by the popular group whether they will accept certain people based on shared interests and values but mainly on appearance. For example, some groups may isolate a student who does not have clothing considered to be attractive enough. Teenagers belonging to the popular clique label individuals as outcasts who do not fit the clique’s standards of a perfect appearance. This repression can cause a build up of anger if an outcast seeks to be accepted into that popular group. Literature displays this social phenomenon of categorizing people too; author Mary Shelley
Just like Richard Rodriguez one can have struggles with school and home, for instance at home one is taught to speak their mind, told that everyone will understand. At home formal does not exist; serious and organized is an option. Yet at school one must learn to think before speaking, to raise your hand and to make sure you sound just like everyone else. At school one is taught to not make a fool out of themselves, to be serious and formal to be just like everybody else. But yet again as a student, although one has been taught to be like everyone else, one can still feel like an outsider, like Rodriguez describes you still don’t fit in. As a student one must learn the difference between formal and informal and when to use both, for some students like me formal and serious might be the only way to socialize. And just like Rodriguez one
As preteens and teens push for increasing independence from their parents, they tend to turn to their peers for guidance, acceptance, and security. For those who are low in self-esteem and confidence, their safety lies in fitting in and having a place to belong. Most people find a group in which they connect with in a healthy way while others make their way in cliques that give them security but at the price of their own values and individuality. The movie Mean Girls portrays how high school female social cliques operate and the effect they can have on girls. I will argue how if one doesn’t have a strong sense of self-identity, the opinions of others will become their identity.
The high schools are made up of cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined by insiders and outsiders. (Botstein pg.20) The insiders hold control. over the outsiders because of good looks, popularity, and sports power; the teacher. and staff do nothing to stop them, the elite.
In “Let Teen-Agres Try Adulthood” published in The New York Times on May 17,1999, author Leon Botstein explains how the American high school has become antediluvian as a result of the social groupings among the student body structured on physical appearance and athletic ability, in which he believes the institution should be repealed. To support his position, first, Botstein discusses that student’s often mistake these standards as an outlook on life in which they misconceive that the outside world doesn’t arbitrate their success in life based on social status. Next, he proposes that today's adolescent are developing significantly earlier than in previous years when the institution was established; stating that teenagers are now closer to
In “Revenge of the Geeks”, by Alexandra Robbins, many of the examples given explained how people have been outcasts before but have been able conquer those fears, intimidations, and adversities by their strengths. For example, “Taylor
In Sara Rimer’s article ‘For Girls, It’s Be Yourself, and Be Perfect, Too’, she stated “girls by the dozen who are high achieving, ambitions, and confident,” Esther Mobley comes from a high working class neighborhood, where teachers and parents encourage students to bring home an A's; however my high school I went to is a rebellious high school called John F. Kennedy where teachers simply assists students who are interested in learning the material and students only cared on receiving a passing grade.
...t this small group level, conformity dispels individual judgement. Sandy projects to us that this kind of social conformity under the pressure of authority, is to be blamed for many social problems and adversities in the individual lives of the Brodie girls, and in society at large.
As far as computers in the future, I feel that they are going to play a major role. They will be in everyday life, in everything we do. There will be many areas affected by the wide use of computers. Areas such as: home, work, schools, automobiles, electronics, and humans. Although these areas are already affected, they will be even more as we move into the future.