Cliques in School
Topic: Education

Wherever society exists there will be social distinction.  Where there is social distinction there will be certain people who prefer to stick together.  Often they are referred to as social groups but when they exclude certain people, they are called cliques. 

     Some teachers say that cliques are not as evident here as they are in certain other schools, mainly due to the fact that basically all students came from the same kindergarten and everybody knows everybody else.  Yet in the halls, in the cafeteria, and even in classes, there is a certain feeling of separateness of groups. 

     A lot of teens claim that “everybody can sit with everybody else and they won’t be rejected”.  While it is true that many won’t be rejected, it is still rare that people will “sit with everybody else,” especially when they see them more different than what they are used to.

      Often on entering high school, kids who share the same interests tend to flock together because of the unfamiliarity of the situation.  As years pass, they become accustomed to sitting with that group and usually never step out of their own boundaries.

     One student claimed that “there aren’t any cliques, but in the cafeteria you can definitely see how the people divide.  The ‘preppy’ people sit at the top level and the ‘ghetto’ people sit in the lower level.” This not only shows that social divisions are apparent, but also that cliques, while not outwardly exclusionary, exist, if only at a minimal level.

     Social groups, or ‘cliques’, will exist in any school and there isn’t much to be done about it.  People, especially teenagers, will always prefer to stay with the everyday familiarity of the faces in their own cliques.

HIM
Topic: Poetry

Once upon a time, there was a boy

Whose gaze burned mine like coal.

As he stared, he caught my eye

And quite possibly, my soul.

 

This surely wasn’t love;

Yet surely wasn’t lust.

But since I didn’t know,

My heart I could not trust.

 

I soon grew too obsessed,

But still, I didn’t care.

I didn’t think it’d hurt

To only ever stare.

 

Time flew on and on

As boy grew to a man.

I fell into dreaming

As a star-crossed lover can.

 

Not a word we’d spoken yet;

Too soon, he went away.

Time was well against us,

Since ever the first day.

 

Not a word we’ve spoken since

And still, I do not know

If, on that fateful day we met,

He ever took my soul.

 

But if, indeed, my soul he took,

I’d much rather now know

Than spend all my life thinking

That I was ever whole.

Recipe for Individuality
Topic: Recipes

First of all, to be an individual you can’t conform to normal social standards.  This means you have to dress up as weirdly as possible, while still maintaining some form of aestheticism to it.   You can’t dress weird-ugly, otherwise you’ll be rejected by other individuals, but you can’t dress perfectly, because being perfect is being conformist.  If it’s overly done, it’s okay, as long as other individuals are wearing this, too.  Please remember this because otherwise, you won’t be a true individual.

            Secondly, you have to voice your opinions as loudly as you possibly can; make sure everyone hears them.  Even if you have nothing to say, keep mooing and quacking, you’ll come up with something eventually.  Individuals always have an opinion and it’s always right.  That’s why every individual always has the same opinion.

            You can never be alone, that’s another thing.  I mean, what’s the fun in being an individual all by yourself?  Individuals need other unique individuals so that they’re always on the same page about what to wear and what to say.  If possible, always travel in the same little groups so that everything stays as individually unique as possible.

            It’s better if you just spend all your time in stores like Hot Topic developing your individuality so that you can see how other individuals interact.  While you’re there, you can always go above and beyond the call of duty and buy that unique little t-shirt that all the individuals are wearing now (it doesn’t matter if you‘re not really into it, as long as you wear it, other individuals won‘t question you). 

            Oh, did you notice that girl you passed on your way to Trendz?  I’m talking about the one who was wearing simple jeans with a simple black tee and her nose obnoxiously stuck in a book.  She’s obviously not an individual.  Her hair, though dyed, is one color (conformist), she’s all alone (loser), and she’s not reading anything concerning vampires in love (that’s what the individuals are reading).  I’m talking about myself.

            See, I know who I am.  I know that I don’t have to wear certain types of clothes to make me an individual.  I don’t have to voice my opinion if I don’t want to, or even better, I can choose not to have an opinion at all.  I can relish alone time without being lonely or awkward and I can read whatever I want to.  You individuals say you have the same privileges, but I know better.  So if this is what it takes to be an individual, I’d rather be myself.

Topic: Everyday things
My contact ripped today.  I walked around all morning with my left eye covered because if I looked through both my eyes, one of which was already deteriorated, my vision would get worse.  So I had to wait till my mom brought me my glasses.  She's great.