The Philosophy of Middle School (pt. 1)

Have you ever noticed that people, who are considered “cool,” are flat out jerks? I guess you could call my years in school my research. I have experienced the coolest of the cool and the biggest and lamest losers ever. I’ve been in the company of both.

Recently, in yearbook, some people were talking about a person who was “cool” and nice, they were saying that she was fat and she looked ugly the day before. I wanted to go over to their table and tell them off. But then I realized, that was the type of people they were. Cruel, rude, and judgmental, but behind people’s backs. I don’t think its right. Then I over heard the same group talk about a different person, only that person wasn’t popular. That still doesn’t make it right. It made me think about how other cliques viewed other cliques. So, I started my investigation.

I began to learn from people the characteristics of their friends. You could say that I took a census of the 8th grade social status. I also recruited a couple of my closer friends to help me.

Here are some of the results:

To begin popular. There are many groups to go along with this extensive class. But in all of them they have something in common, sports. Sports seems to be the “universal” common denominator. They all seem to play basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, or track. A characteristic with some of these people is they think that they are the greatest thing to happen ever. It really makes me think about how they think of other people, “Do they think they’re better?” “Do they think that being good at sports will help you when your older and get real job?”

Next is middle. I think that I might fit well into that group. I mean, I’m not the most coolest person ever and I don’t think I’m at the bottom of the food chain. These people tend to make friends easier, and aren’t as picky with their friends as the popular kids tend to be. They usually do well or are average in their studies. Sometimes they are very quiet.

Lastly is the bottom. These kids are a little slower then the others. They are usually loud and have annoying tendencies. They may be rather lager than the other groups and tend to be unkept. This means their hair may be greasy and they might have a slight body odor. But sometimes you have to remember that it might not be their fault, their parents might not care, or their home life might be unsuitable.

After assessing these groups, I have come to a conclusion; people tend to think higher of themselves then they really are. That is exactly what most people should do because of self-esteem.

Almost all people have poor self-esteem. Self-esteem is, basically, how you feel about yourself.