In June, it will be two years from the time I graduated high school. I'm not far out of the loop when it comes to how high school is like now. Sometimes when I read or watch movies and TV set in a high school, I find myself getting disjointed, perhaps because it's been a while since the writer was in high school or they fall back on stereotypes. These are some of my high school misconceptions:
- "Everyone (except perhaps for that one rebel) wants to be popular." This is very much false. "Popular" is a very subjective term nowadays. I found that overall, people are content with whatever level of "popularity" they have. The people who don't have a lot are fine with that. The only ones who freak out about becoming "popular" are already "popular." And the kicker? Most of the people who aren't "popular" hate the people who are. They don't want to hang out with people they don't like, so they don't want to be popular. Do teens want to be included and have fun? Yeah, but they do that with their friends. For a high school student, friends=contentment. As long as people aren't bullying them or making fun of them, they're fine. Honest to goodness, fine.
- "People hate nerds/"jocks are bullying idiots"/"cheerleaders are mean, shallow, and popular." Nerds can be well-liked and even embraced for how nerdy they are (I should clarify that I took honors and AP classes in high school, so maybe my vision was clouded). Jocks don't bully nerds just for being nerds. Jocks aren't even idiots. Sometimes, jocks are nerds, too. Cheerleaders aren't witches with a b, or supermodels. They're girls who like to cheer. They can be witches with b's, and they can be nice, although not that ambiguous "popular." Add some grey, people.
- "All teens want sex, except for that one Christian girl (who will be seduced and get pregnant anyway)." Um, actually, no. Whenever I read/watch something where every single teen is plotting to get laid, it's just like...no. Not really. Some people aren't interested in opening up that part of their life yet. And they don't even have to be the born again Christian. Of course some teens do have sex, but it's rarely the horny sex-fest some works present it to be.
