Why can’t we all just get along?

Letter from MXiteer, Chloe, who asks…

Cliques, we’re all part of them, and no matter how hard we try to deny it, they’re present in every high school. They may not be as exaggerated as in all the teen movies, but they are there. They do exist and what I am trying to figure out is why?

Why do people have to stick with certain people just because that is where everyone else expects them to be? The people that I hung out with at school were not exactly considered ‘popular’. We may not have been labeled as ‘losers’ but you don’t have to have it spelled out in front of your face to know what is being implied.

What I don’t understand is why the popular people are the popular people? I mean, in most cases the other people in your grade do not even like the Populars because they go around acting as if no one else even matters. So why are they popular?

Some of us are afraid to be ourselves because we feel that if we do, we will be judged. So many teenagers have been miserable just because of the way they are treated at school. Everyone just wants to be accepted.

In this world the first impression counts for everything. If you act a certain way the first time you meet people, 90% of the time that is the way they are going to see you for the rest of the year. We don’t even take the time to really get to know people.

Think about this: Do you even know the girl you sit next to in class – you probably don’t even know her surname, or if she has pets, or what her opinions are?

Next time you greet a fellow classmate on a Monday morning and ask them how their weekend was, actually mean it! Get to know people outside of your clique and you may find that there is really more to them than meets the eye.

This year myself and three friends decided to pluck-up the courage and make the first move to join a new group of girls to sit with at lunch. I’ve been learning so much about them, things I would have missed-out on had we not made the move, and we are getting to know each other. Now I realize how much I have missed out on during all the previous years of school.

I’m going to be in Matric next year and I want to make it an awesome year. By integrating myself more into my peer group and finding out their true personalities, I really think that it will make a huge difference.