There are different ways of classifying students nowadays. Peers are often blamed for delinquency and substance abuse, but in reality the single most consistent characteristic of delinquents is lack of support and socialization. It is known that peer group may be the setting in which preexisting antisocial behavior due to family factors, social change, personality characteristics, or being out of synch with the school is reinforced. The dynamics in student cliques are often quite raw especially for those at the other extreme of the social ladder—such as the jocks and the outcasts. In some schools, there are the punks who often wear black clothing, tattoos and spiky hair, that are often chided in the school hallways. Some students view the punks as those who do not take a bath often.
There are others who are called the preps. These are the students who are more often wearing nice shirts and nice jeans with a clean pair of khaki pants and brown leather shoes. They usually wear the branded shirts. Prep actually is short for “preppie” which is the term used in the 80s to describe the conservative way of dressing. Common to the preps are argyle sweaters, hush puppy shoes, slim neck ties as well as collared shirts. They are also typically called the white bred” or “upper class” teenagers who are able to drive their own cars or their father’s car. Since they usually belong to the rich class, preppies usually look down on the “rockers” and “punks” as people belonging to the lower class. Preppies are usually the equivalent of the “soch” (short for “socialite”) (Cohen, 1999).
Those who belong to the “good cliques” can accomplish just as much as those who are called the outsiders in looking for any kind of trouble. The peer groups are able to influence even the nice kids to be cruel in more ways than one. Authors Patti and Peter Adler are sociologists who conduct researches on cliques. They reveal that a 17-year-old girl in one group where they were able to observe stated that she could raise her status by getting a boy to spend money on her and at the same time, to break up with another girl and then dump him. Several clique members also informed the researchers that it seemed to be a habit to pick on unpopular kids just for the fun of it (Cohen, 1999).
This dynamics that happen between cliques are often quite raw especially for those at the other extremes called the jocks or the outcasts. At the start of the school, these outcasts are either ignored or are taunted continuously because of the way they look or behave (Cohen, 1999). Those who beat them sometimes question the fact that they are there at all. Students who unfortunately are branded as such can be miserable and be outcasts in the real sense of the word.
Young men in these communities join gangs because to do so makes sense. it is a rational way of getting a larger share of the things they want in an environment of chronic scarcity and deprivation. Young men in inner cities want many of the same things that other Americans do: money respect, and a sense of security. But their social situation makes these resources hard to obtain. American society has created ghettos for members of ethnic minorities, and ghettos offer few legitimate ways to fulfill ordinary wants. Gangs try to circumvent this problem. They attempt to create an effective social organization to deal with the pressure and challenges of living in some of the most difficult circumstances in American society. Thus, gang membership is not sign of social disorganization, an absence of values, or a psychological defect. It is instead an effort to achieve widely desired goals.
Meanwhile, there are also those students classified as emo. This comes from the word ‘emotional’ which can have different kinds of meaning. It can pertain to people who are able to appeal to the emotions of those who are actually affected by emotions. They show or reveal very strong emotions and so are judged as belonging to the ‘emo’ clique. It does not however mean that they show emotions to the point of suicide or depression. It is just that they are students who are seen as “a loner who chooses to listen to depressing music“ (Witowski). Emo is also considered to be part of culture. It is more than any kind of fashion. It is already a way whereby students choose to express themselves in a different kind of way.
There are also those who belong to the so-called “scene emo.” They denote the students who usually prefer a certain kind of music and lifestyle. Sometimes, this is base4d on a look that one has and the moods you are able to project to others. (Witowski). Indeed, there are a lot of different classification for students and the cliques to where they fall under such as the preppies, the collar-poppers, the gangsters, the goths, the fakes, the nerds, the outcasts, and the emos. The emos stand out in a crowd because of their get up such as the fish nets, dark eye makeup, black rimmed glasses, and their way of behaving. Emos are considered as more often angry or depressed students. Stereotypically, emo students are frank about their feelings. They tell friends what is on their mind and what makes them behave in certain ways, and the reason why they do not socialize with most people. There is a certain kind of sadness that pervades the emo music. The lyrics can be dark and moody as well as depressing. (Emo or Goth Test Help Differentiate). The emo subculture is mostly characterized by an emotionally outpouring of emotion. It also includes the tight-fitting pants as well as the dark hair that covers one’s face. Their concepts are based on emotional feelings such as love and hate. Meanwhile, the goth culture is much more from the image of darkness and the contrast in dark and light. (Difference Between Emo and Goth: Ideology).
Works cited
- Cohen, Adam. A Curse of Cliques. 1999.
- Difference Between Emo and Goth: Ideology.
- Emo or Goth Test Help Differentiate.
- Lock, Nathan. United States plays ‘prep’ clique in global high school.
- Witowski, Nicolette. Emo.