Life: More like High School Than I ever Imagined....

Hey guys!


  I was just sitting here at work, pondering some things, and it occurred to me that life is a lot like high school...whether you are at work, in a social setting such as a club or party, or what type of person you date, there are similarities that fall into social archetypes crystalized during your high school years.  I wanted to take a few moments to jot down some of the personality types and social roles many people fall into, and how life is either similar, or different, than high school. Here goes:

1).Extrovert /Mr./Ms. Popular: This person seems to chatter and socialize all day long. Their concept is either implicitly, or explicitly, wrapped up in their social standing with their peers. This is a common behavioral concept, as most human beings enjoy adoration. These people, however, crave it. they will say and do whatever is necessary to keep the image they want you to have of them, intact.

2). Introvert/Mr/Ms Shy Person: This person is very comfortable in the background, with a few friends, does not engage in many social activities unless it means a lot to them. They find themselves rising rapidly in certain fields, such as music or sports, because their talent allows them to be the type of person that they wished they could be, and be very successful at the same time. Example of a talented  introvert: Michael Jackson.

3). Jock:  This type is not particularly bright, but is physically gifted and usually pays more attention to his body or his sporting endeavor, because it is his niche into the social mainstream of his peer group. They tend to hang with other jocks, discuss physical matters, and develop their identity around their physical prowess. Whether they be athletes in high school, or muscle queens in the gym, the pathology is the same.

4).Anti-Extrovert: This is different from a true introvert, as this type of person has made a conscious decision to go against the "I'm popular" grain by doing things that, while drawing attention to themselves, paint an image of them as a "bad boy", not the person attempting to place their best image forward to gain peer respect. Types that fall into this category are: quiet butch queens that hyper-masculinize their "thug" persona to appear "hard", the Goth/Metal crowd, the party gal that does every drug known to man and gets shit-faced, and the flamboyant fem queen that must take every stereotype of being gay, and portray each one with volume turned all the way up to shock people into noticing them. A common strand  of each personality type is tremendous low self esteem.

5). Mean Girls: In high school, these girls hung together like a pack of hyenas, to be as mean as they could to introverted, quiet types they can pick on. Individually, they weren't enough to add up to a hill of beans, but together, they unite to terrorize those they think they can prey on. They exist in real life as well. Some black folks, when they first meet you, will intentionally try you with a crack that can be considered offensive, just to monitor your reaction. If they see you might be hurt by it, they turn the "mean girl" in them on until you snap. The best strategy for shutting a mean girl down, is to stop them right after the FIRST wisecrack. Establish that you are not to be played with up front, and "mean girls", whether male or female, will back down.

6)Nerds/Geeks/Socially Awkward: These kids had a devil of a time being respected and admired in high school. They didn't fit in with the "cool kids" the popular kids, the jocks, or anyone else. They were brighter than the others, but you can't wear intelligence to the High School Prom, can you? They fell into the introverted group only because the other groups drove them there. Be careful though: In high school, nerds and geeks had no power in the pecking order. In the real world, they are your bosses and the owners of your companies. They suffered hell in high school and have made up their mind to be successful and reap holy Hell on anyone who tries them the same way they were tried in high school. They will read you into a coffin, and then figure out a neat way to fire you.

7).Cool Kids: these are the naturally popular people. They dress nice, have "the look" people are drawn to, and are on everyone's list of people to hang with. Some have substance, some do not. Case by case basis.Image is something they never have to work at, unlike extroverts, and so they are usually those elected to high school  offices and such. They go on to live decent lives, working for the nerds and geeks they shunned in high school.


Hope you can see yourself in one of these types...Take care!