Teenage Turmoil

Senior Kurt Woodward gets to school at about 7:30 A.M. He wears the torn jeans and the plaid jacket he just bought at the store over the weekend. His outfit compliments his mirrored sunglasses, guitar blazoned slip-ons, shaggy hair, and his newly-grown facial hair. He is an "indie" kid.

"I dress the part," Woodward went on to say, "the way we [teenagers] dress is a costume for that role we are playing…we could be the bad boy, the good girl, the nerd, or the social outcast who dresses like a rocker."

Kurt is seen strutting around campus with a single folder, a Les Paul strapped to his back, a pencil behind his ear, and a paperback book folded in his back pocket—he plays the role of the misunderstood outcast who lives for his music, but it goes without saying that he is an intelligent individual, as the few passers-by view that the book he carries along is actually Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

Kurt is just one of the majorities of teenagers who has become entombed in the overly-critical, stereotypical, identification of teenagers.

There are the "bad boys" whom all the girls should stay away from, yet fall for anyways disregarding the parental concept of ‘ulterior motives.'

Then there are the "good girls"—you know the ones that say "yes ma'am" and "no sir" and sit in their swank clothes, crossed legged.

Your typical nerd is classified as the common bookworm with a twist in fashion/ social sense; the high water jeans, dress shirt, lace ups, glasses, and a pocket protector. Many adolescents can spot a "nerd" a mile away, whenever a book report or a project needs to be done, but is otherwise invisible.

Speaking of invisibility, we are left with the outcast—"the rocker"/ "emo"/ "indie kid" who essentially operate according to their music tastes, but are often misunderstood and have the ability, unlike most teenagers, to see the big picture.

Although most people do not consider themselves judgmental or bias, the truth is that everyone falls victim to stereotypes and we were the ones to create them in the first place. A good number of adults do not consider colleagues' remarks and disapproval but teenagers do and stereotyping them only further induces the cycle.

Kurt, unfortunately, is a casualty to the warfare of perception and "normalcy" however he is not alone. Many children all over are stereotyped as Kurt was, thus deciding his popularity or status, if you will, in the school.

As one reads this, one questions whether popularity actually means anything.

"People knowing your name at school makes absolutely no difference, because once you get out into the world you start over," commented Mary Ellen Ashby, a neighborly bystander.

While all of what was previously said is true, one must look at the child's point of view. School, high school especially, is seen by children as a social gathering of sorts. From a child attending high school, popularity is important because it decides where you sit at lunch, which clique you fall into, who you will go to prom with—popularity is a vital organ to the student body.

Picture the group of high school students as a whole—they are a body, quite literally. Popularity decides which organ you are and how you aid your body with your skills.

Now that the popularity level has been acquired, there is minimal tolerance for intermingling, unless it is business only—i.e. the nerds getting paid to do assignments.

Such stereotyping tears apart friendships that have been long lasting, up until the point of high school.

Regrettably, this is inevitable because the teenage stereotypes put in place force friendships between "your kind" among the cliques. Very few kids break the barriers of social discrimination, and even fewer do it successfully.

The way to break through the once-believed indestructible barricade is through a universal language. Many assume English is, or should be, the universal language however not all cultures know the English language. Even though English is not the universal language, one still exists, and does so in everyone's life no matter what language they speak—music. Music is a dramatic part of every culture; it doesn't matter if you are Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, or if you are an immigrant because music is universal—music sends messages to the public in every culture.

If more musicians, who are former high school students, took the time to compose a song/album about tolerance and to fight the high school stereotypes, then there would be less of damage to the psyche of the already unstable high school children.

Children, especially those in high school, appreciate music greatly.

An enthusiastic ‘good girl' and senior at Charter Oak High School, Vanessa Crockett expressed, "music is my life. I live, eat, and breathe music."

Therefore, tolerance and anti-stereotypical messages should be implemented in today's obsessive culture.

"Honestly, if Snow Patrol or Avenged Sevenfold performed songs that prove these [stereotypes] wrong, then more people would listen…I know I would," commented Frankie McMillan, a sophomore at San Dimas High School.

In short: stereotypes are rampant in the lives of high school students and have yet to be contained. However with music change is possible; with music stereotypes might cease to exist, which could reduce violence in high schools, being as though most high school fights are fought between people belonging to different cliques.