Changing High School Stereotypes: For Better or Worse?

                We’ve all seen the stereotypes of high school students portrayed in popular movies such as Mean Girls or High School Musical where the kid wearing glasses with his nose tucked away in a book is classified as a “nerd”, or the preppy girl talking animatedly with her large group of friends at lunch is known as the “cheerleader”. All high schools have these cliché groups, whether they be in movies or real life, and Lassiter is no exception. Walking through the halls and into lunch, cliques can be clearly spotted; nerds, outcasts, jocks, cheerleaders, mean girls. We’ve got them all. And not only do these groups dress the part of their associated roles, but many of them act it as well. So you can see why it comes as a shocking surprise when the quarter back of our football team scored higher on his SAT’s than the supposed “know-it-all nerd”.

                As children of the 21^st century, we are taught from an early age to never judge a book by their cover. So, maybe classifying our fellow peers into categories as degrading as these isn’t showing our understanding of this saying, but it happens almost without any thought. People are seen by what they wear, how they act and who they hang out with. It’s not to say that football players aren’t smart, because most of them are, and saying that everyone with glasses knows everything is most definitely not true. But when people see each other through these stereotypes for so long, things like this seem to cause havoc in the “social food chain” that is high school. Because students of all kinds have such an image to uphold, disturbances such as these raise questions, many of which have no answers. Did our quarterback go as far as cheating on his SAT to prove a point that jocks could be just as smart, if not smarter than the nerds? Are our stereotypes changing from what was considered the norm? Will this strange event cause more high school uprisings?

                One can only assume that the worst is to come of this. “We have a social balance to keep at Lassiter,” says one of the cheerleaders. “If people begin to break away from their assigned groups that they migrated towards at the beginning of our high school years, who knows what kind of crazy things will happen.” This concern is shown throughout all of Lassiter as other students begin to break away from the status quo. In other words, nerds are not the only ones being bullied into doing others homework, jocks aren’t the favored picks for sports in physical education classes anymore, and mean girls aren’t being feared as much by lower classmen. Teachers are noticing a change in student’s behavior as well with this current SAT scandal leading the suspicions of the changes in what we thought we knew about high school stereotypes. So what will become of this? Will people continue to break out of their cliché shells, embracing individualism and no longer holding concern for what used to be normal? “Everyone changes at some point in their life,” states a senior, “but this might be too quick of a change.”

               

A Tug-of-War for Power

                Although the pictures being shown of Ukraine look movielike, the events taking place in this European country are very real as the tug-of-war for control between the U.S. and Russia continues. The people of Ukraine are paying a violent price due to these disputes when all they ever wanted was a chance to establish a better future for their families. A trade pact, signed by President Viktor Yanukovych, which was then revoked is the sole start of these protests that have cost many people their lives. This pact, which was so important to the economic growth of many European Union countries, would have opened trade borders allowing important political ties to be made as well as the modernization of many developing countries. The President had both selfish and logical reasons to pull away from this agreement such as Russia’s opposition, and the impending release of his major political opponent, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The people of Ukraine began protesting against their leader’s decisions, demanding that he sign the pact to benefit them and better their lives, and when his bribery failed to stop their resistance, Yanukovych signed an anti-protest law that tried to stop people from wearing helmets and masks to their various protests. The people were also kept from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission, which wasn’t administered. In response to this law that many found ridiculous and just another restriction to add to the growing list, the people rebelled even more which resulted in worse consequences.

                Freedom of speech and beliefs are a very important concept in the United States, and they directly affect me. I want to be able to believe in whatever I please and to speak my mind and say whatever I want. But it seems as though the people in Ukraine aren’t being given that option, despite the U.S.’s heavy involvement. It’s scary to see that the opposition to sign one law has brought on such destruction. 25 people, including 7 police officers, have died and hundreds more have been injured, many in critical condition. These casualties are continuing to grow as the riots increase.

                The United States has involved themselves in this Ukraine dispute for many reasons. For starters, they are concerned for a more stable Europe, eliminating mass destructions like this one. If Ukraine’s riots increase even more than they already are, it is likely that more European states will involve themselves and then war will be at our front door. The U.S. also wants to help this country develop a more democratic based government that will best benefit their people. And while we want to look out for an ally, the issues involved are causing unease in the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. This creates widespread problems. In response to these protests, Russia has already exported military exercises to take control and solve a problem that has gone on far too long. And while some in Ukraine agree that Russia should take complete control of their neighbor, others disagree as they side with the U.S. So you can see why this has rid the two sides of all “friendly terms”.