Understanding my high-school Experience Through Julie Bettie's Commentary

Although I find myself cringing while reading some of Julie Bettie’s commentary, there was a lot of truth found in the dynamics of the interactions with different groups of girls. I have criticized how she seems to have a biased perspective and she regularly talks negatively about the preps. Many things about my high school seems to make a lot more sense after reading her novel. I went to a high school, which was considerably large and had the best football and girls soccer team in the nation. The school was a brutal and continuous place for girl confrontation and conflict. Similarly to the novel, the preps practically ran the school. They were the only ones who were solely involved in school government and sports. The preps staked their lunch spot in the very center of the student center in front of the library. Just like in the book, everyone agreed on the different titles for the cliques, and many of them were the same as in the novel. The prep girls were the only ones on the sport teams, and they wore matching clothes with ribbons in the hair. We had 4,000 people who attended La Costa Canyon, and it was typical to see new people every day and then never see them again. After Reading Girls Without Class, I feel that I have a better understanding of why certain cliques distinguished them selves in some ways that seemed obscure and irrational. Girls were eager to form an identity and claim importance. There were often fights, which mostly took place amongst the Latino girls. During these fights, the entire school would crowd around them and cheer them on. This was the only time when the Mexican students interacted with the jocks and preps. Girls were incredibly vicious and gossip was what they collectively thrived on. Personally, I had problems understanding where I fit in amongst all of these groups that seemed to be so distinguished. Surprising, I was voted homecoming princess freshman year. This is usually something that is reserve red for only preps, and so I was a bit confused. Our school was the epitome of catty, cliquey American high school. Because of this, I ended up leaving in order to attend an alternative private school, which had only 12 people in each grade. Unlike many of the Latino girls, or the smokers I was fortunate to have the resources and opportunity to make this decision.

Julie Bettie's Bias

As I am reading Girls Without Class, I am astonished by consistent negativity that Julie Betty uses to describe the preps. From the beginning of the novel she describes the impossible nature of subjectivity, which all sociologists are unable to escape. She also describes the ways in which she would go about her analysis to remand the most neutral toward all of the students. She goes into great detail about her dress and her intention on having only small amounts of discourse with the factually to minimize chances of being affiliated with them. Julie Betty seems to side with the Mexican-American girls who express so much slander against the girls who are considered preps. I wonder how Julie Betty’s growing up experience shaped her study, and her expectations. At times she even joins the Latina girls as they talk negatively towards the preps. Julie Betty expresses that the entire school seems to be run by the preps, and the award ceremonies, pep rallies, are a celebration of preps. The other students are forced to go to these events which only recognize the preps. At one point in the novel Julie Betty said to one of the Latino girl students named Wendy, “so did you like the prep award ceremony”? Julie Betty then claimed that Wendy appreciated her recognition of what the ceremony was really about. It might be true that the preps were granted opportunities, which they did not have to work as hard as other students at the school would have to in order to attain the same achievemnts. Julie Betty seems to cross some unprofessional boundries which might in en be helpful, since it seems that she is looking to reaveal specific information regarding specific groups. Julie Betty seems to have spent the least amount of time with the preps, and many of her conclusions were based off of surface judgments. Julie Betty seems to have some repressed anger toward preps, and it proposes the possibility that she maybe have had problems with their seemingly underserved achievments in the past.

Expectations of the Elderly

Elderly people in the United States seems to be valued differently compared to how they are valued in some other cultures around the world. Age is something that people are now trying to escape from; people are no longer embracing the positive assets that previously accompanied age. Wrinkles previously signified wisdom and advisability but now have become a physical representation of helplessness. Not much seems to be expected of the elderly anymore. Could society’s short expectations be partially responsible for the mental deterioration of the elderly? The street that I grew up on as child has completely transformed to make room for the demand of old homes. This is an institution that is growing at an alarming rate.
Putting the two most influential people in your life in a place where it is more convenient for you to smoothly carry out your life without distractions seems selfish. I wonder why this institution is growing so rapidly . I think that is shocking that the elderly are often assumed as delusional and mentally less capably. This is not a natural deterioration. This is not a process that has always occurred. When people stop using muscles in their body it is only natural that they stop working as well. This can also be applied to the capabilities of the brain.

The Appeal Veganism

The Appeal Veganism
The Vegan lifestyle is progressively becoming more popular. This can be observed by the type of food that is served at the Lewis and Clark cafeteria. This raises the following question.; Are people becoming more contentious toward animals or are other heath benefits making the vegan lifestyle more appealing? There is always plenty of vegan choices provided at the bone, and surprisingly there are often more vegan deserts than non-vegan deserts. It used to be easier to decipher the strong minority of vegans through their distinguishable appearance. Sometimes dreadlocks or hemp clothing would give it away. Now the vegan lifestyle seems to attract all different types of people. The possible health benefits have attracted an entire new realm of fashion-concerned people. The vegan lifestyle is now advertised and somewhat encouraged in popular magazines. There are now many more products, which make it easier to be vegan. Soy and rice milk are much more popular and accessible than ever before along with dairy free ice cream, yogurt ext. The items seem to be only accommodating for the large demand of requests from people eating in a different way. But what triggered this dramatic change in people’s eating habits? How much does being a vegan or vegetarian have to do with feeling empathy for animals, and how much does it have to do with being more educated and concerned about its effects o personal health?

Cafeteria Seating Arrangement

The seating arrangement in the cafeteria at Lewis and Clark is anything but random, and I never noticed how segregated and strategically placed every person is. Until my friend pointed it out to me the other day, I hadn’t really noticed the consistency complexity of something as simple as where one sits for dinner. Every single evening the jocks (meaning the football and baseball players) sit at the tables, which are located in the center front of the cafeteria. They sit in circular tables, which limit unwanted interaction, unlike the vertical tables. Their tables are also the closest to the food providing easy access. I notice myself feeling uncomfortable walking past their tables, because they seem to be constantly scanning their surroundings. The location of the seating arrangements seems to be reaffirming their attempts to be the center of activity. The kids from the multicultural dorm consistently sit in the first room at the long tables, which make it easy to socialize with people who they don’t necessarily know. The remainder of the room has round tables, which limit the amount unpredicted interaction. People who sit on the outer edges are often by the selves reading the newspaper. More often than not people seem to sit in the same general seating area.

Connection between Individualism Music

It is very interesting to examine the large changes in how people experience music today compared to just a few decades ago. I’m not sure if the manifestations of music have significantly contributed to the individualistic ideology of youth today, or if it is simply a byproduct of individualism. Most of the concerts that I have attended within the past years fall under the indie-folk genre, and I have observed that the fans are exceptionally individualistic. Concerts seem to be progressively becoming less of a group experience. There seems to be almost no common ground of music interest that my generation can bond over. People now identify themselves greatly by the type of music they listened to, and it is one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new. When bands are unknown people bond especially well when they discover that they share this common interest. Music has become a competitive subject. I think this is a strange concept. The i-pod is an extension of this and is a contributor to the isolation that music listening has seemingly created. People not only use i-pods in their private time, but it seems to serve as a social crutch. At meals people often listen to their i-pods, (as well as during conversations) , and this provides the comfort of allows one to be entirely selective in the conversation without fully engaging. Never before have people been able to “check out” so easily. I have also noticed people listening to their i-pods as they walk down the street, and it seems to add a cinematic quality to their lives.