What Group Are You In?

          When I was a student,  I had been very observant about the different types of social cliques and groups not only with the classes I've been with but within the campus premise as well (maybe out of curiosity?  I don't know...or I'm just naturally observant).

           Hierarchy in school does exist, believe it or not. Sometimes they are just harmless stereotypical groups just chilling and having some fun while they are young and carefree,  but others can be very uncontrollable, therefore, the cause of bullying in the school.

           Nevertheless, these groupings shouldn’t be taken as a way of measuring up individual’s social ranking and capacity because eventually these kids will grow up, will mature on their own and they will understand their own self-worth and purpose in this life, outgrowing the group that they once belonged to.

          Now that classes have started, let’s once open again the doors and talk about the usual school groupings formed and how they differ from each other. (Take note: some of the terms are personally coined by me).

The Brattinellas and the Altas

This group usually is a combination of good-looking teens (boys but mostly are girls) from either upper middle class family or well-to-do parents who think they are cool. They usually are snob, exudes the air of exclusivity, and sit together in class on a spot that they claim is theirs with the latest gadgets and trends. They go to malls together after school and can afford to stay in Starbucks almost every day.

Their lives involve being updated with the newest fashion, beauty regimens, diets,  gossips, how to combat zits, makeups, relationships and their stormy love life, party and  shopping. For guys, how to win dates, health and wellness, sports, video games and gadgets.

Like in the movie, Mean Girls, it is a group with a combination of a smart one (oftentimes the leader) the mediocre, and those of the not-so-witty ones but still pretty (often the butt of joke). And the funny thing is, they secretly back stab each other just to win a guy over. Sometimes, this group doesn’t last.

The Braniacs

This is a group of intellectual students, scholars and those who excel academically. They are loaded with facts and trivial information and love to tackle educational issues and expanding their knowledge. The hopes are high for this group. Teachers regard them as the future leaders of our country. They might be together at all times, especially in the school library thinking that they are the closest friends but actually, they secretly compete with each other and often times try to work twice as hard to beat one another.

They appear to be super smart and they act and talk like one. They have a reputation to maintain and their parents are always watchful with their grades. They carry a lot of weight in their shoulders. They forever work hard to prove themselves.

The Class Clowns

The classroom will never be complete without this bunch. They often are the butt of jokes. They know how to make fun of other members of the class. They make us happy and hysterical with their jokes and crazy antics. But you may not know, these students who we think are the happiest among the group are the ones who are most broken inside due to domestic or family issues and personal problems and they mask their pains by making other people happy.


The Sisterhood or Brotherhood of Faith

    These are the students who were grouped together because of their faith. They are so pro-active in spreading the Word of God, joining prayer meetings, campus ministering and fellowship. They are the students who acknowledge the great role of the Lord in their lives and would like other students to be reached out not only to be guided in their studies but also throughout their existence. The main focus of this group is to serve the Lord and to reach out.

The Big Group

There is always this big group which is a combination of people of diverse personalities that were joined together with reasons of their own. They draw strength from each other. Often than not, the members can't stand on his own so he wants to be reassured that being with his peers will empower him at least to cope up with the pressures of school life. Most of the time their number is not definite because of the constant people who comes and goes out of the group.

The Music Junkies

Well, because of the obvious reason, they usually flock together talking about music, the classic bands of all times, their favorite band collectibles or memorabilia, and concert that they've been or would like to attend. They always jam together, playing their instruments together after school and eventually will form their own band with their unique style of music. Music is their life. It is their own therapy to cure whatever family, personal or social issues they are coping with. They write their own songs and they create their own music.

The Weirdos

Most often these are loners grouped together because of their weirdness. There are times they are just staring at blank spaces without talking for hours. They don’t want to be bothered. Often times, they do not participate at any fun activities and rather be on their own. They don't really care about their personal appearance, not even their unkempt hair and ketchup-stained uniforms.They are suckers of alien stuff, apocalypse, Easter men, Neanderthals, existence of life in Mars, ghosts and spiritual realms. They have their private joke which they are the only ones who can understand.

The Lovers

These two are always inseparable. They do public-display-of affection a lot and they seem not to care. They always sit together, exchanging notes and sweet-nothings. And when they are not in good terms, you will know it based on their facial expressions— and it will be quite awkward because they tend to separate one from the other but will eventually kiss and make up. Expect that when one is absent, the other one is as well. Where one is, then the other half is as well.

The Sports Buff

This is a group of students who excel in sports. They often are out because of practice and tournaments. They take pride in bringing home the bacon for the school. The members often encounter letters from secret admirers and sheepishly shrug off the groupies following them every day.

The Pet Peeves

These are annoying individuals who are so great at ruining one’s day. They usually bully other students and are usually into fights. This group is a combination of rejected and neglected children at home and usually try to get attention to mask their insecurities.

Best of Friends (BFF)

I call them the Minorities because they usually are just in twos and threes. They are the closest, formed by friendship and love. They often sit together, lunch together, dream together, fail together, grow and cry together and they are not scared to be true to each other because they know that what they have is a genuine one. Their friendship doesn't end once they are out of school, it will continue until they find jobs, get married and even have kids. It's a friendship tested by time.

         

        During puberty, knowing one's self is so confusing that there are times you don’t even know who you are. So sometimes to be able to you identify yourself, you try associate yourself on a specific group thinking that you will soon know who you really are. Whatever it is, you always have to think first if that really is what you want others to perceive of you. 

        As the cliché says, “show me your friends, and I’ll tell you who you are” is kinda overrated. Yes, your group is the extension of you. You may be a part of it, but that doesn't mean to say that every one of the members are the same exact replicate of you. Don't let it measure who you truly are. At the end, every individual is unique and every person has his own story to tell and trials that he had been through. And sooner, you'll admit that you had grown past the people of that group. And you had matured. You will then just smile and reminisce that yes, that clique had an impact in your life and you will never be the person you are right now, if you haven't been with them. Change is constant, inevitable. And so are you.

      Now, can you identify what group or social clique you are in, or had been?