Blogging = The Pain of High School

1959 I became a freshman in EHS. Gangly, skinny, and a little nerdy.

This new world was Ruled by Seniors and Juniors who didn’t know or care that I existed. There were Jocks who roamed the halls with virile accomplishments. There were the tag along sycophants who were their “best friends”. There were the popular pretty girls. There were the Rock Star Guys, president of or leader in everything.

Much of the time in High School was about connections. If I knew him and he knew her then maybe she would know me. Jockeying for position was the game.

A few Juniors and Seniors befriended me. Very few. I was thankful for those who did. More like a charity case I guess. They had their clubs, cliques and groups most of which I was not allowed to be part of. There were teachers who tried to organize relationships into formal structures. This nearly always failed.

So the system developed into Freshmen and Sophomores laughing uproariously at Juniors and Seniors jokes to ingratiate themselves to these power brokers. Everyone wanted to be recognized and be part of the in crowd.

There were a few freshmen who were track stars, good looking, and who were adopted quickly by the Seniors. Most of us less athletic types who didn’t mesh well with the groupthink were seen as outsiders and shunned. It was political gamesmanship at it’s worst.

Heavens forbid if you had a view on something that you shared with an upperclassman that was outside the mainstream. You were considered narrow-minded or judgmental or not able to think for yourself (an accusation they often made against my brother John). We had to make a decision to either fit, go along to get along or be made an outcast. That has never been my style.

Some freshmen with good ideas and great ability chose rather to blend colorlessly into the wallpaper than to exercise their individuality and be put out of the High School social order.

Eventually I became a Senior. Self-absorbed I performed the task of ignoring the Freshmen coming up below me admirably. They were just as awkward an clueless as I had been. I would like to think that I was helpful and encouraging. I don’t know. I was to a few. Some of them remember me better than I remember them.

It is just about 6 months now since I entered Blogosphere High School. My experience has been nearly the same as 46 years ago. I click around 30 or 40 blogs from time to time and find little cliques and clubs most of whom I don’t want to be part of. I find a few which look like-minded. But you have to hold your mouth right to be accepted. I want to remember what this was like so later I can help upcoming freshmen. Nice to have a second chance to be nice.

The Blogosphere is just like High School. Isn’t that sad how far we haven’t come?