It's become kinda cool to "admit" you were a loser in high school ... it seems to reflect well on how far you've come since the braces came out. But those of you who had tough first names (sniff), or played viola (double sniff), or had to wait to get contact lenses, know the horror of being the geek in high school. Today's your chance to vent ... and to tell us you finally married a supermodel, so take THAT high school bullies! Bullies can call too, but we can't promise we'll forgive you. Feel free to post your favorite John Hughes movie here, too.
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Complete geek here. I had glasses, braces and could program in BASIC, yes I'm that old. Even getting the glasses and braces off before my Senior year did nothing to change my status. 40 is so much better than 16 was. I accept myself so much better now than I did then.
As for my favorite John Huges movie, Breakfast Club. Hands down.
Even better than the John Hughes movies is the Freaks and Geeks series about high school in the 80s. So many episodes could've been about me! Paul Feig (creator) deserves a Pulitzer for truthfully portraying the 4-years-of- pain that is high school!
When I was high school I would have been considered a cool kid. Played sports and the lot. But I was always a geeky nerd on the inside, somewhat shielding it to fit in.
It wasn't until college that I found out how cool it was to be yourself regardless.
As the former captain of the Academic Quiz Bowl team, I still embrace my nerditude! If more people were intellectually curious, the world would be a better place.
Did I hear that right? Did you just define a loser as someone who can't hit a home run? Are you stating that you have to be a slut (or at least not a virgin) to not be a loser? Why can't we give some respect to those who, for moral or religious reasons, make an active decision against pre-marital sex. Why is taking the brave step of telling a girl or boy "NO" a sign of being a loser? Please tell me I mis-understood you.
Daughter of educated, elitist parents from the north, living in Pasadena, Texas (the home of Gilley's, the venue of the movie Urban Cowboy). Undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome and clinical depression. Looking younger than my age, which in one's teenaged years is pretty much fatal when you're trying to get guys' attention. I would almost rather spend 4 years in a well-run prison than do high school again. College was a vast relief. There was much more latitude to be whoever you were.
I was a loser in H.S. (1949-1953) and I carried that baggage long after H.S. Now age seventy-one, I appeal to teachers to affirm kids who need it. Some times teachers re-inforce the negative CRAP that kids load on you. As a retired minister, working with Jr. Hi. youth, I demand that NO PERJORATIVE REFERENCES be allowed among kids. It's my little thing in my corner in rural Nebraska.
I have always considered the cool/uncool spectrum not to be a straight line, but a circle. It has always seemed that if you are uncool enough you cross over to the cool spectrum. Thoughts on this?
how much do you think consolidation of high schools in the states has contributed to the rise of the "loser class"? i grew up overseas, in small schools of about four hundred kids... but it wasn't until i moved here and wound up in multi-thousand kid schools that things seemed to get really lord-of-the-flies. how much of the cruelty and straight-up meaness of high school could be mitigated by more interaction with adults, and for that matter, a more close-knit high school community?
I seem to have not left HS at my current company. I was recently given the advice to be careful who I SEEN eating lunch with, lest I ruin my chances for promotions. This company is a sales-driven organization and we only hire beautiful people. At my prior company, we were technology-driven and I was at home with all the geeks!
What is this obsession with high school--it's a shame so many people in this country fixate on such a brief, transitory period in life. The films, the books, this talk show illustrate the ridiculousness of American life. Cool, not cool, Big Cheese, Cheerleader, quaterback, --these are the gods and goddesses of a pathetic religion, the worship of the Unimportant and Forgettable by Today's Lost Souls.
Get over the illusionary past.
I was a home-schooled, only child who came to public education in 7th grade with a vast vocabulary and little understanding of the peer pecking order. During the first two years, I was an obvious outcast, however, gradually I was able to find the middle ground, without abandoning my unique identity. I was also lucky enough to develop friendships that have been the deepest, most abiding of my life. For me, high school was what it should have been - a learning experience.
Complete geek and nerd here. Have glasses (but no braces) and I STILL DO program in BASIC. Taking 4 senior-level classes (out of 7 classes total) and I'm a junior. My sport is Downhill Ski Team. I own 3 graphing calculators, and want to be an Engineer.
As if that weren't evidence enough, I'm a highschooler, and I'm browsing NPR. Will wonders never cease?
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