Hello I'm back :D
I'm going to blog about politics this time. When someone says "politics", usually what would come to mind are government officials and such. But of course there are government politics, office politics and what most of you would not think of this way: school politics. I know of people who refer to it as the 'school social system' or 'social ladder'. Pretty interesting isn't it, the whole politics thing?
I'm blogging about the school politics of more prestigious, single sex schools as I have a better understanding of them than co-ed neighbourhood schools. Please take note that this is merely my OPINION and THEORY of how it all works. Do not comment/tag and say I am making false statements, I am tired of handling such comments.1. The BeginningIt all starts when we enter secondary school. We enter fresh and innocent from primary school, not knowing that beneath the 'high-class' and 'prestigious' exterior of [prestigious secondary school], lies a horde of vicious, backstabbing, lying little girls/boys. The first day of school is of course scary, we have left most of our primary school friends behind and stepped into an unfamiliar place with strange people everywhere. Everyone seems so nice and helpful (of course they are, we find out later, they are prefects and councillors). We start to think, "Maybe this won't be so bad after all!"
2. The JourneyWe make our friends, form our little cliques and of course make enemies too. At this time everyone is still starting to get to know each other and what kind of person everybody is. This is usually the first half of the school year (secondary one). We start to settle into our positions on the social ladder.
3. The DestinationBy this time (later half of the year), social positions are more or less confirmed already. The hotshots are up there at the top, enjoying the fresh air, and the outcasts are at the bottom, breathing in all the air polluted with methane and hydrogen sulphide (from you guessed it, the hotshots' farts) There are, of course, different types of hotshots. But that, I shall save for another post.
At stage 3, everyone will know who's who in school.
i. The bootlickers will strike. They add the hotshots on MSN and Friendster, write them flattering testimonials, give them lavish gifts, etc. Of course, this shower of attention is warmly welcomed by the hotshots. They start going out with them, telling them their secrets... The bootlickers get what they want: recognition. They want to be seen with the 'in' crowd, to be good friends with the hotshots. If you're seen with them, everyone naturally knows you.
ii. The wannabes are cousins of the bootlickers. They want recognition too. But they want more: they want to BE the hotshots, not just part of the hotshot clique. And so the power struggle begins. They diss schoolmates, they rebel against the school system, they act like they're the hotshots. But of course they can never take their place. The hotshots are hotshots for a reason, they're MEANT to be hotshots. Whatever others do, it just won't propel them to the top. Their actions will just set them against the hotshots and risk their social status. Some wannabes realise this much later, and turn into bootlickers. The easier way of gaining recognition and power.
iii. The worshippers are a totally different breed. They know their place on the social ladder (most likely in the middle or towards bottom) and know they can never be at the top. They don't even try. Instead, they worship these hotshots. Pretty pathetic if you ask me.
iv. The hotshots are known by everyone, obviously. They worked their way to the top by being aggressive and domineering, or simply by having the right connections. Everyone keeps themselves updated with the hotshots' affairs, don't usually offend them, they set trends and are talked about by the rest of the student body. And of course a hotshot can't be called a hotshot without their huge social network. They know many people from different schools everywhere.
Well, I had fun coming up with this entry and I hope you will, reading it. I bet there'll be negative comments coming in again, but heck it.
Happy New Year, PrettyMilky readers! Wishing all of you a great school year :) Don't trod on the wrong toes!
- Milky