Posted on 06/02/2008 1:55:29 PM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
When we were in junior high school, my friend Rich and I made a map of the school lunch tables according to popularity. This was easy to do, because kids only ate lunch with others of about the same popularity. We graded them from A to E. A tables were full of football players and cheerleaders and so on. E tables contained the kids with mild cases of Down's Syndrome, what in the language of the time we called "retards."
We sat at a D table, as low as you could get without looking physically different. We were not being especially candid to grade ourselves as D. It would have taken a deliberate lie to say otherwise. Everyone in the school knew exactly how popular everyone else was, including us.
(Excerpt) Read more at paulgraham.com ...
I saw a bumper sticker once that said something like:
“Your star athlete will work for my honor student.” I have seen many variations.
In high school, things got better. The jocks asked for my help to pass their classes, so I tutored them in math and science and they showed me how to work on engines and other stuff. Some years later after becoming an engineer, I ran into some of them. I was driving new cars and had nice suits, while they were stuck in dead-end jobs and broke.
Karma... Life is sweet now. My wife and I retired in our early 50's. Those jock jerks are still broke and will have to work until they die to survive.
Alas in the fullness of time jocks learn to love nerds and the maniacal weapons systems they create for them to use.
Kids dress so they can gain admission to the government school protection gang.
Cliques ( or tables A,B,C, or E) are protection gangs. They serve the same purpose as protection gangs in prison. If you treat kids like prisoners, no one should be surprised that they act like prisoners.
... 6'1”, 240 lbs, former Marine, combat vet and....a nerd as well.
I would hazard a guess that a significant majority of this forum would fall into the “nerd” catagory.
I remember a girl I met many years ago. She absolutely fascinated me. I have never seen anyone attract boys like she did and also make friends with other girls so easily. I was not the only person to notice and discussed her with others.
I think it is all the common things such as looks, personality, and unlike the author's opinion, intelligence.
I really do think that in addition to these qualities, some people simply have a genetic ability which might be characterized as many things but probably charisma is the closest word to describing it but still is not exactly it. I did notice that she was a cheerleader, prom queen, homecoming queen, etc. but the one thing which got my attention was she was named "sweetest".
Yes. . .until they graduate from college and get all the high paying jobs, while the people that were popular in high school are still delivering pizzas. ;)
ping
Maybe, but look at it this way: hot young chicks didn't want anything to do with you when you were young....and they still don't.
If us nerds had been magically given the choice in Jr and Sr high of being the popular football captain who dates the cutest cheerleader, but in our 50's would have to trade places with those kinds of guys who are broke now, we'd have jumped at it!
Bump for later.
age 14, 5'10", 120 lbs, natural long blonde hair
shunned by the other girls in the 9th grade
photo appeared in Seventeen Magazine 1964 as part of a group of girls known as the Fashion Board. Offered a contract from Ford Modeling Agency in New York City which parents resoundingly rejected.
After instant popularity, I remained with my two best friends throughout high school.
We're still friends today after all those years.
Short-term fame was a result of the head of the fashion department spotting me at Baily's Ice Cream counter in Boston. She immediately contacted my mother. And, with permission, I modeled for the store's fashion shows at $5 - $10 an hour. In store, I was the White Stage sportwear girl.
At home and with friends, I was just me... one of 7 children who had to do homework and chores... :o)
When you're 4'9'' and 95 lbs soaking wet going into High School, you're a walking punching bag.
I speak from experience.
You are correct about Bill Gates. While I don't begrudge him his fortune, he was born very well connected. It's not as if he was the illegitimate son of a 3rd shift convenience store clerk and a Somali wet nurse.
True, I probably would! However, one of my fondest memories of high school is when the cute tall leggy blond girlfriend of a jock seduced me. He let me go over to her house because he thought I was helping her with the books. Or so we thought. Turns out she was a nympho. The boyfriend never found out, which was good because he was a black belt karate dude.
Let’s see those hot chicks!
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