Hello Jordan,
Thank you for your comment. I would like to mention your point about the stereotypical comment about people in your grade doing drugs, having sex, drinking illegally, and sadly, suffering from eating disorders and how I came to believe this thought through many other people. I definitely didn’t say that this article will only showcase my personal views. In fact I pulled several sources into this piece. Granted majority of them were media based, but I still had different sources nonetheless. It’s not only what I hear, but what I see as well that has led me to believe this prejudice. Next I would like to address your definition of respect and that it can be defined as “a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” I do respect each and every one at this school. I acknowledge and appreciate their special abilities, unique qualities, and outstanding achievements. You can argue that in my article it didn’t seem like I respected everyone, but this is just one piece of writing and it doesn’t define the person I am and all my views. I am proud to be living in Westborough and I deeply admire this town. My article wasn’t directly describing Westborough. It was a general statement about schools across the world though I used Westborough High School as an example and an example only. This article was not meant to harm anyone and I’m sorry that you felt hurt, but I still stand beside my piece. I thank you for the respectful way you addressed my article.

I would like to reiterate that this was an opinion article about how people should stop fearing rejection not stereotyping. Of course I knew that people would take offense to what I’ve written, but some people are accusing me of being narrow minded, which now I’m taking offense too. Commenters have said that I used my opinion of the juniors in a joking matter. I am 100% not using being anorexic or bulimic in a teasing way, and I definitely didn’t portray through my writing that I found those issues funny. It’s what I’ve heard from people that have these disorders and from juniors. Many people besides me think this way. Also, I did write my opinion of my grade, probably not as strongly as some of the others, but I did. My usage of social media was to provide examples to support my arguments. I don’t think our school is like any of the movies that are based on social division, but I used them to restate my point. I respect everyone in this school. I wrote that I won’t ever look up to the seniors, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect them. I applaud them on their hardwork to complete their education, and their continuation to college or other things. Some of the comments I read embraced my viewpoint, but also criticized it in a humane matter. Some of the comments didn’t. My article wasn’t supposed to make anyone angry or sad. I meant to bring up a topic that many people hadn’t addressed, and I’m proud of myself for doing that. I understand that the way I wrote it may have been harsh, but then again this was an opinion article assignment and I did exactly what I had to. I wrote my opinion.

Atibha, I think you’re looking at the school with a very stereotyped, narrowminded point of view. WHS has distinct social groups, yes, but they’re nothing like how you describe them here.
First off, it’s simply natural to go off into groups like this – there’s nothing inherently bad about this unless, of course, things get clique-y and people are rude to each other. I will clarify that I myself am a senior so I am unsure of how clique-y other grades are but it would seem from the other posts that other people disagree how you are characterizing things. You say you have learned to stop judging people, but from the way you have written about people in this article, it seems like the opposite.
As a senior, and as someone who has felt like an outcast before and isn’t really friends with many “popular kids”, I don’t think these groups are as separated as you make them out to be. I used to have this same idea but, after getting over my own self importance and underlying desire to ostracize my own self (“I’m just so different, I’ll never get along with these other people!”), my eyes opened to how people in this school actually socialize. I’ve found that the people who hold on to this negative, middle school-esque view of social groups are the ones who pay attention and keep the most order to this clique-y type of socialization. I have friends in all sorts of social circles and I find that it is similar for other kids in my grade as well. There are band geeks who are buddies with popular kids who are buddies with d-wingers who are buddies with the no-name kid who sits at the back of the class.
I don’t think there’s any problem with addressing the issue of cliques and social groups in high school but I think it’s stupid to put such a false dichotomy on our school. By the time sophomore year rolls around, people care less about these rigid social groups and in my experience, it’s people with a very particular view who are the ones that uphold it: people whom, like I said earlier, generally believe themselves to be “too different” to even think about meshing well with anyone else who isn’t similar to them. You critique others for having this viewpoint but it almost seems like you are still holding on to that yourself, with the way you talk about students in this article.
I think the thing that especially has offended me and other students (rightfully so) is the way you label your grade as a bunch of “pot heads/ druggies, alcoholics, anorexics, bulimics, and sexually active”, as if these are all things that these people have specifically chosen because they think they’re better than everyone else because of it. While I cannot speak for everyone who chooses to engage in drugs, drinking, and promiscuity, there are generally specific reasons for this. (I will say that is my personal belief that it’s fine to be sexually active as long as one is safe and smart about it, but that’s another topic for another day.) The main point I’m trying to get at is this: perhaps you meant it differently, but the way you stated this was quite awful. Especially how eating disorders are thrown into the mix. While there are people who engage in drinking and drugs as a social activity, there are people who get into it due to other factors in their lives, such as stress and anxiety a bad family life, bad friends, and stress from school. Going back to eating disorders, I’m particularly annoyed at how you group them into the others as if it’s something people do because they think it’s cool or whatever. Eating disorders don’t come because people think they’re better than someone else; eating disorders are an unfortunate and horrible side effect and mental illness stemming from society’s demands and beliefs about our bodies. These are not something to chastise and hate someone for; as someone who knows you, Atibha, I would’ve thought you may be more sympathetic to a struggle like that.
I think I understand what you were trying to go for here in this article, and it could’ve been something positive, but your words instead came out very negative. I hope you understand where all this criticism is coming from and why – after reading this article I think you seriously need to reevaluate the way you view the school because once again your view point at the beginning of this article almost seems like the same one you’re denouncing at the end. In fact, I’m a bit taken aback that you wrote something like this. I’d like to reiterate that there’s no problem with looking at social groups with a critical eye, but the way it was approached fell very, very flat and I’d like to believe that this is not how you intended your article to come off.

I found this piece difficult to read. I found it very harsh and untrue. I do agree that there is a slight division between people but that doesn’t stop us from speaking to anyone else. The piece made the students in our school look like they have no confidence within ourselves to have a simple conversation with another human being. This piece did speak some truth but disrespecting the classes, like the class of 2014, saying they believe they are, “all that with whipped cream” is rude. I believe seniors have the right to feel any way they want to since they worked hard to get to this point of graduating. When speaking of social division base your beliefs on facts and not Hollywood films. But i give you props for writing about such a controversial topic.

I understand where you could be coming from but I think you have just stereotyped an entire school in an article about how people shouldn’t stereotype. How are you to know the “popular girl” wouldn’t date the “math geek”? Instead of judging an entire school as a whole maybe you should take a minute to see that Westborough High School isn’t a movie. This isn’t Mean Girls and it never has been. Personally, I’m very offened that you classified my grade as “pot heads/druggies, alcoholics, anorexics, bulimics, and sexually active”. I have never met you so for you to put me in those categories is a little rude. You are entitled to your own opinions but I disagree with the way you expressed it.

Could this be more general? Stop focusing on the stereotypes that exist and the reputations that certain groups have obtained and maybe take the time to step out of your social group and get to know them for who they really are, now what you perceive of them.