Do you think its getting harder for kids to be different from the 'crowd'?

Question

seems to me more and more children are adopting the philosophy of "if you cant beat them join them" in regards to 'dumbing down' just to fit in. am i right? and how do you fight this?

Answer 1

actually i got bored of that when i got to 16 so i started being my middle class - actually caring about my education self and you would be surprised how mnay kids followed. now in my 6th form were all proud to not be common and  be going to university

Answer 2

Keep a close eye on them early on, not when they're in their later teens.

Make sure they don't mix with the wrong group of people.

Answer 3

I am a child (12) and find it extremely difficult in school as I am not part of the crowd, I accept the fact that I will never be part of the crowd and respect the fact that I am an individual.

at the beginning of the year I was bullied and so was moved to a new form with someone who was part of the problem (which I have only recently found out)

I made new friends and was bullied by my best friend and her new best friend, received loads of threatening e-mails from the girls who were bullying me, and got more and more depressed.

then the girl stopped as she and her friend were not talking and I made a few friends, one of the girls was also very good academically like me.

The girls started bullying me again but this time I had my friends which I didn't want to lose at all and had no intention of doing so.

I avoided school for a few days as I was scared of confronting the bully

and when I returned I had missed a science test so I had to re do the test. my friend however was very upset that she had had a really bad score so I deliberately left half of the questions undone - meaning I had an equal mark to her so she wouldn't be so upset this however was a bad move as then the girls were taking the p**s and calling me thick so I decided not to do that again.

then the bullying became full on I couldn't take it I missed two weeks of school while everything was taken to my head of year - fat lot of good that did.

he wanted evidence - I took him coppies of the messages - but this wasn't good enough all of a sudden I was being blamed for fabricating this evidence. By my head of year!

Music is my passion singing in particular

I had to sing with the bully in a cymanfa ganu (welsh singing festival)

I was off school the day before one to avoid the bully and two I had a cold.

the bully spent all day patronising me intimidating me telling me how c**p I was,

on stage I got scared and I screwed up completely.

It wasn't nerves I was scared incase she pushed me off the stage or something.

as I have said before I screwed up badly - my music teacher won't even look at me properly she just looks away or at the floor or something,

all I can say is I'm dreading September.

BUT I am still aqnd individual and I don't follow the crowd in everything I do.

I also love the lyrics of the song mouthwash by kate nash as the describe the way I feel about these people and how I feel about myself

and at least I know I am a strong person and I will never give into the crowd!

I particularly like this part of the song and the lyrics that she has used

This is my face

I've got a thousand opinions

And I've got time and time to explain

And this is my body

And no matter how you try and disable it

Yes I'll still be here

And, this, is my mind

And although you try to infringe

You cannot confine

And, this, is my brain

And even if you try and hold me back

There's nothing that you can gain

click here for the video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsoLMXHhx...

Answer 4

yeah becuz kids wanna be cool and popular so they follow every1 who is

Answer 5

Well I will tell you from a kids perspective..

I go to a Private school with all these rich kids that are stuck up and spoiled. My dad is a lawyer, so all the kids assume that I am spoiled and my dad will let me get away with whatever. I am new this year, I already started, and all these kids at this school are mean to people. Not so much to me, but I saw a girl that didn't have the right kind of shoes and they made fun of her. Also all the guys there find it there mission to take any girls virginity...Like it is their god given right that you have s*x with them, and then if you say no you are even more made fun of. And then if you just try and not talk to people then they will still make fun of you bad. I mean I am nice to the people at this school and, they like me and everything, but I am just waiting for them to start hating me. We kids these days have so much peer pressuer and it is easy for adults to say ressist, but it is like if you don't do it you are different from everyone else in a different way, and everyone takes advantage of that. At my last school everyone was so mean that I decided this year that I would transfer to this school, I will be in the 10th grade. It is not that we have to dumb down, but it is like if you are different in any way from everyone else that take advantage of that and they make you feel as bad as possible. I mean when I was in the 7th grade and my mom died, I went to another stuck up school and everyone said that my mom died because my family wasn't rich enough. I mean my dad makes quite a bit a year, and it was just a mean thing that people said. My dad did everything that the doctors said to do..It is just that people are so mean and most people would rather just join in on what they are doing, so that they aren't the ones that get made fun of. But in reality they do get made fun of, just more behind their back, and the people they think are their real friends aren't really. That is how I see it, but I don't fallow people in anyway that they think you should. I am just nice to everyone, and I am not mean to anyone, or judge, and I think that if I sink down to that level, then I will be just like the rest of them, ean, nast, and unkind. That is not something that I want people to remember me by. So I am saying that I understand why kids do this, but if you have will power then it will be hard but you can do it...

Answer 6

yeah i have noticed this to even in children of a young age are like it, i have found that if they dont fit in they get bullied and nobody whats to hang around with them, i also think society has a big influence on how children are growing up these days and think that society is doing its best to make children especially girls to grow up fast

Answer 7

how do i fight? just be unique and stand on my own. i bet it will be okay with REAL friends if i wont do everything that they do. and if they wont like me with who i am then maybe i dont belong there and just find good and new friends.

i think most teenagers are drawn into the crowd to be classified as cool. its hard for us to be different cause we dont want to be laughed at.

btw. thanks for the wonderful question. hope my answer helped

Answer 8

Just make sure ur child can speak to u cause if they trust ur not going to freak out everything they tell u they'll open up more tell u more things and u can explain the rights and wrongs of some of their actions

Answer 9

Yeah. That's very true. These days there's a lot of pressure on the youth to conform to certain styles and trends which are sort of imposed on them by the media and celebrities. Everyone is trying to be someone, or otherwise everyone wants to be something/someone they are not so that they can feel cool/significant in a world which is constantly changing around them. These days, kids are much too concerned with trying to be cool and it seems to be becoming more and more of a big deal how you look, talk and act. I think it's just sad.

Answer 10

its the insidious influence of a lifetime watching adverts on TV!

Answer 11

Your right.

I have resolved to bleaching my hair and getting bad grades to fit in, it worked though

I am now one of the "in" kids

But i definetly wouldnt reccomend it

now i see it written down it looks really sad.

Answer 12

Depends, i think there are alot of typical American kids who's friends, parents and lifestyle has influenced them so much that they are stuck and can no longer develop or find themselves. Thus, you get the typical C student, football guy and the ditsy, fake blonde, S****y cheerleader girl.

But....these days I also alot of really different kid who tries so hard to stand out just for the sake of it. You know the rebelious, bad arses who are always experimenting with drugs and new things to be cool. However, out of this group of teens you also get a few really deep, talented, free thinkers.

Honestly, I have no idea what I just said...I was just kind of rambling. But I guess my point was that it depends on their influences and environment, I don't think it's any harder that it was a few years ago, if anything it may be easier because we are surrounded with such strange, unique people and pop culture has told us that this is ok. So if you want to stop from blending in to the crowd, find your true personality, interests and beliefs. Then learn to love yourself and what you stand for, unconditionaly. Find friends who like you for you and envelope yourself in a community that supports what you do.

Answer 13

In my experiance yes. The 'crowd' at my school are all into fashion, skimpy clothes, s*x. drugs and parties. My friends and I are not into this sort of thing so we get teased. I find it very hard to resist the pressure. I get teased for dressing modestly and staying pure. They think boyfriends/girlfriends are just for s*x. Also if you don't act stupid, distrupt the class and tease the teacher your bullied. i just want to get an education and go to uni.    

Answer 14

I'm also a child for my age- 15 but I never do that... Maybe I'm just a friendly kid... Lol