Media is wrong about cliques

OPINION Media is wrong about cliques

Lucy Lopshire

Jocks, cheerleaders, and nerds — we’ve heard it all. According to many movie depictions, high school is divided by popularity, and if people aren’t popular, their experience will suck. Walking through Carlmont during the lunch period will show anyone just the opposite.

One of the most known examples of this phenomenon is “High School Musical.” Throughout this movie series, the plot revolves around the star basketball player, Troy Bolton, who cannot join the school play due to his status as a jock. There is even a song about sticking to the “status quo,” essentially staying in the clique one belongs to.

The lyrics in the song repeat the words “stick to the stuff you know,” implying that high school is not a place to branch out or go outside of stereotypes. Although the message of the movie results in Troy finding his passion, the induction of these stereotypes is not only wrong but also harmful.

The issue with children seeing these movies is that people are most impressionable from birth to adolescence. The academic journal “Social Science & Medicine” found that children were most susceptible to impressions by parents and other sources. They absorb the information from films such as “High School Musical” and carry those expectations up until their high school years which can cause fear and anxiety regarding the subject of school.

In a University of Pennsylvania paper called Magic at the Movies, Linda Jones Rufer, M.D., F.A.A.P., states that movies are presented as educational, meaning children have something to take away from what they are watching. In addition, Rufer provides that movies allow children to step into the character’s shoes, feeling empathy and the emotions of those on-screen. Feeling that anxiety of facing high school could create future anxiety in regards to their future in high school.

Take the phrase “nerd culture,” for example. The first thing that comes to mind for many is likely what most cliche movies would classify as a nerd; glasses, books, and good grades. I think of a nerd as anyone with a passion for a specific topic, but that is not because of stereotypes.

Stepping out of the media and looking at Carlmont specifically, one will hardly ever find all the football players in one place, except at practices and team events, and the same goes for cheerleaders, gamers, Associated Student Body (ASB) members, and any other groups portrayed as cliques in the media. School is a melting pot of different groups, interests, and sports. So why does the media portray this so poorly?

The answer is money. A movie or book where a character enters high school and struggles with cliques always sells. Taking “High School Musical,” for example, the estimated domestic video sales were 131 million dollars. “Mean Girls” is another example of this phenomenon, making 130 million dollars at the box office in total, and 24 million on its opening weekend, according to The Numbers, a website that tracks movie sales.

That said, there needs to be a change to the production of these books and movies. Considering the influence these stereotypes have on young minds, the concept of the high school experience must be accurate in order to adequately prepare young readers and watchers for the environment they will eventually step into.

In order to make this shift, starting with movies, there should no longer be a portrayal of characters as outsiders and weird kids. Additionally, the main characters’ journeys and lessons should not require an encounter with made-up cliques, as it strips the movie of its reality and credibility.

Finally, with books, we need to focus on putting a positive twist on the subject of high school. Instead of preparing young minds for the worst possible scenarios, the media should begin to embrace uniqueness and inclusion.

There are many stories to tell, and we have focused on one for far too long.

Art by Catherine Eikelbarner