Have you ever noticed how people's reaction to someone is usually based on the person's popularity? I have. What could it be about people that makes us all so quick to judge everyone around us? Why is it that often our reactions are based solely on the bandwagon theories? Are we always this judgmental?

These and many other questions go through my mind both before and after I make any type of decisions. I know that there are still (though rarely) some people out there who really think this through. I am not trying to judge anyone. All I would like to know is if this often troublesome predicament has ever caused any of you any problems; and also whether, if we are a little 'fad-crazy' or 'judgemental' about how we treat people: Will we admit it?

~Veritaserum14~

I believe that no one should be favored over others because of popularity because then the people who aren't popular never get any major opportunities in life and they never have any friends. I myself have only about 5 out of 10 on a popularity scale and I'm always made fun of by others so I know what it's like to lose opportunities and friends to popularity. I never choose something or someone in any case because of popularity. I believe it's the stuff like intelligence or athleticism or kindness that count not popularity.

I don't think it's right but popularity does seem to be centered in most things. I've lost one of my best friends to the "popular" crowd. But the truth is, those people aren't any different from us. Sure, maybe they have "the look" or "the clothes" or "the friend" but they're just like us on some scale.
I'm not popular, I admit it.
But what is popularity? Having the right friends? The right looks? The right clothes?



*Kolene*

Hmm. Surprising. I am glad to see that this topic has not been completely ignored. However, what is surprising is how few votes there are. There hasn't been much discussion either, anyhow, what I intended to find out by asking such a personal question was whether prejudice/popularity/stereotypes affect our opinions about both people we do and people we don't know.

For example, I will admit that in a rare case I have noticed that I myself seem to judge people sometimes. I will explain: when I read a book by an author that I have never heard of or read before, I create a sort of picture of them through their writing style.

The truth is, we all judge, and sometimes that's a good thing. All I am saying is that your opinion about someone can often change. I posted this topic because I was in a situation where my popularity (or lack thereof) affected the way that people saw me. They were not really judging me by my character but by the number and type of friends I had.

So now I will ask: where is it that popularity (or lack of) is a factor in opinion. That is to say, where is judgement more common? (schools, elections, social gatherings....)

~Veritaserum14~

I'd probably say that school is the most judegmental.I don't think it's right how people are judged by how many friends they have, or what brand clothes they wear or who they hang out with. I went to public school for a few years and now I've been homeschooled ever since. (So about 8 years.) I had a few 'friends' at school but not many. I wasn't very popular. As soon as I left school my old 'friends' completely ignored me and acted like they didn't know me. They were judging me for being a homeschooler. I really don't think that's right. People still do it. At my dance classes, I'm the only homeschooler and the rest go to public school. They never talk to me. I try, but they judge me before they know me. Obviously, I'm in the 'unpopular' group. But I don't change what I say just because someone who is popular says differently. As it is, pretty much all homeschoolers are unpopular, so it's not hard for me to fit in with them.

For me, at school, I think that popularity shouldn't be a big priority. Saying that, there are two kinds of popularity:

~There's the girl that is nice to everyone, who doesn't care about labels and will hang out with anyone. She gets invited to all the parties because you feel good about hanging around her. There's the boy who will help the bullied out, anytime, and reaches out to everyone. These people are popular, not because of looks or money, but because they make others feel happy.

~And, then, there are the jerks who are simply refered to as 'popular', but no one really likes to be around them. There's the pretty cheerleader who looks like a goddess, but makes everyone not in 'her circle' feel like pieces of dung. There's the boy who is a total jerk, but with a cute and casual air that just seems to make him a girl magnet. He gets in trouble and he's a bully to the unpopular, but he's so 'cool' that no one cares.

There's nothing wrong with being the first kind of popular. Not everyone can pull it off (I'm to sarcastic and nerdy) but it is a good thing, and there's nothing wrong with trying to be that. The latter, on the other hand, is a bad thing. This person has no real friends, as the person probably had to bash their real friends to get there. Personally, I never understood why this appealed to people. It's better, in my opinion, to have real friends.

As to the poll, I think popularity shouldn't effect elections and stuff, but they do. That's why there was no student council or class president in my middle school, because the teachers knew the popular kids would win, not the one who could help the class.

As to your question, Veritaserum14, I think it's in schools. They certainly get more PR for it from authors and movie makers. Elections, a canadates reputation is important, but there issues carry more weight than school's elections do. I don't know about adult gatherings, though, as I'm a kid.