blueswede

smart people do stupid things

Ok, so most of my day was pretty well fucked. They took the
club picture for QuizBowl today, and of course NOBODY saw
fit to TELL ME. End result? I missed the picture, and
didn't find out about it until two hours later.

Now here's why the whole thing went down, and why I'm pissed
off at about 26 people:

For starters, the schedule for pictures wasn't finalized
until Wednesday. Fault: yearbook sponsor and photographer
dude.
The QuizBowl sponsor didn't find out about the shoot until
yesterday. Fault: yearbook sponsor and QuizBowl sponsor.
In addition, the QuizBowl sponsor didn't know anybody's
schedule, and so missed both me and two other people for the
picture. Fault: his lazy ass.
An announcement was made, but not posted until after I had
any chance to see it. Fault: people in charge of
announcements, plus my lame teachers who won't turn on the
announcement channel on the TV.
The four people in QuizBowl who I saw before the picture
didn't tell me about it or check to see that I knew. Fault:
them.
Finally, the principal announced the club picture schedule
over the PA during 2nd period, but I couldn't hear it at
all. Fault: stupid shitfucks in AP Calculus who won't shut
the fuck up during the announcements.

The last pisses me off, since it happens all the time. Who
knows how many announcements we've missed because of 6
assholes who never shut up. It's amazing how stupid these
ostensibly smart people can be. Well, I showed their sorry
asses: I had a little chat with the calc teacher, and he
said he'd handle the issue of people refusing to shut up.

This is part of the problem I have with relating to people
in my classes. It's like they have zero respect for what
other people want and/or need. Even when asked to keep it
down, they just keep talking. On the other hand, my less
academic peers, i.e. stoners and photography bums, will
generally stop talking if you're trying to hear something.
AP Calculus fuckers keep talking even when the teacher tells
them to keep it down. And these people are supposed to be
models for other students to follow?

I've figured out why I can't relate to the guy wearing the
Abercrombie & Fitch shirt who takes all honors and AP
courses. It's not because of a difference in socioeconomic
background, or because he's Asian. It's because he acts
like a complete prick. The structure of my class is all
screwed up: the smart people are mostly assholes, and most
of the people I really like are photo bums, many of whom
have failed or nearly failed one or more classes.

Now I don't have any issues with my popular, academic peers
on an individual basis, which suggests that this sort of
thing happens as a result of group mentality. Photo bums,
on the other hand, act decent both individually and in
groups. So why does the group mentality of preppy types
lead to such obnoxious behavior?

Answer: I have no fucking clue.

These are people who fit the established social norm for
teenagers: reasonably bright, popular, involved in various
extracurricular and community activities, nicely dressed,
short hair for the guys, no piercings. Many of them have
jobs, they're bound for highly-respected colleges, and of
course they all go to the Prom. These are the people most
respected by the administration, and frequently by their
fellow students. Yet somehow, you put a few of them
together and obnoxiousness sets in.

My friend Kris thinks they might just be over-priveleged and
spoiled to some extent, while the stoners just want to get
their shit done, get home, toke up, and have some peace and
quiet. Throw in a little Pink Floyd, and it's all good.

Now this whole situation has some strange effects on me.
First, let's establish where I stand in the spectrum.
Really, I don't fit with any one group. If you combine the
attitude of a stoner with the actions of a nerd, you get
something like me. Yeah, it's a bad description, but it'll
have to do.

Basically, I take the same academic classes as the designer
underwear, BMW-or-Honda-Civic guys. I have the outlook of
the people in second-year photography (even though I'm just
first-year), and I have the social life of a guy who knows
how to both operate and program computers.

This would all be well and good, except that I envy my
preppy classmates, mainly for their popularity with the
opposite sex. The issue is whether to act like they do in
vain hopes of getting a date once in a while, or to just do
my own thing at all times. Well, I tried being like them
once, and it just didn't make me happy at all.

Basically, I have the problem of being attracted to girls
way above my social status. Why? Who knows. Yeah, some of
it's based on physical attraction, but believe me, there are
plenty of attractive girls who I find extremely unpleasant
to be around. However, there is not one girl I like on a
platonic basis who I find necessarily unattractive.

Anyway, my experience tells me that a lot of high school
dating is based on status. And of course, the measures of
status aren't always clear. Scoring high on your SATs
doesn't seem to mean much compared to being able to drive a
BMW to school, especially when you're chummy with stoners.

I'm tired, this post is fucked, it's 2:35 A.M., and I have
my guitar lesson tomorrow. Signing off.