News Reporter
As the Choate student body settles into the spring term, it’s hard not to feel as if the year has passed in the blink of an eye. With the approaching graduation of seniors, “important” people will soon be leaving the school, and new “important” people will take their places. By “important people,” I do not mean Prize Day favorites or important faculty, but a fortunate elite of popular kids that I call “Community Pushers”. In conjunction with various student associations, the Community Pushers rule the school in their own way—through the dictation of mainstream student tastes. They are like Choate’s own group of celebrities; awe-inspiring and seemingly untouchable, they are a source of inspiration and imitation. Then why is it that a student body that claims to value its individuality follows and adores these people simply because everybody else does?
To become a Community Pusher, you must be perfect in every possible way--save academic performance. What you wear should inspire others to change their wardrobes; what you say should be well calculated yet effortless and nonchalant. But an honest assessment of these peoples’ behavior and personalities would show that they are less than deserving of the attention and admiration that they elicit. Too often people conform to the widespread infatuation with appearances rather than voice doubts or even criticize the character of Choate’s social role models.
Take fashion. Sometimes it seems as if life at Choate is a fashion race to the finish line. I often hear groups of girls secretly gossiping about or ridiculing those among their peers who don’t conform to fashion trends or don’t have a sense of what is “in” and what is not. Though this gossiping may be a result of low self-esteem, highlighting the faults of others is completely unattractive and will only reflect badly on the critic. I have seen girls hesitate to talk to another girl if she dresses in clothing that is unique among the masses. Students who hang out in the same groups tend to dress similarly. Some groups of friends might wear clothing dubbed as preppy but then include something like a college basketball team hat worn backwards or ridiculously expensive sunglasses worn indoors for kicks, but the influence of “Community Pushers” is so strong that most of the people on campus look more or less the same.
Macho-ness in boys and shallowness in girls would not be so popular if it were not for the desire to impress the opposite sex. Girls at Choate are obsessed with dating upper-classmen. Yet many of these relationships are based not on personal compatibility so much as on physical attraction and the never-ending quest to seem cool. Relationships are seen as a tool to enhance one’s reputation. As a result, there is a great deal of pressure put on under-formers to live up to girls’ expectations. Because girls may care mostly about what is on the outside, they ignore that you adore them or that you make them smile. The same goes for boys.
High school students today seem to care so much about being popular that it does not matter whether or not the role of Community Pusher is a formally recognized one. Even when a student has attained the sought-after status of Community Pusher, he will experience the unspoken push to be the leader of the pack. He may lose his individuality as the year goes along in an effort to “win” the game. The pursuit of popularity will degrade the character of a student body that will adjust change its morals and sense of self on particular subjects as long as it leads their recognition. And in the process, kids lose valuable friendships and earn the disdain of their peers. So why can’t the intelligent, generous, helpful, and purpose-driven students on campus be the “pushers”?
