This may sound a little strange, but recently at my school gym class has been the most thought provoking class I'm currently taking. Most of my friends whom I hang out with in it are not very sports-minded and, while they are not unfit, they are not the most athletic types. We often spend the class doing the least demanding of the activities, which recently has been volleyball, and we spend a good portion just talking and joking around with each other--the other team often is not serious either. One of these friends is often considered an "outcast," so-to-speak, and is often labelled as "weird" or even "bitchy." She is very outspoken and is not afraid to giver her opinion and will often come to me and another friend of mine (also in this class) to pretty much rant and get things off her chest.

The other day she went off about how people are constantly calling her a "bitch" and how she's annoying. Being friends with many people she was talking about (I am friendly with almost my entire school, and actual friends with a good 70%) I already knew one side of the argument. She gave me the other side of the story, the side of the one on the outside of the group and not that of the one fitting in. It really started to make me think about how people act and just who we are and I came to a conclusion which is summed up pretty well in one word: impressionable.

Humans, by nature, are born to impersonate others. This is how we first learn to talk, to walk, and what social etiquette is generally accepted among a certain populace. During the first several years of our lives this is crucial to build the foundations for the rest of our days. However, all of us retain a bit of that impressionability, some more than others, and it affects how we act during our lives more than it should. I realized that people naturally want to fit into a group, which is understandable given that our history has been with clans and tribes in order to survive. We are social creatures.

However, modern people, especially adolescents and young adults, seem to be too impressionable and try too hard to fit in. We want to be a part of the "cool" group and be what we consider to be successful. This is especially prevalent in a high school situation (which is where I'm coming from) but is still present in nearly all social situations. The down side to this is that we never consider how others feel about things we do and there is often a dominant person who "leads" the group and is perceived as "tough." This toughness is shown through picking on others and making themselves feel better even though they are hurting others. This also increases their confidence which is a trait we all want to have, and that is one trait almost always present in leaders.

One person does not sound like a lot, and it isn't. If there was only one person in a group of 1000 who insulted others and acted tough, then it would not be a big deal if others did not try and mimic their actions to be accepted into his/her "group." It's the fact that people want to fit in and become part of the dominant group which causes a chain reaction leading to an eventual ostracization of certain individuals.

Let's say that in the end there are 900 people who chose to insult the others and joined the "cool" clique. This means that 100 people have been excluded from the main group, they develop a bit of resentment, and think of the others as mean and "bitchy." They then become the same way, themselves, to try and get the same success the others did, and also to try and get some payback. This causes the larger group to form similar opinions of the "outcasts" and snowballs until both sides hate each other. What happens next is unpredictable, but it is likely a large scale fight and there could even be internal conflicts of both groups, leading to more branches. This causes more hate and resentment and leads to an even bigger and more complex situation.

There will always be those few who are the first "jerks" and will make fun of others to establish their dominance. However, the only way to combat this is to turn the other cheek and be yourself. Do not try and mimic the other person, you have to be an individual. You have to not be impressionable enough to the point where you will copy the dominant person to try and gain their success. You have to do it on your own, though that doesn't mean you can't work together with others, you just have to retain your individuality in the midst of a sea of people. If everybody were to be different and be themselves there would be no more need for the word "different" since it would become the new same, and the word same would become obsolete.

This is by no means an air tight example, nor is it necessarily 100% correct, but it is the conclusion I have come to by listening to varying sides of the same story, and even different accounts from the same person, as well as different people. It just seems like if everybody would stop trying to be a drop of blue paint in a blue paint bucket, then things would be much more enjoyable as a whole. It seems like heterogeneousness seems to be the best way to live, not a homogenous mixture. Besides, I much prefer Italian dressing over french

Please share your thoughts on what I've observed/concluded and point out any flaws you see or anything you agree with; I would very much like to hear others' opinions.