h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i think everyone is missing the point. I don't think you can put people into categories like that. Every highschool is different, and even the most grown ups would like to think this not every teenager is visicous and mean.

There are some people you can't catagorize because everything about them is completely and totally different, (and to some views random).

NOT EVERY TEENAGER IS VICIOUS AND MEAN?? Jesus H. Christ, what school did you go to? The only difference between the schools is the numbers of people in the stereotype. It extends to the majority of Western "civilisation"...I left school two years ago, and Im in no delusion about what it was like. Although...there are the obvious exceptions. Thats life for you. And in the UK, if you're a goth/freak/skater you tend to get lumped in together because there are very few numbers. But even thats changing. American culture is about 5 years ahead of British. But in NO WAY must people be deluded into thinking that stereotypes like this dont exist...bleurgh indeed.

i agree with the person who last wrote a message, i have , moved around a lot, and they r right, there are stereotypes in any school that u can go to, unless there is a uniform, in which case, there are stereotypes outside of school, it is very hard to find a school, where there are no stereotypes, and ppl are accepting of each other, i still have yet to find one ~jordan in chains

Well here in the UK (not sure where you are from my friend) school uniforms can be found in 99% of schools. Stereotypes exist despite them. School was/is much like prison - everything is exaggerated, perhaps out of reach of those that are not there. And completely and utterly ridiculous.

I have found some veeeeery cunning ways to avoid school uniforms but it might only work for goths (collective). From the head. Dye your hair a coulour definately not allowed but so dark noone can notice. Mine is blue. Torso- Pendants/ necklaces/ what ever. Wear them under the t-shirt youre wearing under your school shirt. Bracelets etc but take them off if youre wearing short sleeves. You should also wear a hoody over your school jumper. Trousers- Wear a small chain and say it's your locker/ house/ skeleton key for your locker/ house/ every house in britain. Shoes should be skate shoes and replaced at breaks/ after school. Useful huh. Tell me if it arouses any problems but under no circumstances mention the name Pope Edgar Montgomery the 3rd, Lord of all that is heavy and electric. Because that isn't my name. My name is..... >message ends< RULE ANARCHY.

Saturnine is right. You can dress people up in uniforms, you can make them each do specific procedures, but nothing can stop people from being who they are, who they want to be, and what they want to be identified with.

What if they want to call themselves that?
RULE ANARCHY.

True. At my school, you identify people by their hair, their shoes, and their bag. Literally. If you are brave, you can go and remove their earphones so you can hear their music, but people don't take kindly to that. We wear strict unifrom so we are forced to show our identities by covering our school bags in badges, patches, and other things to show who we are. We can only wear black shoes, and we narrowly escape with DM boots.
The trick with dying your hair is to just get streaks (one of my good friends has bright blue streaks, causing the nickname 'Smurf'), or to dye it an exaggerated version of a natural colour (My hair is pillar-box red). It really works!!!
I agree with most of these posts. You can't wipe out stereotypes. They've become a part of life.

Maybe we can't remove stereotypes but if we take the time to get to know people who are different then us than maybe we wont make the comments we make or label people the way we do. We see the world a certain way because the people around us have influenced us. I know it doesn't seem true but it is. So getting to know a lot of different people can change our views on other people. Currently the biggest mistake teens make is assuming that people act a certain way because of how they look. You don't have to be best friends with someone but isn't it only fair to know a little about them before you label them and thier personality?