Dealing with unpopularity
"I'd do anything to be popular."
How many times have we heard that phrase, or worse yet, how many times have we wished it ourselves? What is it about being popular that is so desirable? Popularity is a social recognition that teens and some adults continue to crave generation after generation. It is inescapable.
The phrase, "I'd do anything to be popular" presents a scary situation. How many teens really would allow themselves to do anything to gain recognition? In today's society we see this situation present itself time and time again. It lurks its ugly head with gangs, with grade school, and even with adults. It becomes increasingly more scary for our children today as they are faced with more and more temptation to join the "cool" club by doing things contrary to the teachings of their parents. For example, you'll be cool if you steal this from the store..or you'll be cool if you take these drugs. While sometimes, the actions required to join the cool club are trivial, in today's society, those trivial things are almost obsolete, now the requirements involve a much larger scaled commitment. To think, your child might just commit murder so he/she could be "included" in a gang of teens. Scary!
|
|
This article provides a few suggestions for how to deal with being the "unpopular" person:
* First, take some time to list and recognize what it is that makes these specific individuals popular. In doing this, you will probably come to recognize that most of the time, the things that create such a stir are superficial. They usually are related to physical characteristics more than anything else. The traits are usually things that never last. The individuals that enjoy the spotlight of popularity usually thrive on the public recognition so much that they seek after it their entire lives, missing out on other aspects of life. Usually these individuals have difficulty putting priorities where they need be and find themselves constantly looking for the next pick me up situation of glamor and fame. It is rare to find an individual that is popular with the crowd that has a personality that runs deeper than the first layer of skin.
* Realize that the status of popularity is usually found by a large mass of people who blindly follow one another. These individuals go along with whatever comes their way. This causes a huge issue due to the fact they are not being who they could be or should be. They rely on someone else to tell them what's cool and what's not. The individuals who follow blindly usually struggle with self -worth. They have little to none to rely on when it comes to making decisions of their own. They are the ones who truly are willing to do anything to stay connected and in the limelight.
Granted, this all sounds good on paper, but if you truly take the time to analyze the situation you will see the trends that take place. Be ware not to look down on the popular people though, you simply fall into the same trap that popular folks find themselves when you do. Remember that no one individual is perfect - even as perfect as they appear. Everyone has their flaws. It's how you handle them that puts the character in the individual. Find what makes you happy and stick to it. Find others that might be in your same situation and join forces. Having others around you provides a support system.
The most important part to remember is that you - as an individual - have worth. No matter what anyone else may believe or tell you. You have to adhere to that and stay true to yourself. Being who you really are provides with it far more benefits than pretending to be someone you aren't. It lasts a whole lot longer as well.
