I do not believe in following the crowd unless the crowd is doing something I approve of. For instance, if a crowd was cheering for a touchdown, I would cheer as well. If the crowd was celebrating because of a change in government that I know will only affect everyone for the worst, I would not participate.
Most of kids my age go to school; I do not. I have seen how they follow the crowd, which follows the most important or popular figure in the school. I do not even have a chance to do that, which has kept my eyes and mind open and free from prejudice and popularity.
In schools everywhere, kids are unknowingly achieving what is illustrated in the song Stick to the Status Quo from the movie High School Musical:
If you wanna be cool
Follow one simple rule:
Don’t mess with the flow, no, no.
Stick to the status quo.
My interpretation of this: “Don’t be yourself; be like someone cooler than you are.”
I love it when in movies kids stand above the crowd and show everyone that they are individuals, not someone else destined to be added to the clump of so-called jocks or airheads. Unfortunately, we see more of that in the movies than in real life. Kids in real life want to be respected, and they think that for that to happen they need to pretend to be someone else entirely.
Because I am homeschooled, I have more of a chance to be myself. I am often bored by the talk of clothes and cell phones and the like from people my age. I love it when people strike up a conversation with me about something other than that. It shows that they, too, are individuals. In my book, that is what makes them cool.