Newspapers / Grimsley High School Student … / Oct. 22, 2003, edition 1 / Page 4
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High Life Wednesday, October 22, 2003 Opinion Phony ideas, people socially accepted Applications for jobs and colleges ask superficial questions, students conform to fit in, and politicians only aim to appease voters for their own personal gain. Our society is full of fake people. By Nick Moore Reporter Wc live in a society that loves phony people. They exist everywhere, and to achieve success in this society, one has to become phony. People love nothing more than to hear what they want to hear. Any application requires making up personal data to impress the college admissions olTicer or employer with the lines they want to hear; such strategy justifies to them that the applicant is a hard worker and a valuable asset to the institution or employer. What “expanding the truth” really signifies is that the applicant is an obedient person who feels obliged to stay within the norm in order to be accepted. Our entire society is based upon the phony idea that we are individuals encouraged to “think outside of the box.” If we are such individuals, then why do so many girls wear those same tight pants with no pockets, those same shirts that say some tempting phrases, and that straightened blond hair with those lame trucker hats cocked to one side? I could design a cookie cutter to mold girls. We have a cookie- cutter society on our hands. One may say to himself, “I’m not part of that. I wear crazy, rebellious t- shirts and big pants with dog chains; I’m an individual.” This type of individual, who believes he is part of a counter culture, actually is part of the same type of group that shops at the same stores as the other people like them who think they are all about self-expression. No real thinking out of the box occurs. People who do not agree with company policy are fired. If people were truthful on their job applications, and told the company that they really hate obnoxious customers, they would not get the job at all. ■ I consider myself to be just as phony as everyone else. In order to fit in, we all have to wear a mask that everyone else tolerates. The aforementioned obnoxious girl who wears the trucker hat and a “FLIRT” t-shirt just wants to be accepted. I do not wish to put people down, only to point out that our culture embraces fake people. Go visit the mall, and then tell me that we are not a culture of fakes. The phoniest people are not the celebrities but the politicians. Politicians are fake in most everything they do. For example, on a high school level, elections are held every year and ever year all the candidates stand up and promise the same improvements that they will accomplish for the student body. They have no intention of listening to their classmates to determine their desires for more dances or other changes, but instead have something else in mind: their own self-interest. This manipulation of the people is the ^ same with most politicians. They love to tell the constituency how much they want to help everyone : , , and support everyone’s ^ ; views while f" running. \ ' When the A politician gets ■ elected, he works in his \ own self- interest while j he continues acting phony to the public so that he will „ \ ensure re e 1 e c t i o n . Everywhere one looks, ebay.com people are lying, hiding their true identity, and being fake in all their actions. People lie so as not to offend others, or to gain something in their own interest. The next time a student writes on an application that he loves working with people, he should keep in mind the guy who never fails -to be a jerk about the imperfections of his food. Working with customers is a hassle, but employers do not want to hear that. They want their employees to be phony, just like everyone else. V. ...... , .X- Volume 80 Issue 1 The High Life Staff welcomes comments in the form of letters to the editor from students, faculty, and the reading public. Letters may be turned in to the office. All letters must be signed. The staff reserves the right to reject any letter containing libelous statements, the right to edit for length and grammatical errors, and the right to ascertain the truthfulness of its content. The High Life is published eight times a year and is produced by the students of Grimsley High School, 801 Westover Terrace, Greensboro, NC 27408. The High Life functions as a medium for creative journalistic pursuits as well as a training instrument for aspiring journalists, artists, and writers. The High Life functions as a public forum for student expression. Editor-in-Chief: Max Socol, Copy Editor: Sarah Hampton Cheatham, News Elditors: Rachel Rodriguez and Hannah Wineburg, Opinion Editor: Hannah Harrison, Features Editors: Natalie Kaplan, Ricky Leung, and Emma Will iams, Sports Editors: Nicole Gibbs and Sara Kelleher, Advertising Manager: Ellen Burgin, Business Manager: Jessica Cooper, Photographers: Jessica Cooper, Ricky Leung and William Moore, Staff Writer: Ellen Burgin Re porters: Jessica Cooper, Carmen Fosner, Nick Moore, Allison Newby, Brian Gould, VeCoya Greene, Emily Saunders Holly Sharpless, and Kathryn Smith Advisor: Lynn Rozelman. Popular clothing exploits sexuality in words, brands Trends in teenwearnegate the old saying, “actions speak louder than words, ” in their suggestive phrases. These fads oause one writer to question adolescent women and the guidelines, or lack thereof, which society sends their way. By Holly Sharpless Reporter Being both a teenage girl and a high school student, I find that I cannot walk through the halls with out taking note of the striking num ber of tiny-fitting t-shirts with phrases like “Tangy, Sweet, and Piping Hot,” or “Hidden Talents,” typically accompanied by a brand name. Anyone who frequents the mainstream, teen-retail hotspots is all too familiar with the merchan dise hosting these catchy phrases, and I find the relatiyely subdued response of the public even more shocking than the number of bud- ding adolescent tiny t-shirt consumers. Grimsley can institute and en force a dress code outlawing a thin- strapped sundress that comes up nearly to my shoulders and ex tends past my knees, but should I choose instead a shirt that said “Bring it on Inn” to express my self, I would be completely within ...[women] have a long way to go in eoming to terms with their sexuality, and society has a long way to go in coming to terms with women as sexual creatures. the parameters of society’s as well as Grimsley’s guidelines. Given the overwhelming popularity of these shirts, I find myself wondering if, in high school fashion, words speak louder than actions. ■ These shirts interest me on a number of levels. First, they make me wonder about how adolescent females perceive themselves and Continued on page 5 Letter to the Editor It is pointless for me to say I am disgusted by the behavior of the student body at the collaborative planning drama exhibition of Monday, September 15, but I have to say it anyway. What I feel is more important, however, is to explain why I am disgusted. I don’t think the publication of this letter will change anybody’s viewpoint dramatically, but I need to write it. I am too angry to keep this to myself. Those [actors] were my friends being heckled up there on the stage. That makes it personal, but I v/ant to make it clear that I don’t care who is up there or what anyone thinks of their acting or of the material they are presenting; the way they were treated is sub human. An actor deserves your respect, the same respect you would show an athlete. Imagine the outcry if our team were heckled and ignored by the student body. The arts are underappreciated, and yet when a genuine effort is made by our administration to give them higher status, that attempt is derailed by the sheer idiotic rivalries and immaturity of our freshmen and seniors. For the record, I understand how some seniors had the urge to yell back when the freshmen started shouting. I had this urge myself, but I suppressed it. I’ve been onstage. I am an actor myself. Yelling back only makes [the situation] worse. The fact that anybody yelled at all just makes me sick. I’m not an elitist; I believe theater should be for everyone, but if our students are not intelligent, mature, and adult enough to control themselves in a situation where they are having a show presented to them, they do not deserve to enjoy theater, miss class, or be permitted to attend sporting events. The same principle of exhibition of work and talent applies here, and they have clearly demonstrated their disdain for it. I don’t care who started it. I don’t care if [the offender] was a freshman or a senior. My anger with the student body is practically unanimous. I would, however, like to applaud the administration for their attempts to control the situation and for their noble and ambitious effort to expose the student body to the arts in the first place. I am left simply with a terrible feeling of sadness about my generation in general and my school in particular. I want to be an actor, but if this is the audience I will be playing to, what is the point? -Jack McDonald, senior
Grimsley High School Student Newspaper
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Oct. 22, 2003, edition 1
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