Highschool Prejudices

Recently in my English class, we read the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, and it go me thinking about the different prejudices in my school that I experience everyday.

To start, I kind of think of the Mennonite community as the Tom Robinsons or the Boo Radleys of the school. For the most part they are innocent and generally nice people as a whole, but are the brunt of many jokes as a result of the clothes they wear, and their overall demeanor.

Next, there are the "Ewells" of the school, commonly known as greasers or losers. They have their own friends, style, lunch table, and generally stick to themselves. They are often ignored by the so called popular crowd in classes, but it seems like they like it that way. Are these people being prejudiced against, or is it their own fault that people treat them this way? Do they truly like it that way?

Finally, there are the Jem and Scouts of the school. The "popular" people. They too have their own lunch table, wear brand name clothes, and are all about the social life. They are the ones who's jokes always get laughed at in class, who get comforted when they are down, and are known by most people in their grade. I don't think that these people deal with much prejudice, but that's my opinion. I know that there are definitely people in this group that are prejudiced against by other people within the group, more than people outside the group. These people may be treated differently because of their clothes, how hard they try at school, or who their friends outside the group are. This is just not fair.

Overall, I tend to try not to join any of these groups, simply to avoid labels. In some ways, I think by not joining other groups, I'm starting a new group. I haven't felt that I have experienced any prejudice, but there is also nothing about me that really sets me apart from other people in the world. I am a white Caucasian who wears brand name clothes. I have basically conformed to society, without meaning to. I don't think that I have done it to avoid prejudice, but maybe I have subconsciously. Just something for me to think about.