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Are cliques in middle schools overated?
I've noticed that these days, everybody belongs to a group of people, and that people call these 'cliques'. I know what a clique is, and I am part of one at my school. Teachers always say crap about how we kids need to get along with one another and that cliques should be "outruled" from public schools. What is so wrong with a clique? Are they dumb? Are they considered a sterotype? I'm confused.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Friendship?
When I was in middle school, a little while ago, but not too long, I did notice that certain people tended to hang with each other but honestly, it seemed like everyone was friends with one another. It's just that some people were more closer than others. I think teachers feel that cliques exist only to include a certain group of people who share certain things in common and excludes all other people from it because they lack that thing the group has in common, or whatever the reason is. I don't think anything is wrong with a clique, because there's nothing wrong with having a group of friends with similiar interests. I mean, isn't that why you guys are friends in the first place? I think teachers want their students to feel that they can be friends with anyone and that a student shouldn't feel bad or negative about him/her self just because they don't belong to a group of friends. Everyone in a 'clique' to me, should always be willing to expand and make more friends, and not stuck up about being in such. They aren't a stereotype, but it's common to find certain 'cliques' with people who have distasteful personalities. Just keep that in mind. Always be open to meeting new people and making friends. It's middle school, and I say from experience, make the most friends you possibly can at this stage of your life because when you get older and become slowly separated from the people you're used to seeing on a daily basis, you'll always have the assurance that there will be someone else that you know and can talk to in the future, in high school for example and maybe even college.
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I am glad you asked this question instead of just believing they are the "cool thing". I graduated from high school last year so I can speak from experience that once you get out of high school, and sometimes even during high school, cliques are GONE. It is like they never existed and absolutely no one cares anymore. In middle school it might seem like being in a clique is the coolest thing but honestly I was never part of one and I had the best time. I was friends with everyone and it was such a good experience.
So to answer your question directly, YES cliques are dumb and over rated and they should be abolished.
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It's good to have a group of friends who you get along with, the problem with 'cliques' is when those groups become little clubs, with rules, or special codes, 'enemies' and other nonsense like that.
The definition of clique from the Cambridge Dictionary sums it up:
"clique - noun - a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group"
It's the exclusive, unwelcoming, closed off part of cliques that teachers don't like. Cliques often turn into groups of bullies who pressure, exclude, or even harm others. Cliques are also often built around superficial or stereotypical groups (like ethnicity, or fashion choices, for example).
I belonged to different circles of friends when I was in high school - but we never would have considered calling ourselves a clique, because we didn't see ourselves as being exclusive or 'against' other groups. We didn't need to pressure or make rules for the people who we hung out with - people came and went as they liked, and as people figured out who they liked spending their time with most.
So yes, cliques are dumb and immature, and yes, they usually play into stereotypes are exclusive and can lend themselves to very hateful and cruel acts. It's not a good way to behave - and if you aren't behaving that way with your friends - you shouldn't call yourselves a 'clique'.
Here's a bit more information to help you recognize the different between having a group of friends, and being a clique that can be harmful and hateful to others AND those inside the clique too.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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Well, if you think about it, cliques can be sort of a stereotypical group of people, if you think about it. Do jocks tend to hang out with the chess club? No, not typically. So there is the Jock and Chess Club Nerd stereotyped cliques right there.
All school kids encircle themselves with their friends, like-minded people, people with the same interests and goals, people of the same popularity status, what have you. It is in every school, everywhere, and there have been cliques in school for many years gone by.
In fact, I'm willing to bet your teachers were all in some sort of clique in high school. Whether they were popular, outcasts, in the get-along-gang, or whatever, they hung out with their circles of friends.
Are cliques dumb? Is there something wrong with them? The only thing I can say is cliques are a part of normal school life.
What's dumb and what's wrong are when the people in them step out, put down, bully, beat up, and be cruel to people in other cliques.
They'll never be out ruled, but yah, you kids do need to get along better. ;-0
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