The Princeton Blues

Every student dreams of graduating from school. Leaving those who he/she dislikes/hates behind and starting a new era of their life with new people and new chances. Going on to university and finding out what the real world really is like. I thought about this for a few minutes earlier this weekend.

It was around 1 AM. I was going through my school's graduation programme, which listed the name of the student next to their university that they were going to attend. Going down the list, I saw some familiar ones. Some were local, a few miles away from home; others were down in the state capital or in Houston. "I'll never see any of these people again," I thought to myself. I turned the page that listed the order of names, from A-to-Z, in our class. I noticed, above everything else, these twenty-or-so names that began the listing. 

I ran my finger, examining each name, and then saying something horrible about that person. "Hope a bus runs him over." "Stuck-up motherfucker" "Kinky white girl." "First out of the stable, last to arrive." As I progressed down the list, I saw the names of three people I really enjoyed. Out of anyone on the list, these three people are what I consider to be regular people. They're not egotistic about their status; they do not think they are superior to anyone. They're just your friends, no matter your class rank. They don't talk down, they don't pander. They're just your friends.

In my last four years of public schooling, I noticed something about those who were considered academically superior. This is opinion, of course, since I personally don't know these people. But this observation is from a distance. I've noticed that they are very selective, very snobbish, and are those that rule the school. I figure this is what Karl Marx was talking about when he published his Manifesto. And I've always perceived them to be assholes. I physically repulsed when I saw them, and held a general disgust (and still do) for them. They are, in a way, high school teacher pets. Now, this isn't any nerd uprising, but you notice that these people are everywhere. 

For example, the yearbook. I was just skimming through it and they are the ones usually featured. The people who you have never met or heard of are being asked things and you wonder, "Who the fuck wrote this? Did I just pay $60 for this shit?" The answer usually comes out to "Yes, I did pay $60 for this shit." The latter question has more answers, and I don't wish to ramble on. It goes to show that you, a regular person, are not highlighted because the people, the academic superiors, are the ones shown, and you have to read about their accomplishments. 

I'm starting to sound like a chapter of the Manifesto. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. My point is, the fact that the things like yearbooks and programmes are geared more towards those with accomplishments rather than the class as a whole. They point out those who graduated magna cum lade, summa cum lade, and cum lade, but as a society, we should reward the overall accomplishment, in this case, graduation, and the student body as a whole, rather than praising the individual. 

There is nothing bad about praising the individual, either, but don't assume that the other 97%* of parents and students care about what the top students achieved. Honestly, no one cares, other than the parents of those 3% or those who garnered the achievements themselves. And as 97-percenter myself, I don't give a rat's ass about it.

Does that mean I'm bitter? Nah!

The Princeton Blues continue on...