Jess Fralix, a sophomore at East Syracuse Minoa High School, wrote this essay for The Post-Standard's Sept. 27 Voices page.
By Jess Fralix
A large part of being a high school student is being subjected to the stereotypical mindset that has been instilled in the majority of students’ minds. Rarely is an individual given the opportunity to show his or her classmates who they really are. Instead, we are classified into small-minded boxes that are nearly impossible to get out of.
The entire world is very much aesthetically based, convincing people that the only way to be successful is to be beautiful. This way of thinking is causing low self-esteem, especially in teenagers. The harshness of teenagers today is almost sickening, the way they exclude or ridicule other people for their weight, looks, race or religion. Many high schools, and sometimes middle schools, are divided into well-defined cliques that rarely mix. I believe that even if we all looked the same, people would still find a way to divide the population into stereotypes.
I am not exempt from the urge to stereotype. Unlike many of my classmates, however, I do harbor a genuine desire to learn new things, and to do well in school. I feel that some of my peers are more focused on climbing their way up the social ladder, often shying away from their studies in favor of talking about other people in their spare time.
There is no such thing as someone who does not judge others because as soon as we see a person, we immediately put them into the boxes we have made in our heads. Young children do not know these stereotypes until the world teaches them. I think we need to remember that everyone has a story, and they should have an opportunity to share it.