One of the most recognizable scenes from Mean Girls is when Janis describes to Cady who sits at each of the tables in their high school cafeteria. She says: “Where you sit in the cafeteria is crucial because you got everybody there. You got your Freshmen, ROTC Guys, Preps, JV Jocks, Asian Nerds, Cool Asians, Varsity Jocks, Unfriendly Black Hotties, Girls Who Eat Their Feelings, Girls Who Don’t Eat Anything, Desperate Wannabes, Burnouts, Sexually Active Band Geeks, The Greatest People You Will Ever Meet, and The Worst. Beware of The Plastics.”
Janis is simply grouping her classmates into arbitrary categories, and they stay in these categories throughout the entire movie. There’s nothing unusual about this – we all tend to group people without thinking twice. Nietzsche says that it’s inevitable for humans to categorize different animals into species, even though the animals are constantly changing and evolving, so much so that maybe the species description isn’t even appropriate anymore. Yet he says we do this because it makes humans feel like we’re the ones in control and in charge.
The same observations can be made for when we label humans. We tend to do so pretty simplistically; we say these are the “nerds”, or those are the “biddies”, and the people over there are “band geeks”. The categories we use are naïve and oversimplify individuals.
It’s pointless for me to tell you to stop grouping people, that the groups are silly and meaningless, and don’t do justice for describing anyone. I’m not going to tell you to not categorize people because I know you will anyway. It’s impossible not to! It’s our human nature – it’s the easy way out.
Instead, I will say this – try to look beyond those categories when you’re thinking of a person. Many of the groups have negative connotations, when they really shouldn’t. Sure, she seems like an airhead who likes to party (hence others referring to her as “biddy”), but she’s also be a very talented artist and super nice. He’s a studious computer science student (hence the label “geek”), but he’s also the kindest person you’ve met who loves a good laugh. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with taking your work seriously or wanting to party a little. You see? Labels aren’t everything.
What really pains me is when we refrain ourselves from getting to know people because they have a specific label. Just like everyone stayed within their social groups in Mean Girls, that tends to happen in real life as well. We assume that the “others” don’t want to be friends with us because we’re supposedly different, part of distinct groups. Or we use the negative connotations which develop for each group as an excuse to stay away from its members.
However, isn’t that shortsighted of us? If we know that everyone is more than just a category, why not go out of our way and get to know them for who they really are? For instance, I don’t understand when someone says “he’s not my type” and shoots that person down. Really, you have a “type”? And even if you do, how do you know that person doesn’t fit your “type” if you haven’t even given them a chance? Try getting to know a person first, and then make decisions about whether or not you like him or her.
In Mean Girls, the distinct groups don’t intermingle with each other until the very end, when high school abruptly becomes a safe environment for everyone. The groups’ barriers break down and all of a sudden the classmates look beyond the labels and everyone is friendly to each other. While that is also simplistic, it’s not a bad idea. Even if you group people, try to understand each person for who they really are, not just the name of their group.
Photo Sources:
http://listdose.com/top-10-reasons-good-deeds-always/
http://www.voiceoffreedomministries.org/groups/activity-groups