A lot of the time when we don’t like someone, our first instinct is to put them down. That’s fairly normal. But sometimes, we do this with people that we do like, or at least, don’t have anything against. Which is pretty ridiculous when you think about it.
Go spend a little time with your grandparents and listen to what they have to say about a local news anchor’s hair cut, or the probability that he or she is gay based on their appearance and demeanor. Not that all baby boomers are critical monsters, I’m just saying that overall, there are critical tendencies that have been influenced in later generations.
Mean Girls was the official last hurrah of the nineties era-high school survival movies. Created, directed and portrayed by the earliest class of millennials. We all know Mean Girls for the epic one liners and the blatant introduction to the modern day high school hierarchy. But what we miss, because we were too distracted by Kevin G ripping his shirt off in the middle of an empty auditorium, is the meaning behind Kady Harron’s inner monologue;
“Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn’t make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George’s life definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.”
Mean Girls was a lot of things. When we take a step back, it was really a comical approach that introduced a more accepting generation. It showed us that people tend to seperate themselves based on physical appearance and common interests but still embrace each other for our differences (High School Musical also did this but it wasn’t as funny).
What Kady points out that we tend to forget is; putting people down doesn’t make you any better than them. Whether you are a regulation hottie or sexually active band geek, we’re all fighting our own battles and being critical of other people, especially the ones you don’t know, does not make you any better than them… actually it makes you kinda worse.
So be proud to be a part of the generation that is open to change and embraces people for their differences and most importantly, “don’t let the haters stop you from doing your thang” – Kevin G.
HCXO