Vexatious Vicissitude (Annoying Change)

From Stereotype Out, a group on Figment.com


Often seen though the eyes of those in the process of "stereotyping out" is a change of behavior from associates. In select cases said company will welcome the change, however for the majority of us we face pure annoyance at the adjustment. People don't like change. It's a simple fact. Sure, people always like changing styles, fasions, and celebrities, but if you notice - the 'new' fad resembles the old one a lot. Radical change, they call it? I don't think so.

So people don't like change. We who are trying to get out of our stereotypes stand out, and the people who get the most attention tend not to like us treading on 'their' territory. So they tease us, they bully us, until we stop changing into what fits into their plans. Then some of us stand up and keep changing. Others of us fall into the attention seeker's plans and are forced to change back into what they were before or something less. In any case, we're changing.

So here's the cycle:

Change --> Teasing/Bullying --> Change --> Teasing/Bullying --> Change --> Teasing/Bullying --> Graduation --> New stereotype --> Change --> Teasing/Bullying --> ...You get the point.

Yeah, that's how it usually works. Some people are very lucky and stop at one of those stages before it starts again. Are we stuck in this cycle? Is there anyway out of it?

It's a good thing for us, because there is a way out. And no, it's not transfering. Now, I'm not some sort of text book writer person, so I'll illistrate it this way:

You are Soumynona (But we'll call you Taffy for short). The attention seekers are called Shidlihc (But we'll call them Furphies). So! Taffy is called a "nerd" by the Furphies. Furphies are the most popular and richest kids in school. So Taffy wants to change. Taffy wants to be a "cool kid". So Taffy starts wearing really fasionable clothes and acts out in class to get some laughs. Furphies don't like it. The Furphies tease and bully Taffy until Taffy is a wet mess of tears and tissues. So Taffy either does Option 1 or Option 2.

Option 1: Taffy goes back to being a nerd. Taffy is in the same place Taffy was in the beginning. No change there, and the Furphies are where they were originally, except they're a little bit unnerved because someone actually tried to do something.

Option 2: Taffy ignores the Furphies and, since the Furphies (cool kids) won't accept Taffy, Taffy forms a new group of cool kids. People start ignoring the Furphies and start paying attention to Taffy. Taffy is now the popular kid.

Okay, let's look at this. What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong: Taffy went from wanting to be one stereotype to wanting to be another stereotype. "Nerd" to "Cool Kid". Both stereotypes. Both labels. Sure, we all feel that it would be nice to be the cool kid. But the cold, hard, truth is that "cool kid" is a stereotype. Sure, it's okay to be cool and liked by a lot of people. But it's really, really, really easy to let it get to our heads. And it's a stereotype! Most of the time, people are expecting you to be a certain person. Like I said, a stereotype. So where can you show your less-accepted qualities?

We shouldn't aim for being a stereotype! We're 'stereotyped out'! So what if we have nerdy qualities. That doesn't describe us. We are so much more than that. Don't let our stereotypes become ourselves, because we don't need to be limited like that. Because we're "stereotyped out".


B.C.