Editor’s note: Del Norte Students appears every four weeks.
The overall experience of being in high school is hard to describe.
To the outside world, high school life might seem like repetition: wake up, get ready, go to school, go to practice, go home, do homework, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all again the next day.
I’m sorry, but this is far from an accurate itinerary. Our lives are not the equivalent to the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle, (lather, rinse, repeat). High school in general is far too diverse to be explained in a single definition; no one has identical fingerprints, so why would we have identical lives?
Of course, there is always some sort of common ground that we can all relate to. Unfortunately, sometimes that common ground includes little annoyances being whispered in the halls, posted on Facebook, or even scratched onto the bathroom walls.
Rumors. No matter what school you attend, who you hang out with or what classes you signed up for, these irritating accusations will always be present.
Teenagers have mastered the art of embellishing rumors by twisting, fabricating and manipulating gossip into tall tales that not even Mark Twain could compete with.
Teens also have a talent for observation. Let me use an example to illustrate: A kid might notice a girl packing on a few pounds and that’s where the telephone game begins. By the end of the day that poor girl is pregnant with twins! While the fabrication progresses throughout the day, the girl starts to notice her friends walking in the other direction, people in the hallways shooting her judgmental looks and, finally, the feeling of isolation sets in.
The only reassurance she has for herself is knowing that next week another one of her peers will be on the chopping block and her rumor will soon be forgotten.
Even though these rumors may provide us with some sort of entertainment, we never account for the main character’s wellbeing. All of us kids waiting for the final bell of our high school career to sound off and to finally have the diploma in our grip need to realize that gladiator battles are now frowned upon in our society.
If we all agree having people battle lions and gladiators in an arena is barbaric, then why do we continue to exploit each other every day? Teenagers all try to construct arguments on why they should be considered adults, but in my opinion, how are those arguments plausible when teens choose to buy the popcorn, sit back, relax and enjoy the show?
Realistically, after all that is said and done, apologies are never exchanged, everything is just swept under the rug. The majority of teens engage in the weekly gossip, even myself, but we never know the toll a rumor can take until you’re the one being talked about.
I guess that’s how we learn to practice what we preach.
Emma Card is a Del Norte High junior, a Leadership Class student and a varsity volleyball and basketball player.
