(A post from Kate Fridkis, of Un-schooled and Eat the Damn Cake)
The people in the executive suites believed that the school existed to fulfill some socially productive process of information transmission– usually involving science projects on poster boards. But in reality, of course, high school is a machine for social sorting. The purpose of high school is to give young people a sense of where they fit into the social structure.
-David Brooks’ “The Social Animal.”
A machine for social sorting.
The image is striking. Let’s say for a moment that it’s true. It made me wonder, unsurprisingly, which chute would I have been funneled into if I had gone to school. Into which box would I eventually have been deposited?
-David Brooks’ “The Social Animal.”
A machine for social sorting.
The image is striking. Let’s say for a moment that it’s true. It made me wonder, unsurprisingly, which chute would I have been funneled into if I had gone to school. Into which box would I eventually have been deposited?
Am I the artsy one?
Am I the put-together one?
Brooks describes how many distinct personalities people tend to have. People aren’t static, we’re fluid. We adapt instantaneously to different environments. People who can modulate more fluently are more popular. Sometimes I notice myself being awkward in situations I thought I’d mastered, or confident in situations I thought would leave me quivering and babbling. I interviewed an ex CIA operative a few weeks ago and was shockingly funny. I talked with a woman I’ve known for years and sounded like I’d just learned how to speak on Tuesday. The woman I’d known for years has seen me be incredibly awkward before. Maybe I still feel like a kid around her. All the CIA operative knew about me was that I work for AOL and have the ability (y’know, through my editor, of course) to get her a lot of publicity.
Am I the mischievous one?
