I had a really bad day in L.A. Now I know what it's like.

[MiniMandaRuth]

Today, I wore a very cute shirt. It's blue with big bold white letters:

Everybody loves a nerd.

Under it is the picture of the candy nerd. Which, I think that they're pretty yummy. I also think that nerdy guys a pretty cool, and I'm one of the biggest nerds you will ever, EVER meet.

So, I was just walking around today, heading to random classes. I started to notice that everyone (Or at least a lot of people) were staring at me. A few were whispering to each other. Since I am kind of controversial I am used to it, but I still felt a little uncomfortable (My best friend was home sick today, and she is usually the one who always backs me up)

So, I head to my second class (L.A) and I'm just sitting in my desk, writing down everything I'm supposed to do for the day. I noticed a few of the P.J.As (Popular Jack Asses) were whispering to each other, and they were getting a little louder, then they were laughing. I paid it no attention until one pointed at me. I sat up straight and shook my head.

Then, someone said something like this:

"Never wear that shirt again.

Me: Why?

Boy: Because no one likes you.

Me: And they like you... why?

Boy: It's stupid. It's gay.

Personally, my blood boils when anyone calls anything gay in a derogatory fashion.

Me: *Long pause* No comment.

Boy: What's with all this 'No Comment' crap? You think you're so cool and mature. You're such a show off. You think that you're all cool and you're gonna go to college and stuff. You're so dumb. You run into walls.

Me: I can write. I can play the saxophone. I can play piano. I can sing.

Boy: What does that mean? Just like that stupid shirt you wore last year.... what was that? *Looks around at others, and they nod and being to laugh.*

Me: Refresh my memory.

Boy: That stupid 'Kerry Me' shirt. What the heck is that supposed to mean? Are you so stupid that you can't spell 'Marry Me'? Or are you just a loser?

ME: *Shock*

Boy: So don't wear that shirt again, it makes you look stupid.

Me: *Shock* ...

Boy: You're a stupid nerd.

Me: *Shock* ... *Tears build in eyes*

Then, a lot of people laughed at me.

No one stood up for me. I couldn't say anything. I wanted to cry.

Then the teacher came in, and i just didn't want to say anything. I wanted to go into the bathroom and cry but I couldn't do that. I just couldn't do that.

I was wowed by the comment that my history teacher made about Bush and cronyism, but... this time, I just could think of anything.

After that happened, and we all left class, a few people came up to me and said how mean that was. The boy I like didn't laugh, but he didn't say anything, either.

That was a low moment. I like my homemade 'Kerry Me' shirt I wore last year, I just hate it when people can't even say anything nice.

A lot of people did like my shirt, though.

In choir, a girl started making fun of me, and my teacher sent her to processing with her little group because they were harassing me and making rude comments.

I really feel sorry for people that aren't graced with what I have. I have a reasonable amount of self confidence when it comes to being 'out-there' and a good deal of friends that will stick by me. I guess today I got a dose of what it feels like for them everyday.

I didn't mention it to my friends at the lunch table. I just kept to myself for the rest of the day.

i was going to wear my Zelda shirt tomorrow, I just don't want anymore trouble.

:-(

[SeanQuinn]

1. Aww...rough day, eh?

I've got a lot of those. The best part about them is that they end. That's the only good advice I could give.

LA = Language Arts, I'm assuming, that's the abbreviation I use too.

What grade are you in?

[MiniMandaRuth]

2. 8.

I'm in the 8'th grade. I'm in the most advanced L.A and Social Studies class.

Yeah, L.A= Language Arts.

[crikkett]

21. Aw man, Jr. High is the WORST...

I was wondering why your classmates were so rude to you, but Jr. High makes sense. (In my old high school, mean kids just snub you.) Don't worry about what that silly little boy has to say, or about his friends. It's so obvious that he's trying to impress them. The best revenge is to be happy and to like yourself.

Hang in there, it'll get better.
crikkett

[Matariki]

26. eight grade?

you must run rings around those morons! you are obviously smart and mature and obviously have a great sense of humor. you must scare the shit out of most of your classmates! stick with the nerds and the art and theater students and you'll be fine! don't let those idiots intimidate you, because believe me, when you're an adult you're going to be fabulous and their going to be ugly and miserable. it's true. it really is.

[distantearlywarning]

61. Junior High sucks worse than any other time in a person's life.

It's where you get the most bullying, the stupidest teachers, everything totally sucks. I promise that things will start to get better from here on out. It depends on what kind of high school you go to, but a lot of times all this stuff gets a lot better after 9th or 10th grade (people get more mature and less judgmental), and college is wonderful.

Junior high was so bad for me I thought I'd never make it. I was picked on all the time by jocky assholes and snotty girls. It was horrible - I spent two full years crying every day on the bus ride home because people were so mean.

By my senior year in high school, though, I was loving life. I had grown into myself and was fairly popular (but not in a bad way), and things were good. College was good too - lots of smart kids and a lot of the junior high idiots had fallen by the wayside (not smart enough, I imagine).

Hang in there. It will get better. I swear. *hugs*

[longship]

70. I'm a former HS teacher.

This is the way that ignorant people treat people. By lowering you, they think that they are raising themselves up. It's simple jealousy and a casual disregard for your feelings.

If you want to say something you might say something like, "I don't care what you think." Or, "What you think doesn't matter to me." Then, walk away with a wee bit of attitude, or just totally ignore them.

Understand clearly that you do not have to take this kind of treatment and that it is the teachers' responsibility to put an end to it. I would first try to ignore it, but if it shows signs of escalating you should nip it in the bud quickly. Please *do* talk to your parents about it. They need to know what's going on. You may also have to involve teachers. Do not be afraid of that. It's their job.

[knitter4democracy]

86. Another one here.

I even taught in an eighth grade classroom in college for a semester.

Okay, seventh and eighth grade are hell. It's that simple. Anyone with half a brain and any talent goes through terrible hazing. It sucks, and the school should be at least trying to fight against it.

You should've said something to the teacher after class or after school. She needs to know what's going on when she isn't in the room (it's her job), and she really needs to know whom to sit on.

I went through the same crap when I was in middle school and even high school. It does get better eventually, but it really sucks in the meantime. See if you can get with a couple more band nerds, as there is greater safety in numbers. Make sure to say something to your guidance counselor, too. The administration really needs to know what is going on so they can at least try to stop it.

Hang in there, and feel free to vent here all you want. Many of us have gone through that crap ourselves.

[longship]

95. Students should *not* be in room without teacher.

Period!!

At my former school, if a teacher is caught outside classroom with students inside, that's a *big* no-no. That is high school. In middle school it should be a double-big no-no.

[knitter4democracy]

96. I agree, but it happens sometimes.

In my second school, I was preggers, and my classroom was on the second floor as far from the office as you could get. There were times I had to take a phone call or get something from the office and made it back to the room just after the bell (huffing and puffing, let me tell ya).

At my first school, you could get in real trouble doing that, though, but it was a smaller building and easier to get around in. That makes a difference.

Either way, that teacher needs to know what happened. Period. Ultimately, she's liable.

[SeanQuinn]

74. From one eighth grader to another, no worries

Those jerks are just a little too self-absorbed to see out of their own bubble.

Don't worry, :hug:.

We're here for ya.

[oregonindy]

29. I think most of here had crappy junior high years.

keep the chin up and dont let them beat you down! Theres more nerds than pretty people by a long shot!

[notadmblnd]

3. just remember sweety.. misery loves company

these people have miserable little lives and the only thing they get any kind of sick pleasure from.... is making other people miserable. Tell them to kiss your ass and ignore them.

[MiniMandaRuth]

4. That's what I manage to most of the time,

just sometimes it's like when a bug hits your windshield. You stare in shock and when you figure out what to do, it's too late.

I guess, when things like that happen, I'll just remember the great comebacks I have done in the past.

[notadmblnd]

7. here's a good one when the use the term "gay"

... you know what's really gay?... you using the term gay to describe everything you don't like... Do you think there might be something to want to share with us?

[MiniMandaRuth]

10. I usually get on the soapbox, or roll my eyes.

Or, one time I said 'You know a better word? That's BLACK'

[don954]

5. Highschool? I hated highschool.

I was one of the nerds... Add to that I wasn’t xian in a rabid xian area... I wasn’t even a progressive yet too!

Just remember, the real world isn’t like high-school. I have never, ever been in a job, college, or anything that people acted like they did in high school. I think there is just something dysfunctional in HS that makes people nutz...

[MiniMandaRuth]

6. No. 8 grade middle school.

Sucks big time. People are nasty.

I dunno if your a boy or girl, but girls also go after me because of certain things.

I hate it.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

27. I KNOW you're cool

Because you're only in 8th grade and you hang out on DU.

Sorry you had a bad day, sorry people are so lame.

My daughter is in 8th grade, she has her own style too, and I ask her a lot about if kids are mean to each other for what they wear, etc. I think we live in a pretty progressive part of Calif. and there's a lot of acceptance for being different, but still I know some kids must get teased for not looking like everyone else.

The only real thing I can say is that it DOES get better, as you get older.

I wish more parents would teach their kids to be nice.

[don954]

30. male, we guys had our own problems in HS

Like the gay "jokes", physical abuse, penis envy, etc. I dont know how it was for the fairer sex... All I can say is study hard and keep your head down, it will be over soon enough. I took classes at the county college to get through it faster, that helped.

Just keep it in mind, the real world isn’t like this, college is going to be much better... :)

You might want to try getting a part time job too, I actually made all my friends in the workplace when I was in school, all those people who act like they do at school tend to act way differently in the real world.

[MiniMandaRuth]

46. I can't wait to go to collge.

Start my own little band... Go to Oxford...

That's where I want to go. Oxford. Like Tolkien and Clinton.

I get teary-eyed when i think about it.

[ohio_liberal]

13. High school sucks

Teenagers can be so fucking cruel.

I was a total outcast in high school. I was a cheerleader but didn't fit in with the Barbie dolls, didn't fit in with the "nerds", didn't fit in with the cool kids who partied every night. I had exactly two friends the day I graduated.

I got over it but it took a while, I don't deny it. I noticed one day about 5 years later that I walked looking down at the ground instead of looking people in the eye and that was the end of it. Fuck those people who I let bully me into feeling inferior.

[niallmac]

8. I'll stand up for you. Let me at em!

Rude and ignorant can't compete with you. Take a deep breath.
Remember that if you fashioned your life after what 'they' think you would be a loser just like them.
It's hard when the world is getting so dumb and individuality is singled out
as weird.
It's not you. It's the age.
I am sure the entire DU is with you.

[MiniMandaRuth]

16. I've just gotten to the point...

where I can see that all of them are going to be teenaged mothers/fathers working crappy jobs in trailer parks.

Well, while they're doing that, I'll be living in Canada with my husband and our dogs, me playing the sax and writing, and him busting big news about politics.

[don954]

40. know what’s really satisfying?

I ran a pretty large business in my hometown for a while, a few of the jerks who tormented me got to interview for positions I had open... Boy the looks on their faces when they realized who I was... It was petty of me, i know, but I screwed with them a bit.. :)

One day I hope you get such a satisfaction.

PS, 9 out of 10 of my tormentors also looked like shit after 7 years, aged like 2x the speed i did, and were living in trailers..! :)

[kestrel91316]

9. You must be in high school..................

don't worry. High school is like that. Everybody has to have their "in" groups, and they like to show the world how immature they are by making fun of others, and excluding people and in general behaving like jerks.

It will be over soon enough. And when you go off to college you will be amazed at how different life is. In college, people begin to behave like ADULTS.

You don't have to associate with people you think treat you badly. And you certainly shouldn't give a darn what small-minded people think of you. Just ignore them.

[MiniMandaRuth]

11. Nope. Middle schoo. 8'th grade.

Oi. High school 'll be cool, because I have three friends in high-school that are popular/on the football team/ stuff like that.

Plus, I'll be in band with all the cool kids!

[ohio_liberal]

20. You are a cool kid already

Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

:hug:

[MiniMandaRuth]

25. Hey, I was voted: Most likely to stick up for you,

and most likely to earn more that 100,000 in a year at the lunch table last year.

[ohio_liberal]

33. That's very cool

Remember this--In 10 years you aren't even going to know most of those people. Don't let them affect your life.

[kestrel91316]

71. Well, ignore the jerks. Enjoy your friendships. Be kind to children

and stray dogs. Set a good example for others with your behavior.

It's their loss and your gain.

(I was miserable in Jr HS and HS, too. It doesn't last.)

[SmokingJacket]

12. Well, if I was there, I'd have LOVED your shirt.

I happened to marry a nerd, and it was a great thing and is still a great thing.

You are right! They are wrong!

Stay strong!



PS: 8th grade was the low point. It only gets better from here.

[MiniMandaRuth]

63. A bunch of people loved my shirt.

But after first period... everything went downhill.

[Lindsay]

14. It takes courage to stand out in a crowd.

You showed courage, and it scared 'em, so they tried to bully and shame you.

But DU's got your back. :grouphug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. I am sorry. I went through that kind of stuff a lot too, and my

boyfriend never did stand up for me.

But the truth is it really is best to ignore people like that. Let 'em get right in your face and don't pay any attention to them. Ticks them off to no end and they generally wind up doing something so outrageous that they make a fool of themselves in front of the very people they wanted to impress. (Kinda like Rove et al.)

[MiniMandaRuth]

22. Kinda like Rove...

:rofl:

Dude. I'll remember that next time.

[GreenPartyVoter]

31. :^D

[patrice]

17. T/He/y didn't comment/react out of concern for you, i.e. to help you

correct the "error of your ways" so you can be happy. He said "You're a stupid nerd" and got the others to laugh in order to hurt you. Why did he want to hurt you? Because you are a threat to him/them. Why are they threatened? Because they are weak, co-dependent, and you are strong, independent. Be happy about your strength and bide your time until you are out of there. The World is soooooooooo much bigger than high school. And you are a child of the World.

[Arugula Latte]

18. Hoo boy. I feel for you.

That's a rough time of life, IMO. At the time, it seems to go on foreeeever. Then, one day, you're at college and life is grand and people are much cooler and the bigshots from middle school/high school are past their prime. At your age, one year is, 1/13th of your life. At my age, it's a much smaller percentage (1/40th, almost). As you get older you can look back at things and see it was just a moment in time.

[Arugula Latte]

88. MiniMandaRuth, here is a poem for you

This is one of my favorite poems because it applies to so many things, whether it be the Ozymandius Bush administration or these dipwads in 8th grade:

Ozymandius
by: Percy Bysshe Shelley

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear:
My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings,
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

[shance]

19. I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. It shows their insecurity

their fear, and need to be accepted.

I like the fact you are so comfortable and willing just to be yourself. That's a great trait to have.

Whats ironic is they are the insecure "nerds".

[troubleinwinter]

23. Why?

"Me: *Tears build in eyes*... I wanted to cry."

Look, if you are going to cry because asshole teen boys poke fun at your slogans, don't wear them. Wear them if you have the strength and conviction to bear up to the fools.

[MiniMandaRuth]

35. I do,

it just caught me off guard.

I didn't think that anyone would say anything like that. I was expecting it when I wore my Kerry Me shirt, and then my Zelda shirt. Nothing too bad came, nothing like this.

I was just humiliated, and I was just like 'WOAH' and didn't know what to say next.

[Matariki]

36. you obviously never had a gang of 20 to 30 people making fun of you

in that environment it feels awfully serious and can fuck up your day to day experience. don't be so insensitive.

[MiniMandaRuth]

62. It messes with your mind.

There are two middle schools in my district.

I know that someone over there got made fun of by an entire class, and then almost hung themselves off the bleachers. They didn't tell anyone. A teacher saved his life and now he's in rehab. Actually started abusing drugs after the time.

He was a very poetic person who won a writing contest in fifth grade. He liked to paint, too. Now he doesn't even talk to you when you talk to him.

[Mnemosyne]

24. I'm sorry.

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[htuttle]

28. Screw them! You should wear your Star Trek uniform tomorrow!

:D

[MiniMandaRuth]

39. Or maybe i should go in my Reble Pilot outfit.

The little helmets are so sexy. ;-)

[RandomKoolzip]

32. You're an eighth grade girl with a Dylan avatar?!

Where the heck were you when I was 13 years old and listening to "John Wesley Harding" everyday after school?!

Don't let these buttwads get you down; remember, living well is the best revenge. That's why goths are so ineffectual: they flaunt their UNhappiness.

[MiniMandaRuth]

37. Dude! That's like, almost all I listen too!

Dylan, Ladytron, the Caesars, Ray Charles, the Who, the Clash, and Greenday.

Dylan is my fefing IDOL! Him, and Tolkien.

[Demobrat]

34. 8th grade? Oh lord. Worst year of my life.

That's the age when the losers rule. Ignorance is hip. Learning is dumb. Smoking means you are too cool for school. Having sex means you are mature. Going to juvie makes you a man. Big dumb bullies rule the roost. Etc etc.

Of course five years later when you are off to college and they are fighting each other for night shift jobs at 7-11 you will have your revenge, but at your age five years is a lifeftime, I know.

Just hang in there. That college comment said it all. Deep down they know.

Meanwhile, I recommend Married With Children reruns, if you can find them.
That is if you care for a glimpse into the futures of your tormenters.

[oldlady]

38. Like they said...

but ALSO, you were right about something else--- you really can WRITE. That was a gripping post that put pictures straight into my head (middle school flashbacks, no thanks)-- but I want to be sure you hear this-- the WORLD is going to benefit from your talents-- and the hometown will seem a tiny little pond from there.
peace & please...wear Zelda tomorrow (she's special to me because I once watched several nerds I love dearly play non-stop through a long winter school break & it now comes out for the first snow of every year)

[MiniMandaRuth]

41. I had a massive spaz attack when I found the shirt.

i also have a Star Wars shirt. It's like, so awesome.

Now that I think about it... maybe just to spite them?

[troubleinwinter]

52. You are 'beyond your years' in certain ways

I haven't heard "spaz attack" in 30 years.

You type very well, or fast, I guess. My daughter used to talk as "It's like...", but never typed it into written conversations.

Welcome to DU.

[Sequoia]

42. So, you're in the 8th grade. No wonder those kids are mean.

And clueless, not to understand the Kerry Me. At least you didn't cry, that would've given them more amunition. Just toss your head and laugh next time if you can and say with a huff, "Whatever".

[Bunny]

43. I'm sorry you went through that today.

Here's a :hug: for you.

You are already WAY more cool and mature than any of those little pukes. Hold your head up - those clowns can't take you down.

[Crowdance]

44. MMR, you are a wonderful writer!

Your post is poetic. I'd like to see you capture your feelings in words, maybe start a blog to share them with the world. Reading your post gives me hope for the future! I hope you can have hope for your own future. The world will welcome you as the talented young person you are. Hold that in your heart when you need to remind yourself of your wonderfulness.

[MiniMandaRuth]

60. I want to write one day.

My current books are:

How to talk to a Conservative Idiot (Or at least ignore them)

and

What is the Emotional Working of the Mind: A study into the workings of the psychological mind by an eighth grader.

It's very cool.

[shrike]

89. ain't that the truth

Can't believe you're in 8th grade.

My dear, your scene: I know it well. If anyone tells you, "these are the best years of your life," remember this: they're either senile, crazy or a jerk who used to pick on people like you.

Life will get better. Us nerds are always the ones who go on to bigger and better things. Keep on truckin'.

[Selatius]

45. Don't sweat it

When you get to college, nobody gives a shit who you are or what you wear. You are equally worthless in the eyes of the administrators as anyone else. It's not all doom and gloom though. Reinvent yourself, and make connections. It's what I did. It'll help in the long-run. In college, those stupid cliques go away because people are too worried about other things to bother with something so petty.

As far as those jocks go, let them say whatever they want. Eventually, they will step on the wrong toes, and they will get their asses whipped good.

[Extend a Hand]

47. encouragement from a 43 year old nerd.

I think you handled him with great aplomb. Just from your post, I can tell that you do write well (and not just for an 8th grader either).
And do you know something else, nerds do make great husbands. ;)

[Stephanie]

48. All the cool people were nerds in high school.

You'll find out when you get to New York, where you'll be very busy, because: you can write, you can play the saxophone, you can play piano, you can sing. Just like the rest of us nerds! Well okay, I can't play the saxophone. Or the piano. :)

[Terran]

49. Ignore all of them.

You're cool and you know it. Be yourself. I wish I'd had that much style when I was in 8th grade!

[reprehensor]

50. YOU WILL SURVIVE!

There is life after skool.

Chin up.

Keep up the Academics and you will meet the PJAs again as they serve up your McCrappy Meal, or Bus your table, or greet you as you enter S-Mart.

[reprehensor]

51. Unless of course...

They know well-connected New England richie rich people like George Walker Bush did.

Then they might be President the next time you see them. You never know.

;)

[MiniMandaRuth]

65. OH GOD DON'T SAY THAT.

'Scuse me while I go curl up in a corner and shake.

That... that... that isn't even funny.

^^

[reprehensor]

73. Well...

At least take solace in the fact that life does get better once you start hanging around people who aren't mental midgets/emotionally stunted/congenitally socially retarded.

You might be suprised at the handful of relationships that tag along with you as you truck on through life. (In terms of how few, that is...)

Life for me really didn't kick into gear until college.

Maybe that's not what you wanted to hear! I think my wife would say about the same thing. (fudge stripe cookays)

Hang in there!

[BeHereNow]

53. Are you in Los Angeles MMR?

When you say LA, do you mean Los Angeles?
If so, you should check out auditioning
for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
in February this year. They have a fabulous music
department and the kids who go there are all
really artistic and hate Bush.
They would APPRECIATE your home made tee-shirts.
My kid had the same problems in her middle school-
She was really creative and an individual who didn't
care about fitting in with the "in crowd."
She went to the arts school in ninth grade and
LOVED the kids there.
The history teacher there is also a liberal and brilliant
award winning teacher.
Check it out and feel free to PM me about it.
The kids at your school sound really shallow.
You deserve much better.
BHN

[MiniMandaRuth]

58. Oh no. At my school, LA is a popular abbrevation for Language Arts.

We always mix it up at home.

It goes like this:

Mom: How was your day?

Me: L.A was cool.

Mom: Los Angeles? *Is confuzzled*

[BeHereNow]

66. Too bad you are not in LA...

As in Los Angeles- you would love the
arts high school here, all except the Visual Arts
department which has gone to hell since
the department founder retired three years ago.
I would not recomment that disaster to any kid now.
It was great for years and then the County hired
a complete idiot to run it and run it into the ground
she has...
Ignorance and arrogance do not a good leader
make as we know from the people who have run
the country into the ground.
Keep writing and be sure to enter the
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards this year!
http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards/about.htm
You can enter the writing and the music competitions.
As many as you want actually!
Be sure to share your writing entry with your DU fans!
BHN

[zanne]

54. Oh, Honey....

I know. I've been in your shoes, even though it was a long time ago. Stick with your good friends. It's better to have a few good friends at your age than lots of "popular" friends. You already know what's real. Enjoy what you have and appreciate your real friends. Best of luck, sweetie.

[ismnotwasm]

55. You sound pretty cool to me

In 8th grade, what I thought was amusing, (partly because I was one of the invisible ones)--was lighting fires in the bathroom. I remember this kid who was most likely a gay child,-- this was in the 70's. He was very effeminate in appearance and dress and someone found out he wore girls underwear. I remember kids chasing him and tormenting him, trying to pull down his pants until he was in hysterical, tormented tears. I didn't join in (probably too busy lighting fires) But to my shame (to this day) I didn't speak up either. I'm in my 40's now, and the memory of me not speaking up haunts me. Big black guy-security officer did. He was Pissed, I remember him yelling at those kids it wasn't any of their goddam business what so and so wanted to wear. I have forgotten so much about eighth grade, since my life has taken so many twists and turns. But that scene of that boy and that security officer is burned in my memory.
And I love your shirt.

[mshasta]

56. try this one..kid

[XanaDUer]

57. 20 years from now

many of those "laughers" will be stuck in a dead-end, mind-numbingly-boring jobs, married to some slob with screaming kids who blow snot all over them in the Wally Mart. They will live in cookie-cutter track houses that are so close together they can put their arm out the window and touch the house next door.

You, however, are a free spirit and will have an exciting, envious life!

I know it is hard, but be gentle on them. :)

[MiniMandaRuth]

59. I take solace in the fact that

they'll be drinkin' their barley pops, while I'll be sippin' martinis. They'll be watching NASCAR in the blistering sun, or at home in their trailers, while I'll be listening to a live preforamce of some way-cool band in some nice restaurant.

Ah... to dream, to dream.

[geoshelby]

64. This Too Will Pass

I read your post and it brought back all of the horrible memories from my own Middle/High School years. I was labeled a nerd early on primarily because I wore glasses. I was so embarrassed I would take them off to stumble blindly from class to class just to keep the jeers to the minimum. I moved to a new High School my sophomore year, started playing football, making friends, did a play and life started to get better.

I went to college, joined the Peace Corps and went to Papua New Guinea.

I came home from the Peace Corps and ran into a guy at a party who had been one of the most popular kids in school and a real jerk. Well he was still acting the same way he had in school. He came up to me and asked in front of lots of people and very loudly, "what's up super nerd?". It was like a gift, I said "well I just got back from living on an island in the South Pacific teaching english and working on my tan, how about you?". He was a bit slow to respond but proceeded to tell me about his "kick-ass" job driving a beer truck. He loved it because he got a discount on beer which he really loved. I had to laugh as I left the party with a girl I had just met and walked by him passed out on a couch. I found out later he had two kids (not that that is bad), a wife he didn't like and had lost a finger in a chainsaw accident.

This point of your life is very short in the grand scheme so don't lose faith that life will get better! As you get older you will see that the people who were the most popular in H.S. never really move past that point in their lives.

[MiniMandaRuth]

67. I may of been a little depressed when I came home...

But now I'm back to laughing at them.

Probably end up married to their cousins.

HAH!

[newyawker99]

81. Hi geoshelby!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Marr]

68. I'm going to tell you something.

These are THE WORST years of your life. If you're the sort of person I think you are (judging from your tastes and creativity), your life is going to get about 50% better next year in High School. It'll be about 1000% better in college, and better still after you've graduated.

Your small-minded critics are living the best days of their lives right now. It's all downhill after high school graduation for guys like that. I really enjoyed seeing my own school's popular assholes stuck in there little personal hells at my 10 year high school reunion.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

69. Nerds tend to be kind and gentle and not make you want to cry.

Hold your head high. You are going to college, and the best people play musical instruments, especially sax.

[0rganism]

72. You played this one wrong, but don't dwell on it.

Advice from a fellow nerd here, you have to chalk this one up to experience. Learn from it, or it's time wasted, on top of everything else.

First off, NEVER respond to an insult by touting your accomplishments. It just doesn't work. Either ignore completely or fight back, don't defend your record. This isn't really about you, it's about a social parasite boosting his ego at your expense. He scores bonus points if you get emotional. That said,

Sherman, set the wayback machine for "alternate reality":

Boy: "Never wear that shirt again.

AlternateRealityMe: Sure, whatever. (total dismissal) OR Why do you care so much? (bait)

Boy: Because no one likes you.

ARM: Practicing your "queer eye" again? I'm sure your fashion advice will instantly boost my popularity. (sarcasm, work it!)

Boy: It's stupid. It's gay.

ARM: I wore it to be just like you. (Note: it's fine to slam this dickweed with the "gay" thing, he already thinks it's an insult, no damage done, and you get to play off his latent homophobia)

Boy: You think you're so cool and mature. You're such a show off. You think that you're all cool and you're gonna go to college and stuff. You're so dumb. You run into walls.

ARM: :shrug: whatever. Let me know when you accomplish anything.

Boy: Just like that stupid shirt you wore last year.... what was that? *Looks around at others, and they nod and being to laugh.*

ARM: Wow, you remember what I wore last year? Did you want to join my fan club? Maybe I wiped my ass with your application, fashion freak, I just can't remember.

and so on. Really, don't even let the back & forth get this far before switching to ignore. Start a conversation with someone else, if he keeps calling you out. That way, if Boy persists or escalates, you have witnesses. Seek any alternative to dignifying Boy with an honest response, let alone an emotional one.

It's generally useless to get into these back & forths, if you have nothing to gain anyway.

[troubleinwinter]

75. Excellent, Organism! Also, MandaRuth...

Perhaps you could ask your teacher of "the most advanced Language Arts" class to spend an hour or so after school with you one day, to help you with some of your phraseology. It looks almost like someone pretending to be a teen and to doubt your story, such as:

"massive spaz attack"
"I was just like 'WOAH'"
"It's like, so awesome"
"Dude"

I know many people of that age, and they do not write that way, even if they are not in "the most advanced" class. I am sure you will appreciate some tutoring from your teacher to help lose these phrases in your writings.

The phrase "spaz attack" is something you might want to research. It is probably a 'slang' phrase you will choose to stop using. For your information:

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is the term for a group of inherited neurological disorders. There are at least 20 different forms of HSP. The disorder may begin at any age, from infancy through late adulthood. It is estimated to affect about 3 people per 100,000 worldwide, although since it is often misdiagnosed it is hard to accurately estimate its prevalence.

Symptoms

Hereditary spastic paraplegia causes progressive weakness (paraplegia) and increased muscle tone and stiffness (spasticity) of leg muscles.

Common symptoms are:

difficulty walking (may trip and stumble frequently)
difficulty with balance
urinary frequency and urgency
muscle spasms
There is a great deal of variation in severity of symptoms from person to person, even for people in the same family.

Generally, although people with HSP have difficulty walking, they do not completely lose the ability to walk.

[MiniMandaRuth]

77. Pardon me.

I just happen to put what I say into my writing.

I can see that you're trying to help me, but you're not doing a very good job.

Sadly, I happened to stumble into using the word 'spaz' after one of my parents said it. I guess it slipped into my everyday conversation.

Do you have a better term for 'the most advanced class'?

Sorry if my post(s) didn't live up to your expectations. I'll be sure to remember that when I post again.

And, I think that I type/write very well for an eighth grader, and several people here seem to think that as well. Also, many here have seen me in person, and they would quite happily tell you that I am still a teenager. My mother is also on this site, and she would gladly verify my age.

[kalibex]

97. Wow...picky, much?

You one of those former junior high bullies who never outgrew it...?

[Im with Rosey]

76. Maybe something that would help

it sounds like you have had encounters with these jerks before, you will probably have more. Spend a little time thinking of what might be said and how you can have a snappy comeback. If you are prepared, you can outsmart them. Sometimes the best thing is one well thought out response and turn and walk away, while wearing you're very cool Zelda shirt, of course! When my daughter, 17 now, was about your age, very similar I think, one day a kid she had known since kindergarten told her that she truly admired her strength and courage not to be intimidated by those atround her. She has a great deal of respect for herself at this point in her life, most people consider her one of the most together people they know and the person that will get the best of any situation that confronts her. It takes courage to stand up for yourself, right now as a senior, she is considering whether to go to Princeton, Harvard, UPenn, Northwestern, or Stanford. Stay strong and know you have the upper hand!

[cynatnite]

78. You're original

That's what you are. The rest of those jerks wouldn't know originality if it kicked them in the face. They're more about popularity and wearing the right clothes. They're more about cars and partying. They're more about being alike.

Don't be afraid of being original. It's a gift that few people can do well. They don't get you and probably never will.

Don't let them define you.

[Avalon Sparks]

79. What Zelda shirt?

The Nintendo Zelda????

Man I LOVE that game. Can't wait for the release of the newest one in November!!!

Try not to feel too bad, once you hit 30 you won't give a crap what people think about you!

[readmoreoften]

80. Junior high sucks so hardcore. But I swear...

All the people I was afraid of in high school (yes, even the 'popular jocks') are now saggy strip club patrons with kids they didn't want and wives married for looks (looks that have long faded.)

Meanwhile, I'm doing pretty all right. My life is fairly exciting and I've seen many of my dreams come true.

I was visiting my hometown about 10 years back and I ran into a popular guy I was once afraid of. He lit up when he saw me and shook my hand. He had totally forgotten that he never liked me! He said, "You always were smart! You always were goin' places!"

He'd just gotten out of jail.

Keep your chin up. Time will tell. It only gets better.

[raccoon]

82. Man, high school suchs. I hated it. Glad you have friends that

will stick by you.

[Kaylee]

83. I really hated jr. high too...Got teased by the school bully too.

8th grade is pretty much everyone's awkward years. But in H.S. you tend to find yourself and your clique.

For me, I went from the teased 8th grader, to the HS captain of the Pom Pon squad.

And now in our mid-thirties, I have heard that our school bully went on to a wonderful "career" in the criminal justice system while the rest of us have done quite well for ourselves.

[slackmaster]

84. I wear shirts that say "Got ammo?" and "Peace through superior firepower"

I'm a long-haired techie and never have any problems with people making fun of me.

[Loonman]

85. Welcome to the world

By the way, it doesn't get any easier. You just get used to it.

[jane_pippin]

87. Aw, I'm sorry that happened to you...

I went through the same kind of stuff in Jr. high too--made fun of for t-shirts, called "feminazi" pretty much daily by some kid in homeroom, all that crap.

I know it's hard but try to remember that in a few years you'll never have to see these people again, so in the meantime just be yourself and don't be afraid to stand up for yourself either. They make fun of you for reading, you tell them that one day you hope they too will know the joy of words with more than one syllable.

Don't let these folks tell you who you can and can't be. The hell with them. (I know, easier said than done, but in the end it's worth it). Someday you won't even remember their names because you'll be so busy being the smart, fun, creative person you are. Stay smart and stay safe.

[dusty64]

90. I wouldn't

repeat my high school years if ya paid me lots of $$$$. The immaturity and silly cliques were unbelievable. Believe me its a whole new world when you get outta there.

[1932]

91. You should make tshirts on cafepress.

People wouldn't be able to tell whether they were home made or if they were made by some big company. They'd be your designs and they'd look super professional and it would confuse the hell out of people.

Then you should sell the designs to DU'ers and millions of other people and you'd be way more interesting than any of those dullards who laughed at you.

[seabeyond]

92. you, beautiful you...... have so many posts on this thread of yours

you ..... are awesome. just awesome. and sweeet. that is you.

that is pretty good. you

those others, they are the nastiness, that was them.

like everyone says, it is so hard now, for so many kids. i have all ages in elementary and jr high... and each feel they dont belong. there is an oddity to them. my oldest, glasses, small frame, he is so bold and brave. he would have stood up for you. i would hope, i think. he generally does. but he is the one that gets the same attitude from those that chose to honor stupid. we changed three schools in a year. went from religious and judging, to the fearful child honoring stupid, to a school where smart, progressive is embraced, desired, expected. he finally feels more at home

i tell him, ..... ah, but your adult years, they are going to be grand. he is already beyond so many of the other kids and the crap the other kids are going to have to learn as they age, or will suffer the repercussions

niceness, it is out there. we actively promote it. doing this, i see so many nice people in my day, dancing in nice. (not 12 and 13 yr olds though, many reject nice). in the grocery store, where ever. we smile, we say hi

oh oh, last night walking down our street a real goth girl, all in black swaying. she must be jr high. i have seen her walk this street. old husband and i standing on porch. she looks up, meets eyes, and waves tons of confidence. with a huge smile i yell out "hi" about the same time. told husband, this girl, is cool.

anyway, thank you for sharing your day. and i liked kerry me

[Beetwasher]

93. Oh Darlin', You Are SOOOO Way Cooler Than ANY of Those Losers

Fer cryin' out loud, you're in 8th grade and you've got a Bod Dylan avatar!

You get Beetwasher's seal of absolute, stone cold coolness. You are stratospherically cool, honey. Seriously, and I know cool.

[eggman67]

94. Ask yourself this

Are these people I really want to be liked by?

The answer will be no, and the insults become compliments.

It will get better, I promise you. I got the shit kicked out of me on a regular basis by the corner boys with their 40's and the girls would have nothing to do with me. Guess what they're still on the same corner and the girls are sitting around waiting for them to come home. I on the other hand have moved on, have a successful career, many like minded friends and a loving wife working on her PhD.

You're stuck where you are for now, but remember that life's journey is a long one and don't let things like this hold you back.