Am I the only one who notices that DU is just like High School?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

There are
-The popular kids: the snooty i'm smarter than you and you're not worth my time rude people
-The smart kids: who think they know more than everyone else about any subject EVER
-The nice people who are nice to Everyone no matter what.
-Those that are just there, who take no sides and who don't rock the boat ever.
-The ones who like to rock the boat, piss everyone off and challenge everyone to stand up for what they believe in
-The boneheads who do stupid things that we all laugh at
-The annoying ones: those that make everyone nuts, who defend stupid shit, and piss everyone off.
-The invisible ones: the ones that no one pays any attention to because everyone is so wrapped up in their own shit that they can't take a second and say hi to.

Anyone else notice this? Some of it pisses me off because we are all here for a common goal, but there are those that decide they are too important to reply to answers to their threads, even when they tell EVERYONE to reply. UGH.
Duckie

[GOPisEvil]

1. It's been like that to varying degrees for a long time.

[Fenris]

2. David's right

I've been on here in varying capacities since 2001 and this place might have gotten bigger, but it hasn't changed with regards to atmosphere.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

3. Shop class?

I remember how hard shop class was...

[SheBop]

4. No, you are not the only one.

It's very troubling, but perhaps it's just human nature.

I guess that just as long as we all get out the vote for Kerry/Edwards, it's fine, however, I really would rather not have cliques on a political website!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

5. Welcome to DU, Shebop!

Duckie

[SheBop]

12. Thanks. Happy to be here!

[Donkeyboy75]

49. I'd welcome you, too, SheBop, but you're not in my clique.

[JaySherman]

6. It's called human nature.

Social hierarchy and all that. Whereever large groups of people gather you're always going to have your in-crowd, your out-crowd, and everyone in between. I find DU to be somewhat less cliqueish on the whole than some other groups I've hung out with (both on and offline).

[Malikshah]

48. All online boards are like high school

Much like the reality shows on TV....or US politics....
popularity, simplistic arguments, emotional outbursts, etc.

Cliqueish is as cliqueish does.

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Yes it is and that is a very astute observation.

But I have found that the workplace is the same damn way.

[name not needed]

8. Bonehead over here

[TrogL]

9. There are new opportunties

not available in high school.

Different niches, different ways of interacting.

[ProudGerman]

10. Life is just like High School

Most people, on the left and right, don't mature past the age of 15/16. It's just an observation I've made. Its more pronounced in some professions than others (since work basically replaces school). Construction isn't really like this, unless you are on really huge jobs for long periods of time. Office jobs always bring back the notsosweet memories of highschool, gossiping, backstabbing, infighting, and general apathy for anything other than ones self.

[Amaya]

11. Yep... and just like high school I'm a geek

Oh well

[jus_the_facts]

13. Cliques.....the bane o'civilization.....

.....and us EVIL'DU'ers too!

[Nevernose]

14. Hi, YellowRubberDuckie!

Or am I an annoying one or an invisible one? Can I be invisible AND be annoying? Can I be a bonehead, a rock-the-boater, invisible and annoying? Is that in the high school rulebook?

Oh, well. At least I ain't getting the shit kicked out of me after gym class!

[MuseRider]

19. LOL

[YellowRubberDuckie]

22. You're not invisible.

I'm not one of the rude people who ignore people. If you talk to me, I talk back. I love people.
Duckie

[jukes]

15. human nature

most jobs are like high school, also.

i'm clearly *not* in w/the in crowd, but i preferred it that way in HS, too.

i like to shake things up, but arbitrarily, and, i believe judiciously.
never much cared if people like me or not, just need to live w/in my own moral code.

those who need to exclude are boors.

i've always liked your stuff, though, duckie.

[VelmaD]

16. I think if you asked any 2 DUers...

who went in each of those categories you would get different answers. With a board with this many members I think there are very few that everyone knows who they are. That's one of the nice things about DU.

What I do think happens is that people with similar interests or tastes or sense of humor tend to drift toward one another. I think I talk more to the people I've met in person or talked to on the phone as well. But I'm also constantly meting and becoming friends with new DUers.

I think most people on the board are pretty open to new people. You just have to be brave and jump in.

Oh, and with 40some thousand members you will NEVER get EVERYONE to reply to a thread.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

24. Not saying everyone...

But if you put up a thread telling everyone to reply and you'll have to do this or that, then reply to EVERYONE, don't be rude and leave people out.
Duckie

[RandomKoolzip]

17. Must be the reason why Free Republic is more like a sandbox....

All that home-schooling.

[MuseRider]

18. Just human

beings being human beings. I am usually an invisible one but I have found over the last few years that I have made some very good internet friends here so it doesn't bother me like it did at first. I kind of like all these different groups, it certainly makes it interesting. It is really fun to predict who is going to jump all over someone else and watch the clusterfuck that happens. I actually learn a lot by just watching. It is just life for us mortals.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

20. I don't think I fit into any of those

[YellowRubberDuckie]

25. You don't really piss people off, Maggie...

I guess I left out the nice people who are nice to everyone.
Duckie

[Blue-Jay]

21. Can I still be a dork

whos fades into the woodwork? It's my lot in life.

[Hoping4Change]

23. You forgot a catagory. People who place others in catagories

but not themselves. Does that ring a bell? I think DUers are great even if I sometimes want to poke someone in the eye. It's all good. DU ROCKS.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

26. I'm one of the people that likes to piss people off...

and I'm nice to people who aren't rude and stupid.
Duckie

[Hoping4Change]

27. Does that mean you like to piss off nice people:)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

28. No, not really.

See, I'd never piss off Maggie or MrsGrumpy, etc.
Duckie

[Hoping4Change]

32. So then maybe the problem isn't with DU. You simply may have

been very successful in your mission and have indeed pissed people off

[jdonaldball]

30. I put you in the category of

people who place people who place others in categories, in a category, um, and this is your category.

[Hoping4Change]

34. Excuse me jdonaldball

but I resemble that comment

[medeak]

29. oh no!

I'm a newbie...tell me it isn't so! Love love love it here!

Who really cared about what people thought in high school anyway?

always thought libs were anti sosh.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

31. Welcome to DU!

But it's true...There are cliques all over the place here.
And don't go GD2004 if you don't want to see antisosh behavior.
Duckie

[Hoping4Change]

35. And we love that you're here medeak!

Welcome to DU. Welcome to the good, the bad, and the ugly!

[flamingyouth]

33. I think life is kind of like high school

Just on a larger, more frightening scale. I feel much safer here at DU. No one can see me break out in an uncomfortable sweat, and I don't have to give speeches. Yes, I'm much happier here, thank you.

[JVS]

36. Don't forget the anti-pop bullies

[Feanorcurufinwe]

40. anti-pop bullies?

what does that mean?

[JVS]

41. Those who insist that the beverage known as pop be called soda

they know who they are.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

42. Yeah, it's soda.

And you're going to hell.
Duckie

[kitkatrose]

72. No!

It's all COKE!!!!!!!!

[Guy Fawkes]

37. Kinda, but people don't do enough of this:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

38. I have to agree.

[DS1]

39. If this were just like High School, I would've defaced the home page

already. That isn't a threat, it's just what I would have to do in order to relive high school.

[jus_the_facts]

43. ....and given everyone in the meetin' room...

...A FRIST TWIRL!

[DS1]

44. hehehehe

if not their cats, then their unzipped bookbags q

[jus_the_facts]

46. LMAO....

.....you're bbbbbBAD to the BONE...BUD!

....btw..would you pet 'im and squeeze him...and stroke that tumor backwards!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

45. I wasn't popular in high school, why should it be any different here?

[jdonaldball]

47. EW! You sound like such a dork!

[Cannikin]

50. you're not the boss of me.

[elperromagico]

51. Wait. I fit into at least four of those categories,

and none of them are good!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

53. Shouldn't that tell you something?

[elperromagico]

54. Yes.

I figured out that one a few weeks back. Hit me right smack dab in the head.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

59. Please say it left a mark

[elperromagico]

60. I love you too, Duckie.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

61. OK. Now I need a shower.

[elperromagico]

62. Have fun.

Nice talking with you.

[Khephra]

52. If DU is like HS

Then I'd be hated by most of the posters. I sure hope that isn't the case.

[Susang]

63. If DU were really like high school

Then I'd only weigh 96lbs, even though I ate junk food like a maniac and tried desperately to lose weight.

Damn, maybe I really do want DU to be like high school!

[SoCalDem]

55. I don't think we ever "leave" high school.

We cart it around our whole lives.. We get new "classes" and "new classmates", but we always stay who we are/were..

I have found that DU is 99.9999% great people..friendly people..smart people..etc..

The obvious freeps and trolls make up the difference

[Susang]

56. Everything in life looks just like highschool

Especially if you try to pigeonhole people and situations into neat, easily definable categories. The thing is, life was more complex than that in school and its more complex than that here (and everywhere else).

Your homework assignment is to rent "The Breakfast Club" and pay special attention to Anthony Michael Hall's essay at the end.

[Solly Mack]

57. You're not the only one to notice

I have a rubber duckie collection, btw..just thought I'd share

[RebelYell]

58. I take pride in always being the misfit

nt

[TOhioLiberal]

64. I guess I'm....

invisible. Most of my posts sink with 10 or fewer responses.

If I left, would anyone say 'gee I wonder where trekkerlass is...'?

<theatrical sobbing>

LOL!

[ScreamingMeemie]

65. Yes, and I am late for class every morning...therefore I never have the

answers for anyone.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

66. I don't think it's much like High School.

Mind you, I was emotionally distant then, and I'm emotionally distant now, so who the hell knows.

[Beware the Beast Man]

67. Nobody's fat & hairy in cyberspace

Therefore I feel safe and accepted. Somewhat...

[hunter]

68. Not at all...

In high school I'd be walking along minding my own business and some class bully would say "Hey faggot, get out of my way."

I'd punch him in the face, and then he'd beat the crap out of me.

First they'd send me to the nurse's office (this was back when schools actually had nurses) and then my counselor would tell me to stop "provoking" people.

DU isn't anything like that.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

69. what am i duckie?

[HEyHEY]

70. Shut up loser

Wait til I see in the gym forum

[Misunderestimator]

71. Thank god... no... nothing like HS