Cliques and Outsiders The Emotional Trauma That is Fitting In Be afraid. Be very afraid. Wipe that goofy smile off your face. Whether you know it or not, that clawing, itching, quaking sensation seething beneath your skin is the feeling churning inside you every time someone of a superior clique comes rumbling down the halls, a contemptuous sneer playing on his lips. But whatever you do, keep that fear under wraps. You do not need to be shoved into your locker or called derisive names again. Cliques in high schools are a microcosm of a society dominated by hierarchies. Look around. It is hard to find one fully united school, devoid of the intricate social castes. In the wake of the now-infamous Columbine High School shooting, society was mercilessly slapped with the harsh effects of cliques, and temporarily forced to reexamine the complicated social hierarchy that confronts students during their most formative years. As much of a tragedy as it was, few fail to see and perhaps, understand it from the point of view of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two suspects. Yes, they do have names. They were not entirely the vile, violent, inhuman maniacs that society has carelessly made them out to be. They were real people. Real people repeatedly called outcasts in their school, a community of cliques. There are few schools that deviate from the social moldings of Columbine High School. Columbine is Anyschool in Anytown. This is what Cliques think of Geeks, Nerds, and Dorks. Just take a look at the clique-infested waters of my school. Except no one seems to want to admit the existence of these sharp-toothed tribes. Like every other school, the jocks and cool people are at the top of the food chain - the same stuck-ups who believe that they are bet...
