Popularity

It's important everywhere, at the office, in the family, with friends...But especially in school. Although it might not be as important in Belgian schools as it is in American ones, it's still a very important factor in someone's school life. There is hardly any division based on popularity, unlike in the States, we don't have 'the jocks', 'cheerleaders', 'nerds', ... . Although we do have some groups of friends who like to give themselves a name, eg. 'The Plastics'. The popularity issue might not be as big in Belgium as in America, but it remains important to everyone.

Popularity leads to division, this is definatly so in American schools. Although it might not appear so, it does the same in Belgian ones. People form groups with their friends, which is done everywhere. But because some people have a reputation, or a specific person in a group has some special skill, the group is often given a special status. Hardly the only way of getting out of a group and into another one, is to end up in the same class-group as someone who's in, or knows people in the other group. Even then it remains hard to 'fit in' only when you are very sociable, or appear to be, will you be able to fit in anywhere. If you're not that sociable, you will probably automatically end up in a group with people of the same interests/social behaviour as yourself. This then creates roughly the same categorisation as there is in the US, the 'computer nerds'. They will form little 'clans', and so will the other people who are less sociable. Only people who excel in activities that are universally accepted as important will be accepted into groups which consist of different types of people. Also, there will always be at least one leader-figure, this can be either the most outgoing, the strongest or the one always knows what to do.

Although I said the popularity issue in Belgium isn't as big as in the states; this might prove to be wrong. In Belgium, the groups might appear to be less obvious, less strong. But this leads to people not knowing where they 'belong', leads to groups falling apart, and a lot of arguments. No one is allowed to be the way they are anymore, you have to perform and be who everyone wants you to be. In order to be accepted by multiple groups, you have to be able to have more than one way of acting, or be able to find a way of being, that suits nearly everyone. Also, there'll always be competition, if you become popular too fast people will become extremely jealous, and will try to trick other people into being suspicious towards you. Popularity brings rivalry between the people who resemble the most and friendship between those who are the least alike.

Even though popularity in schools is a big factor in 'why people get bullied' it also preps pupils to handling situations where they will have to be someone they're not and behave the way they are expected to. It isn't the easiest lesson to be learned in school...But it's definatly one of the more important ones.

- Laurent