>From: Randi128 at aol.com >liked me for who I was. Yes, I was a varsity athlete, yet I had a 4.0 average ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Brad said: >That's it. People are more likely to respect you if you are a good >athelete. [snip] >Most of this, I think, comes from the self-confidence that comes from being >atheletic. I have yet to figure out why this but ever since I started >doing more physical activities, I have seen my confidence grow. [snip] >You did not get good grades (if you did, you hid it well). You would not be called a >nerd, you would be physically attacked. I simply bring this up as an >extreme example of the diversity of school cultures in this country. I have to agree with Brad. My folks were both hippies who home-schooled me until my little brother was born, at which point I was enrolled in grade 5 (in the city no less!). I was pretty bookish and excited to be in school and proud to show off what I knew. Not a great combination. I was knocked around a lot. I joined the wrestling team in grade seven and started pushing weight, and kept it up until I graduated High School. I find it interesting that by grade nine I was no longer getting pushed around, yet I was still the same bookish fellow, albeit with a larger, more muscular frame, and the ability tie people into knots. Kids, especially the males, can be opportunistic little animals. Girls do it differently I guess - more emotional torture (I'm speculating here), but with the guys it was always a physical thing, but once they knew they no longer had an easy target or were in risk of being dropped on their head, they suddenly got real polite-like. I think it's vile and a sad testament to our culture.