Genevieve answers the call

Genevieve Patthey-Chavez (ggpcinla who-is-at ucla.edu)
Sun, 28 Apr 1996 12:19:13 -0800

I must have been born with a contrary gene!

>From 28 April 1996, _L.A. Times_, Life & Style Section, pp. 3, 4, an
article on cliques finds,

Patti Adler, a researcher at the U. of Colorado who-is-at Boulder, & her husband,
Peter, U of C who-is-at Denver, suggest that youjng children are not only attuned
to clique power, but astutely use exclusivity and the "art of the negative
campaign" to raise their status...

The Adlers' seven-yr project ... focused on 200 children in their
community...ages 9 to 12. (It found) cliques teach the fundamental values
of conflict and prejudice that may form the basis for racism,
anti-Semitism, sexism and other forms of bigotry...Fear of being ejected or
rejected by cliques undercuts independence, good judgment, integrity,
loyalty to friends, self-esteem and supports conformity by following
leaders' ideals...Fear of rebuke prevails, as clique memebers track the
arbitrarily selected whims and tastes of the leader. The favorite pastime
is degrading scapegoats, "because it's fun," say children quoted in the
study. Clique memebers who don't partake in humiliating someone are
threatened with the same scorn...

The genders have separate cliques. According to chilren in the study, the
criteria for girls' acceptance are beauty, clothesk, material possessions,
and permissive parents. Boys were chosen for athleticism,
anti-intellectualism, dominance, defying authority, and toughness...

The article describes various cases of kids trying to be in a clique, being
manipulated, being shunned, and concludes by saying something along the
lines of adults can't do a hell of a whole lot to change these
pre-adolescent and adolescent social dynamics even if schools "take
measures to discourage cliques." "The best that parents can hope for is
that their child does not fit in with the clique but also is not a social
outcast."

Genevieve quite disagrees with this.

Actually, all through reading the article, she kept thinking, where are the
adults in all of this? Telling the kids, "you're on your own!"?

Would that be the flip-side of coersion?

Best to everyone, Genevieve