The rise of named, exclusive social cliques is creating a dangerously hostile atmosphere at Uni

By Matthew Freeman
Gargoyle senior editor
Published Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, Gargoyle, opinions

What is the nature of social interaction at Uni? It's a question with no concrete answer, but one that much of this issue of the Gargoyle has set out to address.

We can all agree that in a small community such as ours, social and academic interaction are inextricably linked. So what's the problem? Many people here find Uni preferable to other public schools in its acceptance of unique and gifted individuals. But as Sarah Pfander suggested in her column last issue, the climate here is changing.

Part of this has to do with the arbitrary social grouping among students. As seen in the article by Annie Liang and Shivani Khanna [“The ins and outs of Uni cliques,” pages 8-9], a phenomenon has erupted of named, questionably exclusive cliques throughout the school.

While I am familiar with the concept, I'm not aware of it existing in large quantities outside of serious street gangs and children's clubs. Therefore, when a group was formed out of many of the males in my class sophomore year, I was confused. There was no reason for a group of young, smart, talented individuals, many of whom I considered my friends, to create an exclusive club, the likes of which I hadn't seen since seventh grade with groupings of girls in my class in Monticello. To take it a step further, the historically and culturally insensitive name the group chose, the SS, was appalling.

The name aside, these groups are an example of what historically has been the most dangerous and disgusting aspect of human nature: group behavior. While the groups themselves aren't original ideas, neither are the acts committed within them.

It wasn't hard to figure out why they created this group. They were emulating the seniors at the time, the dC, who had established themselves as the most recognizable group of individuals by giving themselves a name and putting themselves at odds with the administration. To young males who want to give themselves a recognizable identity in the school, banding together was the easiest way.

Now that my classmates are seniors and have gotten all of the attention they originally craved, and are themselves constantly at odds with an understandably worried administration, other students are starting to repeat this pattern. While the class directly beneath them generally dislikes these named groups and won't emulate it, the sophomores will. While the nickname of the newest, most prominent sophomore group doesn't directly imply genocide like the seniors', it certainly does imply general murder.

I hope this latest group of males will come to their senses before they are seniors still practicing the social habits of 10-year-olds. These groups aren't giving anybody an identity, they're only taking it away. I may be a fierce individualist, but I don't think it's going too far to suggest that no one person should want to identify solely as being a part of a larger whole, and that such thinking is actually very dangerous.

Looking back, I'm glad that these current seniors chose the SS as their group nickname. Maybe by looking at Nazi behavior we can understand why large groups of males trying to establish power is an alarming thing.

Admission is pending on Matt's application to the SS.