After study hall, I come into lunch and see the diversity throughout the tables in the cafeteria. There are different people coming together and bonding over a filling meal. But most people wouldn’t recognize this, only the fact that there’s a clique here and there. They see the cool seniors at the front table, the theatre kids with their own crowd, and the card players having their tournament at another. These social groups are typically considered to be cliques. The question is, are they really just that? Is our high school, or any other high school, that shallow?

According to Kid’s Health, cliques are group of friends, but not all groups of friends are cliques. To elaborate, cliques deliberately leave others out on purpose because they feel like they don’t belong there. Sometimes, it’s up to the leader of the group who decides who’s in and who’s out. A person might start to act differently when they want to become a part of the clique or if they’re already in one.

So, let’s look back at our social groups. Seniors sit together because they have been with each other for the past four years. Theatre kids have the same purpose and that is to entertain. The card players all have a common hobby: playing cards. If I knew any better, I would think these are individuals who had just found a way to fit in. The only way this would make a difference is if they targeted someone with the purpose of hurting them, physically or emotionally.

I believe it’s just human nature for individuals to group together. It’s something automatic, interests that bring people together. If we look back, we have it a lot better today. Let’s observe the racial segregation held in schools back then in America. Colored students could not attend the same school as whites. This made it difficult for a more unified youth. Two people of different races could like playing the same sport, but they could never play it together because of their skin color.

People forget that a clique and group of friends are completely different from each other. They look at groups of friends like it’s segregation all over again, but instead of by ethnicity it’s by common interests. Try saying common interests segregation without feeling awkward. Now say that common interests bring people together, which means gaining knowledge of each other as human beings. In the end, they are simply having fun and being happy.

There is a somewhat better unity then there was years ago. It’s sad that there are people who do intentionally leave people out. It’s simply something you cannot avoid in the world. But for the groups with a positive purpose, it’s a relief to know that different cultures have come together because of a club, sport, a band, or even a television show. With these, it’s good to know friendships have blossomed and there are people bonding rather than being alone and having no one.