Me and my cool friends circa 1987 Victoria, B.C. (I'm in the red sneakers).
When I went to junior high school, I noticed right away that there were “the cool kids” and then there was everybody else. The cool kids played sports and wore rugby pants, beer shirts and jean jackets with “Def Leppard” patches on the back.
The cool kids smoked, got into fights and went to parties with the prettiest girls in school (where I assumed there must have been lots and lots of sex happening).
I on the other hand had short spiky hair, listened to new wave music and hung out with the punk rockers and nerds from band class (where there wasn’t lots and lots of sex happening). We made fun of the cool kids and said how we didn’t want to go to their parties anyways.
Then in the summer of 1984 I discovered something that changed my life…
BMX.
Me and my best friend Steve discovered BMX bikes and became obsessed. We built big ramps at his house where we would practice tricks on our bikes all day until the sun went down. His house soon became the centre of BMX action in our neighbourhood.
One of the neighbourhood kids had a better bike than us and was quite good on it. Tim became our new best friend and the 3 of us were inseparable. Tim also played soccer and over the summer we met several of his soccer buddies who were all great guys and fun to party with.
In 1984 I started high school and moved to a new school which was closer to my neighbourhood. Because it was closer to home, Steve, Tim and all the guys I met over the summer were also going there.
So there I was at a new school, hanging out with all the jocks and popular kids I met over the summer. The nerds from band class were now looking at me with disdain because I was one of the “cool kids”. I hadn’t changed. I was still a nice guy. So were the popular kids. I had just never given them a chance before. (By the way, the parties that the cool kids went to WERE way better!).
Todays wealthy adults (the enemy today) = The cool kids (the enemy in high school)
I just spent 3 weeks out-of-town working on a low-budget movie. I spent a lot of time talking to many of the lower-income, day laborers that the show hired. The script was always the same… the government is corrupt, rich people are evil, there is a secret society that runs the world, corporations make too much money, they should legalize pot…
They didn’t seem happy. They seemed angry.
I had to wonder how many of them had avoided learning about money, avoided higher education, avoided better jobs, avoided investing for retirement only because that’s what they think the cool kids (or in this case “evil rich people”) did.
If there is an evil secret society that runs the planet, I will probably never find out about it in my lifetime. I’m going to spend the rest of my days trying to learn as much as I can from “the cool kids”.
What an interesting post. What I learned from it is that we are all unique and that we should get to know everyone and what they have to offer. I think the more people continue to judge other’s without investing any time before jumping to conclusion then they have nothing to moan about in the end. Cheers Mate. .. P.s.. WAY BETTER lol… ha
I think one must be very careful not to limit themselves by thinking they belong to one socio-econonmic group or another. If you hang out with people who believe that successful people are evil, chances are you will do everything in your power to attract poverty.
If on the other hand you seek out those who have accomplished something that is a goal of yours, they may be happy to mentor you or point you in the right direction.
Thanks for your comment!
I think that’s a great point about how limiting beliefs can be an impediment to success, not just financially, but also in terms of your social life, your career, your life experiences. If you’re not open to change, to learning (because “success” usually requires these things of us), you can easily prevent yourself from going anywhere. I think it’s important to note though, that nerds aren’t poor for long – they usually end up doing alright! But not allowing yourself to expand your own horizons – however you want to do that – guarantees that your life won’t be changing anytime soon!
And hey, Troy? Back in the day you totally looked like James Spader of the same era. Damn!!
Ha ha! My hair is getting long again so the Christian Bale comments are starting again.
I am sure some of those nerds are doing quite well for themselves and I am sure some of the popular jocks are earning $20k a year working at a sporting goods store.
I think most people are pretty conscious of not judging someone negatively because they are a different race, sexual orientation or gender, but how many of us still judge people (both negative and positive) based on our perception of their wealth?
I do it all the time. When I work on a film, I will often grab a beer after work with various crew members, but I have never asked the producer or star of the show if they want to grab a beer after work.
Like your pic! Ahhh the 80′s, remember them well!
Thanks for the memories…
We had rented a convertible mustang to drive to Vancouver and see David Lee Roth in concert. That picture was taken at dusk the next day as we tried to get the most out of our rental before returning it in the morning.
The simple joys of being a teenager!