'Just Kidding' and 'Ganging Up from Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

I never usually tend to group myself into alliances. They are first and for-most usually consist of people who discriminate against certain people and selectively choose who can be in their group. Secondly, they usually are always trouble to certain people; in other words, they can sometimes simply be considered big groups of bullies. For many people, these groups draw to them. Everyone wants to be accepted; by going joining these “popular” groups, they feel accepted because of their social status. These groups are major lures for people of all ages, wether it be at school, the park, or even a friends house. Even I was lured into one of these groups. 

During elementary school, much of the school was divided into small, solitary groups of people; I was in one of them. I felt the need to have more than just good friends. Instead of having just good friends, I wanted to be popular and have many friends. Just simply friends. I was influenced by the need to have a “popular” social status. That is the reason I joined one of these groups. 

I knew these groups were mean, but I never knew they could affect my social mentality as a person. Unfortunately, my intuition was wrong. I changed from being a normal, accepting person, into someone who criticized every aspect of a person considered “unpopular,” “ugly,” “weird,” or any other rumor thought to be associated with a person. I became someone I never wanted to become, a bully. For part of fifth grade year, I became enthralled with being someone who I never wanted to be. I felt the need to be popular and accepted. Best friends weren't enough for me. I needed lots of “friends.” Luckily for me, my social status dramatically changed after a bullying event that I created.

At school, there was a boy everyone particularly hated. There was no specific reason, they simply hated him. I was one of those people; I had no reason too, I simply felt the need to feel “regular” and fit in. Because of this, I bullied this person to the point of leaving the school. When he left, I instantly realized the pain I had brought to his life and how I caused it. From that point on, I changed the way I socially operated at school. I made real friends and stopped the bad influences that had dramatically changed my life before. 

I now know the the bad influences of bullying and how they can affect others. I have learned from my mistakes, just as many others have.