Outsiders shall inherit the earth

[PheroQuirk]

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders...

In a smart, entertaining, reassuring book that reads like fiction, Alexandra Robbins manages to cross Gossip Girl with Freaks and Geeks and explain the fascinating psychology and science behind popularity and outcasthood. She reveals that the things that set students apart in high school are the things that help them stand out later in life. Robbins follows seven real people grappling with the uncertainties of high school social life, including:

• The Loner, who has withdrawn from classmates since they persuaded her to unwittingly join her own hate club;
• The Popular Bitch, a cheerleading captain both seduced by and trapped within her clique’s perceived prestige;
• The Nerd, whose differences cause students to laugh at him and his mother to needle him for not being “normal”;
• The New Girl, determined to stay positive as classmates harass her for her mannerisms and target her because of her race;
• The Gamer, an underachiever in danger of not graduating, despite his intellect and his yearning to connect with other students;
• The Weird Girl, who battles discrimination and gossipy politics in school but leads a joyous life outside of it;
• The Band Geek, who is alternately branded too serious and too emo, yet annually runs for class president.

In the middle of the year, Robbins surprises her subjects with a secret challenge–experiments that force them to change how classmates see them.
Robbins intertwines these narratives–often triumphant, occasionally heartbreaking, and always captivating–with essays exploring subjects like the secrets of popularity, being excluded doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, why outsiders succeed, how schools make the social scene worse–and how to fix it.

Take that, Mean Girls! New book explains how today’s high school losers are tomorrow’s success stories | Mail Online

Alexandra Robbins, who has written a book on the subject, believes that social exclusion as a teenager can be one of the best indicators of future success.
Her new book, The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School, explains how traits that often make high school students outsiders are the same qualities that will help them thrive as adults.

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Popularity contest: For many, the film Mean Girls is very true to life. But one writer believes social exclusion in high school can be a good indicator of future success

Creativity, individuality and passion are central to what she calls ‘The Quirk Theory’. They are traits, Ms Robbins believes, that can make it difficult for kids to fit in with the ‘in-crowd’.

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But outside of the school environment, they become the ‘real-world skills that others will value, love, respect, or find compelling about that person.’
Ms Robbins, who has spent the past decade analysing the behaviour of high school students, told MailOnline: 'In schools, which are increasingly conformist, the things that make you different make you a target.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/05/06/article-1384310-0BEFFF1B00000578-877_233x365.jpg

Quirk Theory: Alexandra Robbins says she herself was a high school misfit

'In adulthood and outside of the school setting, the things that make you different make you interesting, fun, and often successful.
'More specifically, I also researched the traits that people found most valuable in adults. The top qualities are: creativity, originality, free-thinking, vision, resilience, authenticity, self-awareness, integrity, candor, curiosity, love of learning, and courage.

'Those are qualities that are far more likely to be found in school outsiders than in the popular kids

[Taggle]

I have a t-shirt saying “I love geeks”. Kinda nice when studying to be an engineer, since everyone around me are complete nerds (me too, I’m just the hot kind!)…