Rings of the Caste System

By Robert Ringer

Before I venture further, I feel obliged to tell you that if your child is (or was) a star athlete in high school, a straight-A student, and/or one of the most popular kids in his/her class, the upcoming articles probably won't mean much to you. In fact, what I have to say may strike you as nothing more than annoying fiction.

And, in all honesty, I wouldn't blame you for feeling that way. After all, when your kids are having the time of their lives, inhaling daily adulation from teachers, coaches, and peers, why be concerned about the blight beneath them? Unless, of course, one of its members comes to school one day and kills them.

One of the harsh realities of life is that it's hard, if not impossible, to identify with a specific kind of pain unless you yourself have experienced it. I am convinced that most, if not all, parents whose children are among the elite at their schools not only are incapable of identifying with the pain experienced by the pawns of The Game, they are completely oblivious to it.

Having said that, what follows is my breakdown of The Game's caste system. There are no surveys, at least that I know of, to support my viewpoint. It is based solely on firsthand experience, long ago as a student and more recently as a parent of six children.

Inner Ring. The Inner Ring comprises the 5-10 percent of students who are looked upon as leaders. They are the anointed ... the chosen few. They are the athletes, the good-looking guys and gals, the kids from wealthy families (and those families that are successful at pretending to be wealthy). Their parents are often major financial contributors to the school or serve on the school's board of directors.

The Inner Ring usually includes a few kids who don't seem to fit into any of these categories, but, for reasons I was never able to figure out, are accepted by the elite. It's as though they were grandfathered into the deal, so commoners never dare to question their credentials.

Fringe Ring. This is the 10-15 percent who are looked upon favorably by the Inner Ring of kids and teachers, but aren't quite "sharp" enough to be among the elite. They play The Game by the rules, aspiring to someday break through and become accepted by the Inner Ring gods. It occasionally happens (e.g., when a kid develops into a great athlete in his junior or senior year), which gives eternal hope to all Fringe Ring members.

Nondescript Ring. This is the rank and file, the roughly 70 percent whose names are often forgotten by the Inner and Fringe Rings. They play The Game dutifully, but, for the most part, realize that achieving Inner Ring or Fringe Ring status is beyond their reach. Most are servile, nameless blurs who kowtow to members of the superior rings, and, of course, cheer loudly at school sporting events to demonstrate their loyalty. (The latter is an essential element of playing The Game.)

Outcast Ring. This is the bottom 10 percent, which includes the learning challenged ... the special needs children ... the "handicapped" ... those with "personality disorders" and emotional problems ... the "bad kids" ... in general, the untouchables.

To be seen talking to a member of the Outcast Ring puts one at risk of becoming an outcast himself. Better to hold one's nose and look the other way. The pawns of the Outcast Ring serve a useful purpose for the upper rings as readily available targets for those who believe that bullying is an effective method of attracting the attention of their peers.

Based on the following e-mail from a Voice of Sanity reader, I am apparently not alone in my assessment of The Game's caste system.

I've been following your series and wish to point out one more aspect you have so far not yet touched upon. By necessity, I will have to generalize a bit, but let's just say that about 10% of the population in any given group (in this case, school students) are the rich, good looking, athletic and/or popular ones. These are most often the bullies.

Let's also say that about 10-20% fall at the opposite end of the spectrum. These direct victims, as you've already pointed out, are the weaklings, those with mental or physical attributes which distinguish them from the mass of the population, etc.

What you've not yet addressed is the cost of bullying to the remaining 70-80% of the population. I contend that this group is taught, mostly by observation, conformity. They quickly learn that to stand out is to invite becoming the target of bullies and thus fall into the bottom 10-20% group.

While they may not suffer as much as the direct victims, society suffers by these people being trained to avoid the pursuit of excellence for fear of being targeted. To stand out and differentiate yourself, to strive for something beyond the norm, is a bad thing. How sad for all of us. — Jeffrey K.

It's not hard to see why a Seung-Hui Cho would fit so nicely into the Outcast Ring at a feel-good suburban school like Westfield High in Chantilly, Virginia ... an immigrant from South Korea ... apparently no athletic prowess autistic tendencies ... depression ... a juicy target for taunting and bullying. Is it any wonder that he ranted about "rich kids," "debauchery," and "deceitful charlatans" in the videotaped message he left behind?

Cho was undoubtedly an extreme case of someone hopelessly mired in the humiliation and pain of the Outcast Ring. Clearly, he had no clue as to how to play The Game. The taunting aimed at him may not have been the root cause of his "mental illness," but I think we can say that it certainly would have worsened whatever preexisting mental problems he may have had.

In any event, I again remind you that this series is not just about protecting our schools from deranged gunmen like Cho. Even more important is saving untold millions of kids who are tormented and miserable, but do not take out their anger on classmates and faculty members. Instead, they quietly accept their plight and try their best to hide their misery - misery that usually stays with them well into adulthood, and all too often throughout life.

And, of course, there's also that 70 percent or so in the Nondescript Ring whom reader Jeffrey K. maintains are "trained to avoid the pursuit of excellence for fear of being targeted."

Next up: The realities of life at Brigadoon High.

Previous - Part XXII, The Blur in the Mirror: Conformity versus Non-Conformity

Next - Part XXIV, The Brigadoon High Experience

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