the SIMs: middle school edition

sometimes...most of the time...kids can be mean. i get to see the whole thing as if it were a sim city game. "SIM MIDDLE SCHOOL." the task is to get as many people to think you're cool while simultaneously making everyone else less cool.


WAYS TO GET 'COOL POINTS':

--pick on someone who is an easy target (the kid who hasn't hit puberty, the kid who hangs out with the LD students, the pokemon card carriers).

--cause your group of friends to laugh at something. most of the time this has to do with humiliating another member of the group of friends which causes them to lose 'cool points.'

--you would think that getting the girls to like you would be a way of getting the 'cool points' but actually it doesn't work that way. making fun of a guy who has a crush on a girl, however, easy way to pick up a few points

--causing someone else to get in trouble without being a snitch

There are dozens of other ways to win this game. None of which has to do with being a kind person, helping others, working hard, being an unconditional friend, or treating people respectfully.

I don't like this game. It isn't real. The players are real, and the harm that is caused is real. But the imaginary scale that these kids put themselves on, is not real.