OQB @atheqtpie@piefed.blahaj.zone

Not that it matters now, but I’m curious. I don’t know if I was popular. I had a lot of friends in middle school and I would say I did in high school too, but a lot less people knew me as the middle school I went to was smaller.

  • JustAnotherKay@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    I sympathize a lot with the song “Mr. Popular” by Double A-Ron. I had almost no friends my first two years, then suddenly half the school knew me my last two years. I still didn’t get invited to anything very often, and when I did no one actually wanted to interact with me. But people knew/thought that I was popular because tons of people would stop to say hi or whatever to me.

    Edit to add: Actually in my last year there, one of my teachers had taken note of my “popularity” particularly with girls. Referred to me as a “modern day Casanova” and asked for advice on what gift to get his wife. I had had girlfriends but buying anniversary gifts for a wife was a bit out of my wheelhouse lol

  • steeznson@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    Popular people didn’t see themselves as popular, they just had a lot of friends from their perspective. Social structures are only really visible from the bottom-up.

  • grasshopper_mouse@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    I wasn’t popular, but I could easily drift from one clique/group to the next and was generally accepted by all. I didn’t get invited to hang out all the time, but enough times that I didn’t feel like I was being excluded entirely.

  • IWW4@lemmy.zip
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    14 hours ago

    I was part of a quartet that always hung out together. I don’t know if I would list myself as popular in high school but I had a good social scene.

    One of the four of us went to a different school, so my groups social scene had a cross section from both schools.

    Also two of 4 were one year ahead of me and one was a year behind me, so again we had a cross section of classes.

    I wasn’t a big athlete or anything that is the stereotypical popular person but I never lacked for companionship and generally had invites to the major social events.

    Also where I went to school there were pretty distinct groups, the PWT red neck crowd and the more well to do crowd. Again I transcended both major groups.

    I think the best way I can describe it is, I had a social life when I was in high school but it was outside of high school.

  • BeBopALouie@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    Nope. It was the 60/70’s and I had untreated ADHD. I was the weird one pretty much to anyone. Family later in life called me uncle nutsy.

    Was not medically diagnosed until very recently. I got tested to confirm for myself and self knowing. My paternal family all gone now but at least I know for myself.

    Edit typo

  • AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip
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    19 hours ago

    In middle/high school, most likely not popular but never really bullied. At least from what I remember. And I think the only time I was really kinda bullied a little in elementary school, my dumb autistic ass didn’t get it and it may have backfired.

      • LadyMeow@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 day ago

        I def was not popular. Introverted, into anime, video games, metal and classical music, was in the band.

        Was definitely one of the weird kids, I was nice enough, but I don’t really get people, so ended up having a small group of tight knit friends and that’s was about it. :3

        • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
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          1 day ago

          Sounds similar to me in some ways, I think a small group of friends like that is better though. A few of us a still quite close and catch up regularly so I call that a win vs being generally popular.

  • TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I was bullied at every school I went to. Growing up an undiagnosed autistic girl was not easy. I managed to make a few friends when I got to a bigger school because we were all outcasts together, but that wasn’t until I was 16 and almost done school. Even after I stood up to my bully when I was 15 I still got tortured at the small town school before that.

    TBH I still don’t know how to make friends today and my only friend is one of the ones I managed to dupe into liking me when I was 16 lol

      • TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I made a friend, she was like a sister to me for 12 years. Our families lived together for almost a decade, I was a surrogate for her, we were family. Earlier this year she went on a racist tirade and when I wasn’t ok with it she stopped talking to me. Now I’m scared to try making friends again.

        The friend I kept from high school may be distant now, but at least she’s consistent and out expectations of each other are equal: don’t be an asshole, see you next year.

  • Stamets@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Yes although no one actually cared about me just what entertainment I provided. I was the only openly gay dude for miles. People pretended to actually like me but they just liked being able to say they had a gay friend or liked the novelty of me or whatever. Not a single person knew anything about me other than the fact that I was gay. I’ve met some of them since and they didn’t even recognize me. Like clear recollections of everyone else but then “Who are you?”

    Lesson learned real young that people don’t often care about you. Just what you can provide. Once that’s used up…

    And when I say popular I do mean it. I don’t want to sound arrogant but I got constant invites and offers, especially from deeply closeted sports dudes. And it wasn’t just with classmates. Teachers often liked me because I also paid attention and was a bit of a nerd and able to riff without going overboard. What a shocker that I ended up doing stand up

  • MyNameIsAtticus@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I’d say I was? I got along with most everyone and it wasn’t uncommon for me to walk around during lunch break and most people to recognize me

  • WindyRebel@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I wasn’t popular, but I wasn’t unknown either. I was that kid that kind of fit into any group and had my friends/connections. Graduating class was close to 500.

  • GladiusB@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Yea and no. I was by no means the guy everyone wanted to hang out with. But I did know and hang out with and eclectic collection of people. I got along with everyone. Probably because I thought and still think most people are cool in their own right and you just gotta find that for them.