Stereotyping, Hollister and gum on the bottom of my desk

Let me just start off my little rant with an opening: I hate cliques. Anyone who was in Middle School last year remembers SAS or Students Against Stereotyping. Want to know the genius who was (mostly because there were a LOT of people behind it) behind it? Me. I was a proud, active member because cliques and stereotyping is just really obnoxious and dumb to me. Judging people by what they wear and who they hang out with? Lame. Why not judge someone by the actions that they have toward you and other people around you or what they say when no one is around?

Some of my friends, even the ones who were in SAS don't realize how much THEY stereotype. I'm not going to name names, but when I was trying to get my friends' opinions on a Hollister hoodie, one of my best friends decided she wasn't going to talk to me about it because Hollister is "disgusting", even though she's never actually been inside Hollister a momement in her life.
Well, okay, I guess everyone is a bit of a hypocrite and I guess I sort of judge people by the people they hang out with... if I know that the people they hang out with are big fat... jerks.

Stereotyping is NEVER good because it's pretty much falsely accusing someone because of the people they hang out with, the clothes they wear, or their reputation. My own DAD even makes fun of REPUBLICANS (I don't really blame him for that but he does stereotype them a lot and I catch him on it... a lot).

People have a lot of definitions of courage so it's hard to figure out WHICH definition of courage has effect of everyday life. Fact of the matter is, people are making courageous decisions every single day. Whether it's in Iraq, in a hospital or right here at school. Sometimes you have to pick your friends and enemies, which is sad to say. Sometimes your friends won't get along with certain people you hang out with and will--ew, there's gum on the bottom of this desk... sorry--have to stop hanging out with someone or stand up for someone. For me, it gives me a really big adrenaline rush to start giving someone a look into my heated mind (just ask some of my friends... like Nina... hahaha).

I get judged a lot because of my friends and the things I or we do or act. A lot of people think I'm "emo" or a loner/outcast because I wear black. That's great for them, I really don't care what people think of me anymore. My friends and I hang out in big groups in the mall and go into the most random stores. We get funny looks when we walk into Hollister... by the staff.. until we start singing along to the music. They give us looks like we're going to shoplift something. I've never stolen something from a store in my WHOLE. ENTIRE. LIFE. I have a lot of people to back me up on that. I do look up to certain groups of people because they... don't do stupid things. I mean, sometimes people that do bad things are good people, they just make bad decisions so I keep an open mind about that. I do believe in second chances and that there is good in everyone (sort of like Anne Frank?).

My role model(s)... I think I like this question as much as the super power one (which is pretty lame). I have a lot of different role models, which is pretty sad. I guess I'll start of with my brother Dan. Everyone is usually like OHMIGOSH, YOU HAVE A BROTHER. I BET YOU FIGHT ALLL THE TIME. I laugh at these reactions. I love my brother to death. We do make fun of each other, but we tell each other everything and he's one of the most trusting people I know. He does stupid things, but he learns from every mistake he makes and teaches me. Next is Bryce Avary (Nina, I still hate you for spending ten hours with him). Bryce Avary is The Rocket Summer. Not just the singer, he is. He plays every instrament (not live, of course... though when he is live he goes CRAZY... it's pretty rad to see) and writes every lyric. I guess he's my hero/role model because he's just a genral nice person and he doesn't do stupid things. I guess... Kyle Fish. Kyle used to be my (third) not brother. He was protective and we were close, but he wasn't actually my brother. Then one dumb day, last summer (August 11th, 2006) Kyle got shot in the forehead and died in his best friend's arms (Mike), in his hometown (Philedelphia), on the ground. May he rest in peace, that amazing would-be 20 year old boy. Next is my brother's best friend in the whole wide world, Josh... Q. I can't spell his last name because I don't even call him by his frist name. I just call him Q because everyone else does... because it's simpliar than Josh and Q is a pretty rad name. Q is one of my role models (though I would never tell him this) because he would do anything for his friends and he's probably the smartest people I know. He's smart, he went to college (Hudson Valley for two years) and now he's in the Air Force so he can recieve more education for Civil Engineering. Props for figuring out how to build roads, my friend. Gabe Saporta isn't really my role model but he's my hero so I decided to stick him in. Singer in Cobra Starship. He has a big ego, though he's really down to Earth and he sang to me on Sunday night. 'Nuff said. Last is Bobby Bailey. Without Bobby, there would be no Invisible Children. No movie, no coorperation, no awareness (on my part). Bobby Bailey and a group of his friends traveled to Africa (WHEN IT WASN'T SAFE) to find a story about the rebel wars in Uganda. They found their story and it has changed thousand of lives, including mine. He's young--in his twienties--and it just proves that young people can achieve anything if they put their minds to it.

...Wow. This is really long.