English, baby!

Fitting In

Date: Apr 03 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Do you recognize this picture? It’s the kids who were in the movie The Breakfast Club. That movie showed the power of cliques in high school and how divisive they can be.

Each character in the movie represents a different clique: the nerds, the rich girls, the jocks, the freaks. But when they are forced to spend a day together, they realize that they are not that different from each other, even though they have different backgrounds and interests.

We naturally hang out with people who we think are similar to us. This can include the way we dress, the music we listen to, and who we don’t like at school.

Listen to Mason and Kevin talk about cliques.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Kevin

Mason: But you know, everyone… there, there’s always a group of people, you know, that dress the same or act the same and they kinda bond together.

Kevin: Of course.

Mason: Um, you know, whether that be the jocks, the sport people…

Kevin: Mm hm.

Mason: ... or the nerds

Kevin: Mm hm.

Mason: ... or the hipsters. Um, but then all of a sudden, like, something about it gets cool. And then it gets too big and then everybody starts being like that. And so the things that made you different now…

Kevin: Well, things become very mainstream. You know, the clothes get marketed…

Mason: Yeah, it’s like everyone’s copying this one thing…

Kevin: Exactly.

Mason: And so whatever, whatever was authentic about, you know… and exclusive about that clique has been taken away.

Kevin: Interesting. And, I mean, you can find a clique everywhere you go, right? When you travel, I think travelers become cliques.

Mason: Yeah, you’re like, you’re the clique of travelers.

Kevin: That’s right.

Mason: Um…

Kevin: Kind of backpacker, sweaty, haven’t showered…

Mason: Mm hm.

Kevin: ... haven’t shaved.

Mason: Right.

Kevin: Kinda gross but, you know…

Mason: It’s funny…

Kevin: ... you’re all in the same boat.

Mason: ... because that’s a situation where you would be friends with people that you might not be…

Kevin: Totally.

Mason: ... in the quote unquote “real world”...

Kevin: Mm hm.

Mason: But you’ve, you’ve adopted another affectation, you know, just by wearing cargo shorts and, uh, a big backpack.

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Discussion

Mason acknowledges that people with similar interests tend to come together. But he is talking specifically about people who feel that they are somehow different from everyone else. They may feel that their little group is the only group that is cool because they are different.

But then that thing that is different becomes fashionable, and pretty soon, they are just like everyone else.

Kevin points out that cliques emerge anywhere, even when you are traveling. But the cool thing about that is that traveling becomes the thing that brings people together, regardless of your backgrounds or interests at home.

Are you in a clique?

Is there a clique you want to be in but aren’t?

Comments

YenTaFo

Thailand

Are you in a clique?—No,I am. For me now, It’s over. I had a clique around 12 years ago, couldn’t accept other or make contact with new friends, you must talked with people in group. I had a lesson from it when I couldn’t study same class with my clique, Hard to make relationship with other but it passed. Learn to be individual and make a relationship with other :)) Now we are friends but don’t be like in teenager. we respect each other.

fujishima

Taiwan

Being a member of a clique doesn’t means you have to build a wall against people do not belong to your clique.

ahosokawa

United States

I learned a lot!

littery

China

being a member of acliques means you are not confidence to yourself, you dare not make friends with strangers.

lurveng

South Korea

Being a member of cliques sounds like teenager thing. While you’re in the cliques, you might lose the chances to meet new friends. I often see guys in the cliques have feuds with others and then come to be alone.

noorkhan

Pakistan

I has checked this web. I like very much, I think that it will be help me and improve my english

linguis

El Salvador

It is cool to be part of a clique at school, because you need to belong and be accepted, but later this pattern becomes a gold ring of power, bussines,etc., I mean they become so tight.

getchar

Algeria

Cliques are formed usually by people who they aren’t really confident with themselves.
They form a “quote unquote” friendship..since the group is formed for a weak reason.