Is it important for you to be popular?
By arystine
@arystine (1273)
Philippines
December 5, 2009 3:42am CST
In school, at work, in our neighborhood, in almost all aspects in life, we meet people and develop our own social circle. Is it important for you to be popular? Do you hang out only with the "popular crowd"? Or true friends matter whether or not they are popular.
9 responses
@ishme4nowz (679)
• United States
5 Dec 09
No, though I admit that I use to think it was really important to be well known and have tons of friends. As I grow older, that is less important to me. What's important to me now, is the quality of friends, not the quantity. I'd rather have 1 good, reliable friend, than to have 10 friends that might stab me in the back with gossip. When I was in highschool, I never hung out with the popular crowd, only my own group. I think true friends matter whether or not they are popular. Honestly, popularity doesn't mean anything after school.
@AaronYLeung (182)
• United States
7 Dec 09
I agree with you. I used to think that popularity meant a lot. When I was in school, I have to admit I used to want to fit in with the "cool asian clique" because they were considered one of the popular people in my school. I wanted to hang with the "white" poplar crowd too. But after high school, I started to think about more important things...like LIFE.
Like what you said and what I've always heard but never used to believe until after high school, YES I'd rather surround myself with "true" friends with good hearts and personality and supports you all the way THAN surrounding myself with many people who are considered "friends" and claim to have your back 100% but flake on you when you need them the most.
Actually, popularity started to be less important to me eversince Junior year in high school. I started hanging out with my own "group" of people.
Sure...it might be fun, for a while, to have many friends to party with and have fun. But they won't help make you successful in life. They won't have your back 100%, maybe only 45% but not 100%. They wont support you all the way. They will only support you on the things they feel comfortable with, but if they find out something they are not comfortable with or not with the norms...they will definitely flake (Speaking from Personal Experience) And YES, they WILL gossip and talk behind your back too (Speaking from Personal Experience). They may be nice and "friendly" to your face, but once you not within your circle of friends, they will most likely talk about you. I've seen it happen many times.
Friends will be there for you through the thin. But TRUE friends will be there for you through the thick and thin. A true friend is someone who will notice and appreciate your flaws and helps you. A true friend is someone that will stick with you when your other "friends" are not.
@hrvillares (98)
• Philippines
17 Dec 09
I don't consider it really that important to be popular. I prefer to keep a low-profile in most social situations or gatherings and tend to veer away from the spotlight. For me, popularity is both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because people fuss over you and make you feel special because of all the extra attention. However, it is, in one way or another, a curse because people also tend to be nosy about your personal life and notice each and every thing that you do (the good and bad stuff). In addition, a popular person has the added pressure of upholding the popular image he or she has cultivated for his or her 'fans'.
I don't select friends based on popularity. I start and cultivate friendships with people who share the same interests and personality and not because they can boost my popularity level.
@arystine (1273)
• Philippines
17 Dec 09
I like the spotlight but it doesn't mean that I have to hog it all the time. For me, what matters is the friends that I hang out with loves and accepts me for who I am. And I agree that being popular is also a blessing and a curse. Nice insight you have here.
@xTricia (50)
• Philippines
5 Dec 09
Every individual is as unique as they are, and everyone is a star that has the ability to shine if you give them a chance to enter in your life. It could be fun being popular, but I believe that it shouldn't be the basis on whether or not you would make friends with a certain person. What matters most in any relationship is the fact the you love and understand each other regardless of their popularity.
You do not need popular friends if they aren't true to you. True companions are what matters the most and if they are to be described, I would say that they are the people who actually helps you complete the puzzle of life picturing a beautiful scenery of the chronicles of a little 'you' who became special because of having true people around you.
Popularity is something else, and it shouldn't interfere in any type of relationship for it is not the basis of liking or disliking a certain person.
Being a popular individual may increase your chances of meeting new acquaintances, but think this way: what will you do with a bunch of e-mail address in your address book if you do not know or even talk to anyone of them. I'd rather have one true companion than have dozens of fake little smiles. =)
@attyjdcenteno (68)
• Philippines
5 Dec 09
It depends really on one's perspective of what popularity is. Oftenly, popularity connotes being famous or well-known. My opinion is, all individual human being is as popular as everybody else. Since we share the same characteristic, which is "being different from another", therefore would suggest that popularity in this sense means the peculairty of each person shall make him/her popular. A nerd for example is popular because people tend to notice his intelectual difference, whereas a freak might also be percieved as popluar due to his behavioral oddness.
To me, it is important to be popular based on my premise of "individual differences" becuase this would either show one's true nature or just pretending to be a part of a crowd. It would also create developments in one's personality or it would totally loose one's self esteem.
@cosmopolitan (1263)
• India
17 Dec 09
I don't care whether I am among a group of popular pals or ordinary people, I am concerned only with my own popularity.It is inherent to human nature to search for popularity either by being acknowledged by the cream of the society or by being popular oneself.I don't revel in being in a group of pompous persons especially if I am not on an equal footing with them since equals always accommodate the equals,I hope you will understand the equality principle very well since you are a law graduate;'unequal' sitting along with the so called'equals'is actually getting a supercilious kindness which is transient.This condescension the unpopular one gets from the popular is without an iota of sincerety.So I see popularity as something which is attached to individuals seperately.If I want to be popular I should gain it on my own and not just as a charity by others,one should demand it and not beseech it.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
18 Nov 12
It is important to be popular with people, at least to be popular with people who know you. This way you will have more supporters or people who co-operate with you in the shared activities. This is what I think and do accordingly with my students in case they are more cooperative with me in class. Thanks for the discussion, arystine.
@attyjdcenteno (68)
• Philippines
6 Dec 09
For me it is not really important to be popular. As long as i know my self well the same way my friends and family does, that is more than enough for me. popularity will sometimes complicate ones life. Simple but perfect living is what i want.
