[Dan31697]

I've heard so many high school-age kids complain about being harassed and brutalized by jocks. I saw it a bit at my old high school, though gang members and racist peckerwood types were more of a problem than football players. I myself never had too much trouble with them because I've always been a big, scary dude. However, I was wondering if anyone could share their experiences with jocks. And does the word 'jock' exclusively refer to those who play high school athletics, or is it more of a mentality or a clique?

User Detail :  

Name : Dan31697, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 22, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Samantha29433]

From my experience, being a 'jock' is a state of mind. I identify jocks as being beer-drinking, buzzed-cut, sports-watching, thick-necked, testosterone-filled, cat-calling (to large-chested blond women exclusively) frat guys. In other words, dumb jocks who don't really know how to behave respectfully around women or anyone else not like them. This is why I believe they usually travel in packs of other jocks just like them. It's a 'group think' mentality in my opinion, which thereby creates the cliques.

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Name : Samantha29433, Gender : F, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, 

[A.J.]

I was always picked on by jocks. They are the main reason a lot of schools get bad name. I am kind of cynical about the whole thing, though I have met and have friends who are jocks and treat me and my friends with a great deal of respect and kindness.

User Detail :  

Name : A.J., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 16, City : Milwaukee, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[J21174]

I think most people would classify a 'jock' as being an athletic-minded person, certainly a sports fan, overly patriotic, slightly stupid, beer loving, car loving, homosexual hating, and a slightly racist idiot. Usually upper class. That's the stereotype, anyway. I had my run-ins with these people in high school. They all work in gas stations now. (Not that I have anything against gas-station work!) They threw Halloween candy at me in the halls. They beat on my friends. They threw eggs, tomatoes, rotten food and glass bottles at us from their cars. Any guy without a baseball hat was considered a fag by them. These boys (and girls, too) hurt people for fun. That's the usual 'jock' experience. Of course I know now that it's not 'jocks' per se who are bad, just certain individuals. In high school however, I hated them all.

User Detail :  

Name : J21174, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : Just outside Toronto, Ontario, State : NA Country : Canada, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Dave26023]

I was a 'jock' at high school (in that I played sports/athletics and mainly hung around with guys who did the same). There was definitely a clique mentality, and I guess we had little to do with other groups. However, there was very little bullying - most violence tended to be directed at other jocks in a 'friendly' way. To counter another stereotype, the guys I hung out with were a diverse group (rich and poor, smart and dumb, etc). Not all were great at sports, though we all played. To a large extent it seemed to be a teen mentality that we grew out of when we realized there were more important things in the world than high school sport. Some of my best friends remain the guys I played rugby, basketball or volleyball with at school, but the clique has definitely faded. The situation may be different in the United States; I don't know. I just thought you might be interested in the views of a kiwi jock.

User Detail :  

Name : Dave26023, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 31, City : Upper Hutt, State : NA Country : New Zealand, Occupation : Government adviser, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kimberly Saks]

Typically, as was the case in my high school, many jocks form a heirarchy - at which they are at the top - in the 'student food chain.' Yet so few people get to be part of the top rungs of that ladder that others fall to the chastisement of those who are. I was in theater in high school, a successful student and had many friends. I still, however, faced the term 'drama queer' by the jocks at my school. We were still looked upon as outsiders and made to feel outed in every situation. This reflects how we deal with others different from us in society. It acts as a microcosm for those to feel oppression at the bottom and an inivisible microcosm for those at the top.

User Detail :  

Name : Kimberly Saks, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 19, City : Ypsilanti, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Student/Activist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kenny]

When I was in high school I played football and baseball, but I was also in the jazz band and marching band. I caught some harassment for being in the band because I hung out with a lot of the kids who were in the band with me as well ( none of them played any sports or were jocks). But I caught the worst of it I feel like because it was like I was riding the fence. I was a leader on both teams and I think that is why I got any respect from the 'jocks', because I didn't really hang out with them as much as the band kids. I was also a pretty big boy too so I was a little more difficult for the 'jocks to bully.

User Detail :  

Name : Kenny, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : Ypsilanti, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Credit Processing, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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