First entry for Fast girls

When I first heard about this book from the class book talk in the library, I thought that it was a non-fiction storyline about a girl who got branded as a slut in high school. I was completely wrong. The book actually began as more of a definition of high school. In the first chapter there were a lot of things mentioned. Some of the topics covered were the main crisis’ of teenagers in high school, Marijuana addicts, the importance of the cafeteria and seating arrangements, popularity, and finally the Columbine shooting and the significance of the “unsafe kids” who no one would suspect to commit horrible crimes. Reading about the Columbine shooting was extremely hard for me for two reasons. One, the more obvious reason, is that I go to a high school that is highly noted for its excellence in academics and extra-curriculars and I could not ever imagine something like a mass shooting happening right down the hall from me. The other reason that the shooting story hit home for me was because this winter break I was in Boston for a week-long International Youth Group convention. There we participated in an anti- gun violence rally. We heard a man named Colin speak about how he was shot during the Virginia Tech Massacre. Hearing a survivor from one of these shootings really shows you the reality of the situation. This reminded me of the quote in the book that was, “Columbine briefly illuminated high school’s tribal world, its primitivism, its phenomenal danger; the destructive darkness that the counseling center tries to counter with its cheerful slogans” (36). I guess all high schools are alike in that aspect because when I think of our counseling office I think of the "cheerful slogans".

                The second chapter was all about a rumor that got passed around during a pep assembly at a school called Calhoun High. The rumor itself was not important, but the idea of rumors was the key. White wrote, “Rumors flourish in periods of sudden crises, sustained tension, impending decisions, boredom from monotony,” (43). I can definitely agree with this and I think in high school the most rumors are spread are from boredom from monotony. Rumors move quickly and they happen “outside the realm of adult supervision,” (45). After the rumors story, there was a short story about a girl named Madeline. She matured quickly in high school and although she was innocent from the inside, her physical appearance said otherwise. People said that she was asking for the bullying and gossip. White also spoke about the misconception about how sexually active the slut was. “In my interviews I talked to some girls who had actually been promiscuous, some girls who hadn’t. Some girls were virgins; one girl had slept with seventy men in the space of her high school years. But in the mind of the crowd, all of these girls had slept with ‘everyone’,” (50). I feel bad for the girls who actually had not done anything, but had gotten the reputation from it. High school is full of lies and I just don’t understand why lying is overwhelmingly present in a school environment. I guess because teenagers are always in competition and will say anything to get ahead, or make sure someone else doesn’t get ahead. Reputation. Reputation. Reputation.

                The third chapter was about the slut archetype (category of the unconscious). I learned about how passing a rumor is appealing to people, which is why some of them do it. “The rumor is a form of verbal and even physical connection: the cupped hand on your ear during the whisper, the way people come close when passing it on. It’s a bond that seems vital even if it is only transitory,” (57). The slut is defined as a powerful person yet also powerless. The slut is also alone, or, a category of one. The archetype of the slut is unsafe while everyone else is safe. The slut has the wrong kind of desire while everyone else has the right kind. It doesn’t matter who the slut is or where she is from, she almost always fits into the “slut archetype” that is mentioned in the book. White also mentions pornography and how it is so easy now for anyone to look at it, either online or just media in general. These images fuel the slut rumors because people are attracted to the thought of sexual acts. White also brought up that girls who were called sluts in high school had suicidal tendencies later in life. I thought this was a far stretch for her to make because there is not a big enough correlation to make this statement true. The book is decent so far, and I’m looking forward to reading more testimonies.