Freaks, Geeks, and Cool Kids: American Teenagers, Schools, and the Culture of ConsumptionIn this timely and insightful book, award-winning sociologist Murray Milner tries to understand why teenagers behave the way they do. Drawing upon two years of intensive fieldwork in one high school and 300 written interviews about high schools across the country, he argues that consumer culture has greatly impacted the way our youth relate to one another and understand themselves and society. He also suggests that the status systems in high schools are in and of themselves an important contributing factor to the creation and maintenance of consumer capitalism explaining the importance of designer jeans and designer drugs in an effort to be the coolest kid in the class. |
Contents
Preface | |
WHY SCHOOLS VARY | |
TEEN STATUSSYSTEMS AND CONSUMERISM | |
Elaborations | |
Sample Research Materials | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
academic activities adolescents adults AfricanAmerican American andthe associated athletic atthe band basketball behavior boys Catholic schools chapter characteristics cheerleaders cliques clothes consumer consumer capitalism consumerism context cool create culture discussion dress economic especially ethnic example expressive extracurricular female fieldworkers focus football freshman friends fromthe girls grades hence hierarchy high school identity important inalienable Indian caste system individuals inexpansibility interaction inthe involved isnot itis jocks kids less lifestyle lunch lunchroom middleclass nerds norms Nurture Assumption observer ofstatus ofthe ofthis one’s onthe parents particular patterns peer people’s peoplewho percent pluralism political popular crowd postmodern preppy preps racial ranking rednecks relationships relatively reports ritual school students segregation senior sexual significant social societies solidarity status groups status relations status symbols status systems structure subcultures teachers teenagers thatis thatthe theory of status theschool theyare Thisis tobe tothe usually WWHS young