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
Explaining Teens Behavior | 33 |
Why Schools Vary | 91 |
Teen Status Systems and Consumerism | 145 |
Appendices | 192 |
Notes | 225 |
281 | |
297 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
academic activities adolescents adults African-American American associated athletic band basketball behavior black students Bobos in Paradise boundaries boys Catholic schools characteristics cheerleaders cliques clothes common conformity consumer consumer capitalism consumerism context cool create cultural discussion dress economic especially ethnic example female fieldworkers focus football friends girls grades hedonism hence hierarchy high status honor identity important inalienability Indian caste system individuals inexpansibility interaction intimacy involved jocks kids less lifestyle lunch lunchroom male mass media means nerd norms observed one’s parents particular patterns peer groups peer status people’s percent pluralism political popular crowd postmodern preppy preps primarily race racial rednecks relationships relatively reports ritual role school students seems segregation senior sexual significant social societies solidarity status differences status groups status relations status structures status symbols status systems subculture teachers teenagers tend theory of status usually WWHS young