When we think about Puritan towns, we think about how strict
they were. In our modern day society, it’s a little harder to pinpoint large
groups or societies that are very passionate about their beliefs in a way that
it is to the expense of those they believe are in the wrong.
One modern day Puritan that comes to mind is ‘The Plastics’
from the movie Mean Girls. It may not
seem like it, but they fit the criteria: they are exclusive, strict, and
unforgiving.
Exclusive: These three young girls are close “friends” who
befriended each other and formed their clique because they shared similar
qualities; they were pretty, fit, rich and coldhearted. They won’t befriend
others if they don’t have these traits, expect for coldhearted (they can change
that) and being rich is a flexible concept. ‘The Plastics’ hold the qualities
highly, and do not just allow anyone who is pretty join their clique, but only
the ones who are new (so they can change them to be just as they are, without a
guilty conscience), and strongly possess these traits.
Strict: These girls have rules that are set in stone and
enforced. If one girl is to break these rules then she cannot sit with the rest
of the girls during lunch. It may not seem like much, but if not with ‘The
Plastics,’ where are these girls to sit? Some rules the girls have: on Wednesday
they wear pink, you can’t wear a tank top two days in a row, you can only wear
a ponytail once a week, and sweat pants and jeans are only worn on Fridays.
Unforgiving: If you mess up, these girls can ruin you. It
can start with kicking you out of their table, and, because girls fight
emotionally rather than physically, can lead to them spreading rumors. It can
get to the point where the girl feels compelled to cut off all of her hair and
transfer schools.
In these ways, ‘The Plastics’, and many cliques, are just
like the Puritans. They are, indeed, the modern Puritans.
I like how you compared a group of religious believers that have an ideology of the constant studying of the doctrine and worship to a group of three high school girls that is separating them from others to make them seem special like the Puritans who are believing that they are the chosen ones of God. By so making them seem like they are special.
ReplyDeleteWow. I love how you referenced this post to "Mean Girls". They really do seem like the modern day puritans. Do you think that this applies to other female high school cliques? Or any cliques period?
ReplyDeleteI find this post very interesting but I disagree with it. For the Puritans the whole society would hate you and have very strict rules while in "Mean Girls" it was just a few. I think this makes the Puritans harsher.
ReplyDeleteI really like the points you make, they're really strong. Aren't the Plastics sortof viewed by everyone as what they really are though? People treat them well because they don't want the Plastics to ruin their lives, but no one really likes them. The Puritans all felt the same way though.
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